I think I posted a link to a similar article some months back, if I recall correctly it was claimed they were loosing around $1M/week.

The big question I see for most of us is having made use of all the largess of YouTube where do we go if Google pulls the plug. Vimeo's premium service doesn't seem all that financially viable either if your content does generate a lot of traffic and there's no ad revenue to offset the cost of all that bandwidth.

Bob.

I remember when you posted that article bob.

but I like the idea of google starting to make content too. If there's a company that could basicly make sucessful internet serials, it's google. They've got everything they need but the crews of people to make it.

Bottom line is - monetizing your content is going to come from creative solutions with pre-rolls, mid rolls and even post roll ads. Hulu is doing a great job with this ad model.

The latest FilmFellas episodes from Zacuto really delve into this topic and I highly recommend watching the latest one. I made a presentation to the local business networking meetup group I belong to 2 weeks ago on this information from Filmfellas - I have received several web video job inquires as a result.

Cliff Etzel
Videographer : Producer : Web Designer
bluprojekt

but hulu doesn't host my son laughing. that's the difference.

your son, my son, his son, grandmas. That stuff does not belong on the internet anyway. It's easy enough to e-mail videos or to set up your own web site / page for family to view videos like that.

Even if you wanted everybody to see that kind of stuff ( I really can't imagine why one would ) you don't need, nor have ever really needed youtube.

"That stuff does not belong on the internet anyway."

ok.

"It's easy enough to e-mail videos or to set up your own web site / page for family to view videos like that."

But, you just said that doesn't belong on the internet. How is setting up your own web site *not* on the internet? Also, most email accounts don't allow files of significant size where video is concerned.

"Even if you wanted everybody to see that kind of stuff ( I really can't imagine why one would ) you don't need, nor have ever really needed youtube."

Well, except that clicking upload on youtube is several hundred times easier than setting up a personal website. Even for those who make websites for a living, youtube is still way easier. It also requires no resources on the uploader's part.

>>>>But, you just said that doesn't belong on the internet.<<<
A personal web site one would use for this purpose is technically internet, but it should be obvious what I meant. There is a difference between uploading something somewhere where family members and friends can watch and just uploading it for the whole world to see.

>>>>Well, except that clicking upload on youtube is several hundred times easier than setting up a personal website. Even for those who make websites for a living, youtube is still way easier. It also requires no resources on the uploader's part.<<<

It's not. For somebody with even basic knowledge of web design it's far easier and far better to not use youtube, because by using your own player and site, you have all the control you want. It's really not difficult to set it up. There are plenty of free web players if you don't own a copy of flash and can't make your own.

Newsweek... makes sense, coming from & considering the source -- bleh

Back 'fore Google made it big no one figured out how to make that much cash off search. Twitter's in the same boat, but I haven't seen anyone worried yet. In the mean time Google gets a nice tax write-off, works on their OS, & plots to fight off MS, monetize all those goat turds from their lawn care PR stunt, get along with China, & overall take over the world.

Folks on the periphery either figure out how to benefit, or not -- saying it does or doesn't make sense is irrelevant. I always remember the guy that became a millionaire selling a device to make square, hard boiled eggs -- senseless to me, but not to the millions of people who bought them. Right now at least one firm is going gangbusters, in part by making sure clients YouTube vid get's noticed, played, & popular.
----
"it's far easier and far better to not use youtube, "

May or may not be for *us*, but misses the point I think.. The other day at my Bro in-law's I watched my niece playing YouTube vids on her iPhone. She doesn't *Want* to go anywhere else. She knows the site, & she's already there, along with millions of other folks. For anything marketing related it's a no-brainer to go where you'll find the eyeballs. When it comes to in-family stuff, don't know a way to say it politely -- frankly we're not always that interesting. And there's an awful lot competing for whatever few minutes of attention it costs to type in a url & wait for somebody's site to load.

Besides, Even if you overcome the universal dread folks have of personal sites, & someone in your family does actually get there, what if they have a problem? I've got relatives whom, bless their hearts, I'd rather have my fingernails pulled out than try to troubleshoot their systems. But since THEY did ME a FAVOR by going to MY site, I owe them not only a complete servicing, but tech support for every conceivable problem in the future... "Well, ya know since you fixed it last time?... well this here just hasn't been working quite the same. Now it's no big deal, & if you don't know how or can't do it, I imagine your cousin might trouble his/her self, or maybe I could cut down on my pills & take it to..."

It will be curious to see if their operating system Google Chrome generates any money for Google.

If their revenue stays high enough, then as the article suggests at least they have a legitimate tax write off with You Tube - unlike so many huge and wealthy companies that have tax write offs that they shouldn't. Better that Google keeps You Tube rather than a company like Time Warner.


John

I think GoogleDocs is a fabulous set of tools; as is YouTube and gmail, though I don't use my account much. I bet they someday go to a subscriber model (I haven't read the article in the OP and I may be restating the obvious, sorry.) Just making the point that I would be happy to pay some amount, $50 or whatever, per year to be a subscriber to google services.

YouTube has a place. Many times I have found a resource video that helped.
Can't say I noticed the ads. Some forum websites ads hinder reading the
real content.

Yes, it is easier to set up a FTP site for customers to review their video and is
more secure. But for those of us too distant from DSL or cable internet providers,
we rely on satellite internet connections and they impose bandwidth limitations
(Fair Use Policies) because the frequency our terminals are assigned to
is shared with perhaps 20 or more customers. YouTube serves a function
by allowing us to uplink once. Customers use YouTube's bandwidth.

There are times I feel the internet is a hassle and plugged with junk.
Still is a good tool at times.