The ZDNet.com blog, Googling Google, just published an article focused on the new Google Video terms and conditions. It’s been obvious for a long time that sooner or later Google would make some drastic improvements to their video play, and given the new T&C’s, it looks like they are almost ready to make their move.
Google Video has been a reasonable, no hosting/traffic cost way to make videos available on the internet. But for most users it has been clumsy to use at best. Compared to other similar free services, like youtube.com, Google has fallen way short of the mark – at least so far. It’s difficult to organize, find, and distribute video content, and there are long delays between the time you upload a new video and it actually is available online. But all of those issues can be fixed, if Google is motivated to do it. And, given the advertising based business model, they may have terrific motivation to fix things quickly.
The latest T&C’s changes, according to Garett Rogers, are specifically focused on enabling (facilitating?) the ability to make video content downloadable in addition to streaming it, and being able to charge for it. While a lot of the media attention will focus on the potential for movie, television, and other popular video content, the upcoming changes may also enable small businesses and individuals to publish, distribute, and get paid for the creation of value added video content.
One good example is Cartoonsmart.com. One individual, applying his considerable talent at creating Flash animations, has created a business model that allows him to video his tutorials and sell them via the internet for very reasonable prices – usually around $10 per tutorial. But, in order to make it all work, he had to go through a lot of extra effort to setup a way to distribute and get paid for his work. Google Video may be the solution that enables thousands of others to do the same thing.
For example, my sister loves quilting, and often teaches classes to people in her local neighborhood. If she video taped some of her classes and did a little bit of video production, then she might be able to reach a much larger market – to share her knowledge and know-how with people all over the globe, and to get paid for her work.
Related links:
Google to start renting videos? – Googling Google blog ZDNet.com
http://www.youtube.com – Free video sharing service
http://www.cartoonsmart.com – Flash animation video tutorials
Unless you want to give Google the right to MODIFY your content and message, please do read the Google Video Terms of Service. Check this out and tell others who may be simply clicking ACCEPT without reading:
http://imran.com/media/blog/2005/12/google-has-right-to-modify-your-videos.html
Imran
http://imran.com/
Posted by: Imran Anwar | Saturday, December 24, 2005 at 01:38 PM