Thursday, August 23, 2007

Do You Want YouTube's Logo On Your Web Videos??


Even more troubling, do you want THEIR ten second ad to run before your web videos?

Ron Chatman, the guy who crafted CBS Radio/Detroit's web presence for many years is now available to all of us.
I recommend you bookmark his new blog, where he will be posting a listing of dirt cheap video hosting options in the next few days. Here's why you will want them:

Here's a heads up on a change at YouTube that may impact how you place videos on your website in the future. YouTube's owner, Google, has indicated that they are going to start adding advertising to all video streamed from their site. Videos streamed from the site will have an ad graphic splashed across the bottom edge of the frame, not unlike your local news station or a network news story.

While many stations were willing to accept the "YouTube bug" in the corner, not everyone will be happy with this latest turn of events. Google contends that the ads are not annoying because audiences are used to seeing ads like this on TV. For your web visitors it may seem a bit like a double dip, especially if your video page is ad heavy.

You may want to take this opportunity to move your videos over to a service where you have better control and can monetize them by placing your own advertising on them. YouTube has been an easy out for shows wanting to bypass the webmaster or smaller stations looking to avoid paying for bandwidth and hosting. There are plenty of solutions available now that are much easier to use and a LOT cheaper than before.


Ron's new business position statement: "...webmaster tools and twisted web based prep, tailored for DJ-proof use on your website and on the air..." gives more than a clue that he has been there, DONE that!

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