Google Video Retools To Take On YouTube
Google is changing the way videos get into Google Video, moving the service into place to better compete with YouTube. Once the update is complete, reports the AP, the Google Video Uploader will be the software equivelant of a paperweight. Finally, users will be able to upload videos directly from a webpage, without having to install anything. Also, they say that “videos should now be available to share shortly after they are transmitted to Google”.
(via Digg)
Great move. The biggest problem with Google Video had been the difficulty in getting videos into the service. Sure, lots of people did it, but the software and the day-or-so wait for your videos to be ready were deal-breakers for lots of people, including myself. Now that it gets easier, I’ll probably finally start using Google Video, and you know I’m not the only one.
In spite of the difficulties, Video’s been doing pretty decently:
In April, YouTube attracted 12.5 million unique U.S. visitors, surpassing all other video services, according to Nielsen/NetRatings Inc. Google is ranked fourth in the video category with 7.3 million visitors, trailing Microsoft Corp.’s MSN and News Corp.’s MySpace.com besides YouTube.
The fact that, without any of YouTube’s buzz, ease-of-use or community, Google Video has done really well. Being usable for bloggers (and others for whom speed is of essence) is going to take it to the next level. I’m hoping the team behind Video is starting to realize that there is a serious fight underway in this space, and it is in their best interests to not do it half-assed. Time to admit that you need to develop faster, release lots of features and not give an inch to the competition.
And I wish ‘em well.
UPDATE: The Google Blog announces the changes. The web-based uploader is here.
Turns out Google is participating in a promotion for the Jennifer Aniston/Vince Vaughn movie The Break-Up, by participating in the latest made-up “special” day, National Break-Up Day. The website for NB-U Day is filled with some pretty funny break-up stories, almost to the point where I have to question if they are real.
My ex-girlfriend stabbed me in the leg with a pencil, then spent the entire trip to the emergency room begging me to forgive her. When we got there the cops arrested her, and her dad was so pissed he broke all the windows to my car, but he cut himself so bad he ended up at the same emergency room in the next bed over, and he threw a piece of medical equipment at me and got arrested. They ended up in the same holding cell.
Fake or not (and knowing the movie studios, more likely fake than not), the stories are fun to read, and worth the time wasted. To join in, Google wants you to upload your own tales of breaking up, which is a pretty good way to create a bit of viral marketing. I’d be interested in seeing what sort of response they get.
UPDATE 2: As a test, I uploaded a video. The 830kb video took a minute to upload, was available immediately, but is not yet in Google Video search results. Still, it embeds instantly, which means they’ve done a great job:
I don’t know where I got the video, and I’d appreciate if anyone could remind me (and I’ll remove it if the creator minds). You can view it in Google Video at this address.
The web-based uploader includes instructions on inserting into MySpace. Jeez. It’s taking over the world.
By the way, can I say I love the progress bar:
As far as I can tell from the interface, you can embed videos immediately after uploading, but they won’t appear in search results until verified. Very smart solution, which solves a lot of problems.
I would hardly call the Google Video Uploader a paperweight. Even with a webbased uploader, the program still has benefits. Several days ago I uploaded over 100 videos to Google Video. It took one drag and drop of a folder and one click on upload. It would of been a pain in the ass having to do them one by one through a webpage.
Although I welcome the web based uploader, there are times where I would have preferred it. The reduction in time for the video to go live is going to be great. Personally I have always liked Google Video better than YouTube or other services, this is just more icing on the cake for me.
Comment by Cody | May 17, 2006
On a completely off topic side note, glad to see the integrated coComments.
Comment by Cody | May 17, 2006
integrated cocomments…very cool.
But yeah, another problem with the service is how long it takes them to accept videos you want to sell. I have a for sell video in there since February and it’s still not live.
I emailed Google and they wrote back:
“Thank you for your email. We have looked into your account and found that
the reason your video has not yet gone “live” is because you selected a
purchase price for your video. At this time, we are testing our purchase
feature and are unable to add more sellers at this time.
We hope to give individual uploaders access to content for fees set by the
content owner very soon. Please note, you may still set a purchase price
for your video; however, your video will only be stored in your account
and won’t be displayed on Google Video.”
Comment by Hashim | May 17, 2006
Cody: Good point, great point. I hope Google keeps the uploader working and available after it makes the change, just for the bulk uploaders.
Hashim: I’m surprised at that. I thought Google was commited to providing a video store for everyone, not just CBS and the NBA. Lets hope they take care of that, fast, because it is the biggest distinguishing factor between it and YouTube.
As for the CoComments, I’m glad to see you like. I got sick of hitting the bookmarklet every time I posted a comment somewhere else, and I’m hoping others see the advantage of integrating and start using it, too. It’s far more useful than those 800 RSS chicklets some bloggers use, so why not?
Comment by Nathan Weinberg | May 17, 2006
I meant “for sale” not “for sell”. Sorry!
Anyway, this issue has been going on since February. I’m only charging $1 for the video! I’ll email them again and let you know what happens.
Comment by Hashim | May 17, 2006
Looks like the software is still useful not only for bulk uploads, but for any file over 100MB as well.
Maybe I’ll start using this more since YouTube is just frustrating to deal with.
Comment by Niraj | May 17, 2006
They have not enabled the feature to sell videos for everyone yet, only some sellers are allowed to do it now. But they should be releasing it soon. This, and Google Base, and Google Books are three areas where Google is holding back opening up their merchant solutions. Why is it taking them so long? Are they planning a really big launch?
Comment by or | May 17, 2006
Here’s their latest response to me:
“Hi Hashim,
Thanks for your email. We understand that you are interested in selling your videos on Google Video. Unfortunately, this is not currently available. However, we appreciate your patience as we continue testing
this feature.
We hope that you will visit Google Video soon to see our recent improvements and additions!
Sincerely,
The Google Video Team”
I just wish that they would have told me they’re not ready to sell my videos BEFORE or WHILE I was uploading it. There’s nothing in the FAQ that says they aren’t ready.
Comment by Hashim | May 18, 2006