How Video Sharing Works

Getting started with video sharing is easy. You'll need three things to record and share videos online:

There are two options for getting your video from your camera to a video-sharing Web site: with video-editing software or without video editing software.

Some video-sharing sites, like YouTube and Blip.tv, allow you to record video directly onto the Web site without any special software. Direct recording is particularly useful for video bloggers, or vloggers, who enjoy being able to post quick video messages directly from their Web cam. Here's how direct recording works:

Another way to record and upload video onto a video-sharing Web site is to use video-editing software like Movie Maker, iMovie or Final Cut Pro. Once you've recorded the video onto your camcorder or other digital recording device, you need to import it onto your computer using the video editing software. Exactly how you import the video depends on what type of recording device and which software program you're using.

The advantage of video editing software is that you can combine multiple video clips into the same movie, add titles and transitions (fade in, fade out, dissolve), special effects and music soundtracks.

­When you're done editing the movie, you need to compress the movie file so that it's small enough to play on a video-sharing Web site. Compression is handled by the Export command on most video-editing software programs. In the export menu, you can indicate the final movie file's size by choosing its resolution and frame rate. A higher resolution and frame rate makes the video clip play smoother and clearer, but leads to higher file sizes. You can also choose the file type: Windows .AVI, QuickTime .MOV or one of various .MPG files.

YouTube, for example, recommends an MPEG4 file format at 640x480 resolution and 30 frames per second. YouTube also has a file size limit of 1GB (gigabyte) and a maximum clip length of 10 minutes.

Now that you've edited and compressed your movie file, you're ready to upload it to one or several video-sharing Web sites. Most of these sites have a prominent Upload button or Upload link on the home page. Click on the link and follow the directions. Most sites will ask you to name the clip, give it a short description and assign it some keywords or tags.

You'll also be asked if you want the clip to be public or private. If it's public, it'll be searchable and accessible to anybody on the video sharing site. If it's private, only people with the direct link to your video can watch it. Finally, you'll indicate which movie file you want to upload.

So which is the best video-sharing site to use? Keep reading to find out.

Video hosting services is a fancy name for video-sharing Web sites like YouTube, MetaCafe, Blip.tv and more than 60 others. The basic functions of video-sharing Web sites are nearly the same: They allow you to search for and watch existing videos and upload your own. Beyond that, each service offers special features that separate itself from the pack.

Community is an important dimension on many video-sharing Web sites. On sites like YouTube and MySpace Videos, video clips are posted on the profile page of the individual who uploaded it. Profile pages are the basic building blocks for online social networks. On these profile pages, users link to all of their friends on the network. They post messages to each other and responses to individual video clips. Users form groups and develop strong online identities.

Blip.tv focuses on forging an online identity. The site started primarily as a destination for video bloggers, so it's designed as a forum for individual expression. Users create their own "channels" and "shows" ranging from random blog posts to professionally edited sitcoms. Blip.tv, like YouTube, has a feature where you can upload video clips directly from a cell phone or other mobile device. So if you're inspired to make a video blog post while standing on the subway, you can.

Another feature of many video-sharing sites is the ability to earn money from your videos. This is typically done through targeted advertising that either appears as text ads on your profile page or embedded within the video clip itself. Different sites offer different revenue-sharing deals. Revver, for example, shares ad revenues 50/50 with users who get the most page views. The video-sharing site MetaCafe offers extra money for the most popular clips. Those who earn "producer rewards" get cash for every thousand times a clip is viewed. One user has tallied nearly $40,000 [source: Blogging for Money].

The most important consideration when choosing a video-sharing site is the type of content in which the site specializes. A large, established site like YouTube has a little bit of everything. It also has by far the largest user base, so it's easier for your clip to get lost in the shuffle. Break.com specializes in "America's Funniest Video"-type clips of people doing stupid things and getting hurt. MySpace Videos, also known as MySpace TV, has professionally produced content including full episodes of TV shows and movies. And there are plenty of video-sharing sites that specialize in adult content, both homemade and professional.

All of the video-sharing sites we've discussed so far are totally free, meaning they don't charge anything to upload videos and create profile pages. But there's another option for people who want to use video-sharing sites more as personal portals for sharing longer movie clips with a select audience.

The electronics store Best Buy has launched a video-sharing site geared toward people who want to share home movies with friends and family. Starting around $7 a month, a user can upload clips as long as 30 minutes a piece and store as much as 100 minutes at a time on the site. You can pay more to store more minutes. Once you upload a clip, you invite people to watch it by sending them a link via e-mail. Best Buy markets the site as a private, secure alternative to large video-sharing Web sites.

What if you want to create your own video-sharing site? Or quickly optimize clips for uploading? Or post a video to more than one site at a time? Find out how on the next page.

If you find yourself uploading a lot of clips to several video-sharing sites -- particularly if it's part of your job -- you might start looking for ways to speed up the compressing and uploading process. There are several software programs you can download that'll automatically compress and format video clips as Flash 8 files that can either be uploaded to sites like YouTube or embedded directly into blogs, personal Web pages or social network profile pages.

There are also software programs -- for purchase and free -- that can submit the same video clip to multiple video-sharing sites simultaneously. Tubemogul is a free Web site that'll submit your clip to all of the major video-sharing sites, then track how many viewers watched the clip on each site. This tracking service is useful when a video clip is part of an advertising or marketing campaign.

But maybe you think you can compete with the YouTubes and the DailyMotions of the world. Or you simply want to set up a video-sharing site for your company, school or organization. There are several software programs you can buy that market themselves as "YouTube clones." For anywhere from $50 to $300, you can buy a pre-made script that allows you to quickly create a Web site with the same functions as all of the major video-sharing sites. These functions include:

We hope this HowStuffWorks article has been a helpful introduction to the tremendously popular world of video sharing. For more information on video sharing and related topics, check out the links on the next page.