This paper is about video syndication and also covers the topic of making and publishing an online video.

What is Video Syndication?

Video syndication is the use of a syndication service to post your video on a number of video hosting sites in one go.

How is it useful?

YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world.  Approximately 310 million people visit YouTube.com each day (source Wolframalpha Nov 2009).

According to data from Comscore (July 2009), the US site was the 6^th largest internet destination, the top internet entertainment site and has significant reach in most ages groups.

Having a video, series of videos or even a channel (and anyone with an account has a channel) on YouTube is a great way to get exposure, traffic and build links to your site.

Video is a way to deliver information quickly and clearly, and is often better than simply using the written or spoken word alone: Remember when you tried to explain how to programme the video recorder to someone over the phone? Was that fun?

Youtube is only one (albeit the biggest) video hosting site on line, among others are:

• Viddler
• Metacafe
• Vimeo
• Dailymotion
• Google Video
• HowCast
• Blip.Tv
• To name a few video sites, find more sites here

Video syndication offers you a way to get your video on these sites quickly and in only a few steps.

Where do I start?

1             Making the Video

The first step is recording a video.

This video should be about something relevant to your site, it could be a product review, a how to guide, it could even be an introduction by you showing off your site to the online community.  These are just a few ideas.

What do I use?

It depends on what you want to record.

Recording Your Screen

If you are recording content from your computer (“screen capture”) there are a few applications to consider. Here are some we use but do not necessarily recommend you use them:

Application	Notes
Jing http://www.jingproject.com/	Can be used on a PC or a MAC. Maximum length of video :         5 min Sound recording:                     Yes Recording format:                   Shockwave Flash(SWF)
Jing Pro http://www.jingproject.com/pro/	Can be used on a PC or a MAC. Maximum length of video :         5 min Sound recording:                     Yes Recording format:                   Shockwave Flash(SWF) Cost:                                             $US 14.95 per year MP4 Unbranded videos Direct upload to YouTube Records from Webcam
Camtasia Studio http://www.techsmith.com/camtasia.asp	Can be used only on PC Maximum length of video :         min Sound recording:                     Yes Recording format:                   various including MP4, AVI Cost:                                             $US 299 This is a high end, fully featured video editing application: includes PIP, sound over, screen recording as well as the ability to upload and edit media. 30 day free trial available.
Camtasia for Mac http://www.techsmith.com/camtasiamac/	Used only on Mac Maximum length of video :         min Sound recording:                     Yes Recording format:                   various including MP4, AVI Cost:                                             $US 99 (until end of Dec                                                         2009, then $US 149) Has some different features from Camtasia and is best considered a different if similar application to Camtasia.

Macusers can also look at Screenflow ($US 99).

TIPS If you make a mistake, keep recording but pause (this creates an identifiable gap in the recording so you can find it in the edit) and then go again.  (This is particular useful if you screw up in the middle of a presentation and don’t want to start again). Try recording the video separately from the audio. Most edit errors in the audio (you lose your train of thought, you stumble or get tongue tied). Some packages such as Camtasia allow video narration. Otherwise you can use a program like Audacity (this is open source and free and is available at http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ or by just clicking on the name above) to make sound recordings on your PC or Mac – and join the video and the audio at the editing phase. (Note: you will need to download an extra plug-in to convert to MP3 on Audacity. The plug in can be found here: LAME  MP3 convertor. Do a dry run (especially if you need to do a live demo and are relying on an internet connection). If you are going to record interaction with live sites – have them already set up (otherwise you will be recording your browser finding the sites – of course you could also PAUSE at this time).

Recording Live

If you are doing live recording you can use a digital camera that takes movies or simply a video camera. You could also consider using a Flip camera – which is specially designed for recording video for uploading to a PC or Mac and then online. (Be warned the Australia site uses flash media and can take a minute to download).

2             Editing

Once you have made your movie you may need to edit it, this may mean adding a soundtrack or a voice over, removing some mistakes or unnecessary content.

As noted earlier with some applications have (such as Camtasia) you can not only record but also edit videos.  Other free applications to consider include:

• iMovie (which normally comes bundled with a new Mac); and
• for Windows users either : Windows Movie Maker (if you use Windows XP) or Windows Live Movie Maker (if you use Vista or Windows 7).

You may already own some video editing software or some other freeware or shareware.

Whatever you have the important thing is you are able to:

1. edit or remove unnecessary content
2. add titles
3. add credits or text to the movies

These last two will allow you to brand your video and also promote your URL.  A few more tips can be found at the end of this paper.

Uploading to YouTube

Loading your video to YouTube is relatively straightforward.

You do need an account but if you have a Gmail account you are pretty much there already as YouTube.

TIP: If you plan to record a series of videos or use videos extensively we strongly recommend you set up a specific YouTube account and hence channel for your business.

There are three preferred formats for uploading to YouTube:

H.264, MPEG-2 and MPEG-4

It may be necessary to convert your video format to MP4. There a few video convertors around, some of them are free but as always there are paid ones. You could also keep an eye on PC magazines (such as PC User, PC Authority) as sometimes they will have convertors as one of the free applications they offer each month.

How do I syndicate?

One free service we recommend is Tubemogul (www.tubemogul.com).

Tubemogul around 25 different video hosting sites including YouTube, Viddler and MetaCafe – a full list is provided at the end of this presentation.

The following assumes you have a Tubemogul account. To get an account, visit the signup page.

1	Prepare, record and edit your video. Preferred formats are either an MP4 (mpeg4) format or AVI format. Tubemogul has two uploader options and recommend that if the file is larger than 100Mb you use the big file uploader which has a resume function (in the event your upload is interrupted). NOTE some services will not be available to use unless you are a Premium member.
2	While the video is loading, you can enter the title, description, tags and select the category. Please refer above for some tips on what to put in the title, description and tags.

Tips for Online Videos

1. SEO Your Video: Optimize your video for keywords and phrases:

• put your keyword in your title
• Start the description with your URL (use the http:// syntax so the link is clickable) then provide a detail description that includes your keywords (if necessary put a transcript of your video in the description). Search engines can then crawl through the text.
• add tags to your YouTube video with up to 20 key phrases (ensure the words are relevant to your video)

1. Catchy Titles: Use a catchy title for your video
2. Short and To the Point: Keep the videos short (no more than 5 min in length) and to the point.

If you need more than 5 minutes to deliver your content, then break it up into 5 minute (or less bites) and create a series.

This will probably  mean you need to edit your video – if so, try to break it up at natural transition points or better still points that appear like cliffhangers (for example, if your video is making a cake you might end on video just at the point you are about to take it out of the oven).

Let people know if video is part of series by including in title hints such as “(part 1 or 5)”.

1. Publicise: Tweet, email, the link to the video, embed it in your blog, syndicate, enable embeddable links (so people can put it into their sites)
2. Start a dialogue: encourage participation and try to get your viewers to engage with you. User generated content (UGC) can be a good source of new material and relevant content. Things you can do include:

• allow user ratings and comments
• ask questions in the video
• actively encourage feedback.

Be clear about where you want the comments to go: “Tell me what you think by putting your thoughts in the comments section.” Include a call to action.

1. Push your site: Put a caption or title at the start, middle and end of your video with your URL link into your video. Make sure  you mention your URL at the end of the video and at the start.
2. Use annotations: If you are using YouTube – use annotations to create clickable points on your video
3. Use an interesting background – people will look behind you and an interesting background may keep their attention.

YouTube URL Tricks

There are a few more things you can do to a YouTube video you have embedded onto your pages:

Original YouTube URL – from Do You Wanna Date My Avatar (3:48, 5.5 million views (Nov 09) since Aug 2009)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urNyg1ftMIU

Effect	Addition to URL
Remove the search box What it does Stops YouTube showing search box at the end of the video embedded on your site. Why do this? Prevents visitors YouTube for searching for more videos while on your website.	Add &showsearch=0 to the end of the URL eg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urNyg1ftMIU&showsearch=0 (NOTE – no spaces between the letters)
Remove related videos. What it does: Stops YouTube showing any related videos at the end of the video embedded on your site. Why do this? Ensure none of your competitors are related videos appear after your own. Particularly useful if you are showing a video created by you for the website. Note this change means no related videos (included any you might have created earlier) or offered to a viewer.	Add &rel=0 to the end of the URL eg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urNyg1ftMIU&rel=0
Embed Video so it starts at a predetermined point when first played. What it does: Starts a video at a point chosen by you. Why do this? Allows you to set video to start at the most relevant point for you. TIP if you are going to use this, let your visitor know that video will start in x seconds in or a preset point. This will ensure they don’t think their browser is playing up.	Add &start=XX to the end of the URL eg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urNyg1ftMIU&start=34 Where XX = number of seconds after the start of the video
Autoplay an Embedded Video What it does: Starts the video playing when your page is loaded Why do this? Ensure your video is played immediately – useful if you want to introduce yourself or get attention quickly. TIP use this sparingly as many people browse at work and may not appreciate if a site starts playing immediately it loads – especially if it has audio.	Add &autoplay=1 to the end of the URL eg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urNyg1ftMIU&autoplay=1
Loop an Embedded Video What it does: Automatically replays the video Why do this? If you want a video to replay  automatically – for example a series of banner ads or images with embedded links (using YouTube annotations)	Add &loop=1 to the end of the URL eg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urNyg1ftMIU&loop=1
Embed a Higher Quality Video What it does: Automatically replays the video Why do this? If you want a video to replay  automatically – for example a series of banner ads or images with embedded links (using YouTube annotations)	Add &fmt=18 (stereo, 480×270 resolution) Or &fmt=22 (stereo, 1280 x 720 resolution) to the end of the URL eg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urNyg1ftMIU&fmt=18

Video Host Sites Supporting by Tubemogul

Site Name	URL	Distribution	Viewership
Your Site	tubemogul.com/inplay	—	Yes
Blip.tv	blip.tv	Yes	Yes
Break	break.com	Yes	Yes
Brightcove	brightcove.com	*	Yes
DailyMotion	dailymotion.com	Yes	Yes
eBaum’s World	ebaumsworld.com	Yes	—
Graspr	graspr.com	Yes	Yes
GrindTV	grindtv.com	Yes	Yes
Howcast	howcast.com	Yes	Yes
i2TV	tellytopia.com	Yes	—
Imeem	imeem.com	Yes	Yes
Metacafe	metacafe.com	Yes	Yes
MSN Video	video.msn.com	Yes	Yes
Myspace	myspace.com	Yes	Yes
Revver	revver.com	Yes	Yes
Sclipo	sclipo.com	Yes	—
sevenload	sevenload.com	Yes	Yes
Streetfire	streetfire.net	Yes	Yes
StupidVideos	stupidvideos.com	Yes	Yes
Veoh	veoh.com	Yes	Yes
Yahoo Video	video.yahoo.com	Yes	Yes
YouTube	youtube.com	Yes	Yes
Viddler	viddler.com	Yes	Yes
Vimeo	vimeo.com	Yes	Yes
5min	5min.com	Yes	Yes
Zoopy	zoopy.com	Yes	Yes

• Previous Entry: Resources to help local businesses
• Next Entry: Google Starts a New Street View Project in Sydney.