Video as a Social Media Tool

   Online video has become an important part of the social media revolution, infi ltrating sites in practically every category and expanding into its own industry. One reason for the popularity of video-sharing sites is that most provide free storage space, so that producers do not need to pay to upload their content. Th e cost of servers and the potential complexities of developing a site capable of showing videos could be an insurmountable barrier for the average user. Video sharing sites virtually eliminate the costs and hassles for producers and create a central place where viewers can come to watch a variety of videos.

The increasing volume of videos being uploaded to these sites has also been advanced by the growing number of cell phones and computers with built-in cameras and a reduction in the price of handheld semi-professional video cameras.

People post videos on various sites for many reasons, including:

• Marketing: Video has long been a mainstay of marketing campaigns, with television commercials being the most common application. Th ese commercials often make their way onto video sharing sites, where people seek out their favorites to watch
  repeatedly. Marketers also use online video for training purposes, news releases, product announcements, and corporate overviews (videos that show the company history, what they do, and why a consumer should buy from them).
• Education: Online video provides an eff ective means of educating people on any number of topics. How-to videos typically provide step-by-step instructions on topics such as using a specific product or how to program a Web page. Classroom style videos can teach people about specific topics important to the marketer’s
  audience. For example, a pharmaceutical services company might produce and post educational videos about the importance of secure packaging for potential clients.
• Fame: With video sharing, anyone can be a star. Through the Web, people have rushed to fi nd fame using every possible gimmick from producing home music videos and comedy bits to puppet shows and animations.
• Re-broadcast: Television is fi nding a new home on the Web, with many popular networks creating sites to rebroadcast popular shows online after they have aired on TV. Th is attracts more viewers to these shows, helping networks increase their appeal to advertisers.
• Street journalism: With a cell phone camera in hand, anyone can be a reporter. Amateur journalists who happened to be in the right place at the right time (or the wrong place at the wrong time, depending upon the situation) have uploaded videos of everything from freak tornados to crimes in progress.

   Video-sharing sites take advantage of social media tools by allowing viewers to leave comments on each video, maintain a list of their favorites, and develop their own profi le page that other users can visit. At the same time, other Web sites have used video as part of their social media off erings. Social networking sites like MySpace allow members to upload video to their profiles. In fact, videos have become a primary feature of MySpace.