Why Youtube became so big so fast and what its’ growth can teach you about the Web
August 13, 2007
Youtube is the new big thing on the Web. But you have to wonder why Youtube got so big so fast?
… Consider that there are web sites that have existed long before Youtube and did the exact same thing – user generated videos/video sharing.
As a web designer/web developer, my first instinct would be to look at:
- Functionality
- Usability
I found that Youtube is very good in both camps (for the most part,) but so are several other video sharing sites.
The answer to Youtube’s success:
Youtube went to the top because of content.
Unfortunately, the content that drives Youtube is the content that the other big video sharing sites (ethically) removed from their websites – all the professionally produced videos.
.. We all like to see videos of cats falling off tables once in a while, but let’s be honest, most of us go to Youtube to see copyrighted videos:
- The Daily Show
- Colber Report
- Family Guy
… etc.
While the other video sharing sites removed copyrighted material, Youtube turned a blind eye (at least that is what I think,) and Youtube saw its’ traffic skyrocket.
So now Youtube is being sued left and right … they deserve it. If someone was selling ad space from an audience largely attracted by my hard work (not that would ever happen …) I would be pretty pissed off.
Side note:
My relatively simple video tutorials take a while to produce: you are taking about 5-7 hrs of work (easily) for every hour of video!
–
Google says (Google bought Youtube) that in September it will introduce its’ video filtering technology and flush out the stolen content. I wonder if Youtube’s traffic will go the way of Napster?
Just in case you forget; Napster was the big name in music sharing (again stolen content,) until they were sued and forced to remove all the big-name songs. Napster has since fallen off the radar … no content.
Content is King:
That was the first rule of web design I learned back in 1994: content is king. You have to have good usability etc .. but at the end of the day, a web site needs good content.
… And that (my nerd friends,) is what Youtube and Napster can teach us about the Web.
Thanks for reading,
Stefan Mischook
www.killersites.com
www.killerphp.com
