When we think of video-sharing on the internet, the default website is Youtube. In all honesty, it is the second largest search engine, second to only Google. Where else can you find a whole series of videos about bacon? With all the hype of Youtube, other sites are often ignored.
The video-sharing website Vimeo just went through a complete re-design. This is the first time since 2007 they changed anything about their interface. Because of this, I have decided to take another look at the often overlooked Vimeo.
The video-sharing website Vimeo just went through a complete re-design. This is the first time since 2007 they changed anything about their interface. Because of this, I have decided to take another look at the often overlooked Vimeo.
The first thing to notice is the crisp, clean design of Vimeo. Through the new design, the videos on the page are larger, a new content browser is provided, and convenient keyboard shortcuts have been added. When logging in, the user is brought to the inbox. When I first heard the term “inbox” I was thinking “mailbox,” but this is anything but that. What the inbox provides is a real time news ticker. The user is able to add contacts, subscribe to videos, and follow specific keywords and phrases. The latter is my favorite of these new features.
Once I started watching the uploaded content of Vimeo, one thing struck me. Vimeo chose not to litter their uploads with advertising! As I’m sure everyone has noticed, Youtube has stepped up their profitability by adding commercials to the start of all their “partner participator” uploads, not to mention the pop ups that are added a quarter of the way through their videos (Hey Ron Paul, I’m talking to you! I don’t really care to watch your ads bashing Newt Gingridge when I’m trying to watch videos about bacon).
Vimeo has made it a goal to put a greater focus on your videos. With all the distractions Youtube provides, users can lose their audience quick. Vimeo, on the other hand, gives you a greater chance to keep YOUR audience engaged to YOUR content. It is this reason I believe really sets Vimeo apart from Youtube.
Vimeo has made it a goal to put a greater focus on your videos. With all the distractions Youtube provides, users can lose their audience quick. Vimeo, on the other hand, gives you a greater chance to keep YOUR audience engaged to YOUR content. It is this reason I believe really sets Vimeo apart from Youtube.
The one thing that is missing from Vimeo is an internal video editor. While I edit my videos through Final Cut Pro, not everyone has access to editing equipment. That being said, I do use Youtube editor to add annotations to my videos to make them more interactive. It is my biggest disappointment that Vimeo didn’t step up this technology. I want the option to annotate my videos to external websites!
Is Vimeo ever going to be able to take the market share that Youtube has acquired? Most likely not. And in all reality, I don’t think it needs to. Vimeo, in the high school of video uploading, is the cool artistic kid and not the bullying jock.