Ask A Ninja Creator: Beware YouTube
Dec 19th, 2007 | By James Lewin | Category: Internet TV, Podcasting Services, Streaming Video, Video, Video Podcasts, Vlogs 
Kent Nichols, co-creator of the popular video podcast Ask A Ninja, has started a new blog, and it already looks like it could become essential reading for indie new media content creators.
His first post takes a look at YouTube and why video podcasters and vloggers shouldn’t depend on it:
“YouTube doesn‚Äôt care about any one creator, any one video.
If you or your video violates their TOS, then you’re screwed. Even writing this post, I’m going to cross my fingers and hope they don’t cancel my account.
In this new media world, build your own domain. Create traffic that you can sell your own ads against. Build up your video views through your own site and then monetize them using Revver et. al., and then sell CPM ads as soon as you can.
Kent shared more of his thoughts in an interview with Podcasting News earlier in the year.
I’m not sure why such a post makes Kent’s new blog “essential reading.” If you’ve spent any time following or (especially) creating content, then you already should know this. Places like Revver, while offering an easier way to get paid, aren’t much better than YouTube. The fact is, most start-ups, and yes, established sites, are looking for content; but because it’s “user generated,” the assumption is that it should be free, or next to it.
Eric