Hacking MySpace

In the not too distant past, posting video on a profile (or on a web site) was a big deal. Now, it’s relatively common place, and very easy to do. Here we look at the top video hosting sites that can be used with MySpace.

Example of a YouTube hosted video from sister blog Total Image 

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Before you get started

If all you want to do is to play some interesting video on your MySpace profile, all of the following web hosting services provide code for other people’s videos. By the same token, they also allow you to share your video with others.

If you want to upload your own video, you you may need to edit it before hand. There are a number of video editing programs around, such as Ulead Video Studio or Pinnacle’s Studio, which allow you to edit and tidy up your videos, as well as reduce their size (most hosting services have a file size limit of about 100 MB). However, as Video Studio and Studio are commercial products, they obviously cost money. If you’re a Windows user you can use Windows Movie Maker to prepare your video (it’s available for free download if it’s not already installed on your system), or if you’re a Mac user you can use iMovie (which should already be installed on your machine). There’s more information in my book Hacking MySpace on how to use Windows Movie Maker to prepare video for upload.

Needless to say, you can not use these services to host pornography or material that you do not hold the copyright to.

MySpace

MySpace has its own video hosting service (which you can get to by clicking on the Videos -> Upload Videos). You’re limited to 100 MB file size, and the system supports most file formats. You can choose whether you want to make the video available to other users, and code is supplied so that you place the video in your profile. Easy to use.

YouTube

Everyone has heard of YouTube - the grand daddy of video hosting web sites. If you’ve got a video that you want the world to see, YouTube gives you the best chance of getting it out there. The videos are limited to a file size of 100 MB or 10 minutes. Only three file formats are supported - AVI MOV, and MPG. Codes are supplied so that you can place the video on your profile, or anywhere else for that matter. Easy to use.

Google Video

Google’s video hosting service, Google Video, is easy to use, and supports AVI, MPEG, Quicktime, Real, and Windows Media media. It even allows you to uploaded videos larger than 100 MB, though you do need to use the desktop uploader to this. The interesting thing about Google is that you can assign a fee for others to watch your video, so if you had some compelling content, you could even make money. There’s a “video verification” process, where Google checks your video to ensure it complies with its standards, and this can take a few days.

Jumpcut

Beyond the major video hosting sites (listed above) there are a plethora of sites that will host your video. One that stands out is Jumpcut, which also allows you to edit you video online through a web-based editor. The maximum file size of each clip is 50 MB, and a large range of video, audio and image files are supported. You can also import images directly from flickr. You can also email videos to your account. This is a remarkable site, but don’t forget you’re trying to edit video over an Internet connection, and so you won’t get the same responsiveness as you do from a video editor loaded directly on your computer. And of course code is supplied

Vimeo

Vimeo is a video hosting service that has won praise for its speed and ease-of-use, and specializes in videos made by its users, so it’s more “personal”. Sadly, there’s an upload limit of 30 MB per week, which is a little limiting. You can email the videos to your account.  Code is supplied so that you can easily post your videos.

Do you have a favorite video hosting service? Don’t be afraid to share your tips by leaving a comment or by visiting the reader forum at http://www.myspaceismyplace.com/forum/index.php

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