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Microsoft changing its approach to user generated videos
But MSN Video has never come close to YouTube's success in attracting users who want to upload or watch user generated video. And fighting YouTube on its own turf is an expensive proposition.
Now Microsoft VP Erik Jorgensen tells CNET that the company is changing its strategy for user generated video content.
The new goal is to use the service to allow bloggers and citizen journalists to post entertainment, finance, and lifestyle videos that Microsoft can feature on its other web properties covering those topics. Microsoft may begin to restrict user uploads in the future to reduce the costs of running the service. It's not clear whether that means only users with approved accounts would be able to upload videos, or whether Microsoft will employ some sort of selection process that only allows users to upload certain videos related to specific topics.
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Subscribe to commentsQuikboyJun 17th 2009 8:46PM
I'm really disappointed with the way Soapbox has gone.
When it was in beta form, it was really great. Videos I upload from my Canon camera showed up pretty high-res compared to YouTube at that time, and I thought the slick interface was nice (you can watch a video and search at the same time), and there was no annoying ads.
If you haven't tried MSN Video yet, you shouldn't bother. Some of the bad stuff is that:
- Video ads that can go up to 30 seconds start at almost every video.
- After the end of every video, you have 9 seconds to pause the video or click replay, or else it will move on to a stupid MSN content video that you didn't even ask for!
- Lack of video content that you couldn't otherwise find on YouTube
- No really amazing features
I was really hoping that Microsoft would relaunch it under Windows Live or something, and give it some nice Silverlight effects, thumbnail previews, HD, and other neat stuff MS could do, but this is even sadder.
This already sounds exactly like what Brightcove is doing. I can predict that Soapbox is going to the same place where Encarta and Money are going.