Flickr Enters Online Video Market
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SLJ Staff -- School Library Journal, 04/09/2008
Yahoo!’s photo-sharing site Flickr has added something new: homemade videos. Aimed at amateurs who want to share short video clips with family and friends, the video technology will compete head-to-head with Google’s YouTube, a widely popular video site.Only Flickr’s "pro account" members, those who pay an annual $24.95 fee, will be able to transfer video clips of up to 90 seconds, far less than the 10-minute maximum on YouTube.
"We’re not trying to limit your artistic freedom, we’re trying something new," explains Flickr's lighthearted commentary about videos. "Everyone has endured that wedding video, where even the bride will fast-forward to the “good bit.”
Pirated material will be deleted, though users are encouraged to add music that is in the public domain. Users must categorize their material, using three choices of safety filters. "Safe" will include content "suitable for a global, public audience." "Moderate" means "if you're not sure whether your content is suitable for a global, public audience but you think that it doesn't need to be restricted." "Restricted" is "content you probably wouldn't show to your mum, and definitely shouldn't be seen by the kids."
Finally, content type must also be selected. Photos, videos, illustrations, art, animation, CGI, and screenshots are all now eligible and are posted together. Further questions about Flickr videos or other formats are addressed online.
