Marketing Pilgrim’s Social Channel is proudly sponsored by Full Sail University, where you can earn your Masters of Science Degree in Internet Marketing in less than 2 years. Visit FullSail.edu for more information.

By on June 19, 2009

Wikipedia to Take on YouTube?

4



489px-Wikipedia-logo-en-bigOkay, no, not really—but the encyclopedia anyone can edit is looking to add video to its offerings, according to Technology Review (via RWW).

To launch in the next 2-3 months (by the end of the summer), Wikipedia’s new system will allow users to contribute and even edit clips for articles, posting the entire clip or only portions. Wikipedia itself will only allow videos from the Internet Archive, Metavid and Wikimedia Commons.

No video editing software is necessary to post full or partial clips, but “One of the requirements for any video added to the site is that it be based on open-source formats.”

The project also includes developing Web tools to create smooth methods for transferring and editing videos. When a Wikipedia editor finds relevant snippets, he will be able to preview them, and set the “in” and “out” points, without having to worry about file conversions. “Presently, the work flow is pretty atrocious” for people trying to download, convert, and edit video, says [Kaltura software engineer Michael] Dale, citing the notoriously confusing array of incompatible video formats now in use. With the new Wikipedia system, “people will be able to easily inject media into pages, in a way that wasn’t possible before,” he says.

Kaltura, an open-source “video solution provider” (Sigh. Buzzwords.), which has been a partner with Wikipedia since January 2008.

What do you think: a good move or yet another opportunity for spam on Wikipedia?


Similar Stories in: Social, Video | Forward: Email This Post

Similar posts you may like...

4 comments on “Wikipedia to Take on YouTube?”

  1. Michael Hartzell Says:

    June 20th, 2009 at 6:55 pm

    Jordan,

    Competition is good.
    Keeps everyone is check.
    To know someone is on your tail might serve as a reminder “good is not good enough”

    Of course I am old enough to remember when I used CPM and it dominated the computer world … and then DOS arrived. :)

    When a company stretches beyond the typical boundaries.. a good thing (even if there are risks of spam)

    Good stuff!

    Thank You!

  2. Jhelo Cruz Says:

    June 20th, 2009 at 11:19 pm

    This is a good news. Wikipedia will now be more interactive with this cool new feature. Hope that this will pursue, looking forward to this.

    Jhelo Cruz’s last blog post..Celebrating the 111th Year of Philippine Independence

  3. Panama Guide Says:

    June 22nd, 2009 at 2:27 am

    Youtube is a behemoth, but if anyone can take them on its probably Wikipedia. This fight is going to be good….time to go make popcorn!

    Panama Guide’s last blog post..The Gem of the Azuero Peninsula-Pedasi

  4. Jaymie L. Conrad Says:

    June 28th, 2009 at 10:38 am

    I, personally, like Youtube. Easy to use.

    Not sure what kind of video service Wikipedia will offer. It might be just documentary videos as far as I understand what does Wikipedia do.

    But anyway, it is fun to have more sources on the internet to search for things, smile.

    Jaymie
    Pacific Timesheet