Hello Google / Youtube Swat teams.

First of all CONGRATS! I think what you are doing is awesome, even though I’d like it if you moved faster in terms of video and search (naturally, because internet video is my business!). And that’s the goal of this post…

Here are my questions for you about videos, SEO, SERPs and more generally about your major evolution with Google Universal.

If one of you is around, please feel free to comment (or even invite me for an interview at your HQ. I’ll be in SF next month.)

Last year, Marissa concluded her post on the launch of GOOG Universal (5/16/2007) with this sentence :
“While today’s releases are big steps in making the world’s information more easily accessible, these are just the beginning steps toward the universal search vision. Stay tuned!”

She also defined this project as a major component of their strategy:
“Over several years, with the help of more than 100 people, we’ve built the infrastructure, search algorithms, and presentation mechanisms to provide what we see as just the first step in the evolution toward universal search. Today, we’re making that first step available on google.com by launching the new architecture and using it to blend content from Images, Maps, Books, Video, and News into our web results”

One year later, we can clearly witness some major changes that could fundamentally impact the way Google displays search results.

These innovations are great, however, the industry has to be aware of the fact that the SEO game could change. All companies that rely on organic ranking to drive traffic to their site could lose the strong positions they have developed over the years. Likewise, new players could quickly establish themselves on the scene if they figure out how Google’s algorithm is evolving. This creates a lot of business opportunities but also many threats.

Currently my main focus is on video and Google Universal… (because, as mentioned above, it’s my business…and like anyone else in the business, my ego is big and my wallet is important for both myself and my family!).

So lets start with my first topic:

1/ Video content producers and Youtube

Youtube.com holds quite a lot of illegal content, and although you do your best to solve this issue, it cannot be denied that this material drives a ton of traffic to the site. Some people visit the website purely to view the illegal content and this has to be solved.

What about dealing directly with producers who own the rights and produce good content? What about the development of a partnership between Google and producers? Is there any possibility of talking to someone about this matter? What conditions have been established as yet in order to develop a business relationship / partnership with you guys?

Having talked to a number of top level Youtube representatives, the answer to these questions was “99+% of our partners sign up online & upload their videos. Is there a reason why you couldn’t do the same?”

Yes! The reason being that I don’t know what the commercial conditions are and if I am investing in production, it’s partially to gain revenue from it…just like you guys. If you display ads on my content and are thus rewarded for it, why wouldn’t you share a part of the gains with me?

Youtube’s ToS (Terms Of Services) are clear [Link : http://youtube.com/t/terms]: If I don’t deal directly with you before sharing my content on Youtube, then my content definitely wont have any more value:

“However, by submitting User Submissions to YouTube, you hereby grant YouTube a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, sublicenseable and transferable license to use, reproduce, distribute, prepare derivative works of, display, and perform the User Submissions in connection with the YouTube Website and YouTube’s (and its successors’ and affiliates’) business, including without limitation for promoting and redistributing part or all of the YouTube Website (and derivative works thereof) in any media formats and through any media channels. You also hereby grant each user of the YouTube Website a non-exclusive license to access your User Submissions through the Website, and to use, reproduce, distribute, display and perform such User Submissions as permitted through the functionality of the Website and under these Terms of Service. The above licenses granted by you in User Videos terminate within a commercially reasonable time after you remove or delete your User Videos from the YouTube Service. You understand and agree, however, that YouTube may retain, but not display, distribute, or perform, server copies of User Submissions that have been removed or deleted. The above licenses granted by you in User Comments are perpetual and irrevocable.”

More over, if I use the service and make money out of it with the embeddable player, I am not respecting the contract:
“D. You agree not to use the Website, including the YouTube Embeddable Player for any commercial use, without the prior written authorization of YouTube. Prohibited commercial uses include any of the following actions taken without YouTube’s express approval:

• sale of access to the Website or its related services (such as the Embeddable Player) on another website;

• use of the Website or its related services (such as the Embeddable Player), for the primary purpose of gaining advertising or subscription revenue;

• the sale of advertising, on the YouTube website or any third-party website, targeted to the content of specific User Submissions or YouTube content;

• and any use of the Website or its related services (such as the Embeddable player) that YouTube finds, in its sole discretion, to use YouTube’s resources or User Submissions with the effect of competing with or displacing the market for YouTube, YouTube content, or its User Submissions. (For more information about prohibited commercial uses, see our FAQ.)

E. Prohibited commercial uses do not include:

• uploading an original video to YouTube, or maintaining an original channel on YouTube, to promote your business or artistic enterprise;

• using the Embeddable Player to show YouTube videos on an ad-enabled blog or website, provided the primary purpose of using the Embeddable Player is not to gain advertising revenue or compete with YouTube;

• any use that YouTube expressly authorizes in writing.”

So, making money with the aid of Youtube functions is quiet restrictive. If I want to develop a partnership with you, I have to get written authorization before hand…therefore, am I correct in thinking that any producer who does not received this authorization is unable to make money from the content he uploads?

In the meantime if I read ToS for Youtbe’s API [link : http://code.google.com/apis/youtube/terms.html ] you clearly state that producers are important to you and that part of your responsibility is “giving them tools to manage how their content is shared, used to make money and generally displayed”.
Did I read this correctly: “Make money “out of it? In which case, how?

The first paragraph of your Term of Services for Youtube’s API is:

“1) Respecting YouTube’s content creators is very important to us. Whether it’s one dude with a camera or a global media company, people worldwide are using YouTube to share video. Part of our responsibility to that community is giving them tools to manage how their content is shared, used to make money and generally displayed. Sometimes this respect manifests itself in what we do (or don’t) support in these APIs.”

This leads me to assume that you are actually taking us (producers) into consideration, however, being a bit clearer about your intents would help everyone move faster…

More questions tomorrow…