Brand Spanking New GreatLakesBass.com Video Service

[djkimmel]

Well, I sure hope you like it and think it is timely considering many of us need some cabin fever relief from the already too long winter!! I guess it depends on how bad you miss launching your boat or standing on the banks of your favorite waters and making a cast.

Brand new to GreatLakesBass.com is our video service (powered by Youtube) and the thousands (zillions?) of videos available including, of course, the GreatLakesBassdotcom Channel! You can get to the Video Service home page by using www.greatlakesbass.tv or www.greatlakesbass.com/vid/

What can you do with it you ask (besides watch lots of cool bass fishing videos)?!?

You can watch thousands of videos by categories including:
Bass Fishing (over 1,000 videos)
Bass Tournaments (over 600 videos)
Bass Fishing by Great Lakes State (you can also pick specific state of the Midwest by subcategory - see below)
Canada Bass Fishing (over 500 videos)
Fishing Videos (over 200,000 videos!!)
Funny Videos (over 600,000 videos - we can all use a good laugh now and then!!)
Movies and Movie Trailers (over 600,000 videos!!)
Magic and Illusion
Sports Videos (over 600,000 videos!)
Favorite TV Shows (over 600,000 videos!)

And more categories!!

Most of these categories have subcategories too to fine-tune your video entertainment even more! Things like:
Kevin VanDam (over 300 videos)
Lake St Clair Bass Fishing Videos (almost 100 videos)
Topwater Bass Fishing (over 600 videos)
FLW Outdoors (over 100 videos)
BASS Elite Series (over 600 videos)
Hell's Kitchen (a certain wife's favorite)
The Outdoor Channel (over 500 videos)

And tons more. All videos you can watch right here on GreatLakesBass.com!! All available categories and subcategories list. If you see a video you like, you can share it easily on all the most popular sites like Facebook, Twitter, Stumbleupon and even email using the AddThis Share button below the videos on all pages except Home (you can share GreatLakesBassdotcom videos by using the GLBass Channel tab).

You can even search for videos if you get tired of the thousands already available or have a personal favorite category! Now be warned, because this is a family friendly site (and I have some serious contract limits with a few companies that make this site possible) there are some strong filters in place so you will see videos that show a gray box saying disallowed. You will not be able to watch a disallowed video on GreatLakesBass.com. Click on one and you'll go back to the video home page - www.greatlakesbass.com/vid/ which features the GreatLakesBassdotcom Youtube channel.

Sorry about any inconvenience because under the better safe than sorry category, some videos may be blocked that do not truly fit the intentions of providing a safe for all ages website. Don't worry too much though! There are tens of thousands of videos you can watch on just about any topic. Either try a search, or just try the preset categories at the top right or down the right edge.

The Video Service home page automatically plays through the Great Lakes Bass channel, but you choose a specific video to change to at the right or from the complete list/grid below the player. Just look for the 'Display:' word in the blue bar in the center of the page with the two small buttons next to it. You can also change the sort of the videos to your preference in the dropdown next to 'Order by:.'

Tabs across the top of the page take you to Home, the Great Lakes Bass channel, Youtube's Top Rated, Most Viewed (this will update better once all of you start using the service - it is set to a generic testing right now due to very limited and non-site users who found it though I had it hidden) and many other selections that will update as all of you check it out and watch videos.

Once you've used the video service a few times, you'll see there are many similarities to Youtube since it is a powered by Youtube. You'll get automatic related videos suggestions along the right edge when you select a video to watch after leaving the video home page - by search or using a category.

You can also control if you want to see a list view - larger preview and more detail per video, or Grid view - smaller thumbnails with less detail taking up a lot less space - 4 videos across.

Additionally, we have our own local commenting system. I have found that there are just too many very not nice comments on Youtube including a lot of unacceptable language so comments you make about videos on GreatLakesBass.com stay on GreatLakesBass.com. Hopefully making them more relevant to all of us who know each other! Anyone can make a comment on any video. If you do spot something that doesn't belong, please send the page link to us using the Contact page and we'll get to it ASAP!

In addition to all this, you can also upload your own videos to the GreatLakesBassdotcom Channel on Youtube right from the GreatLakesBass.com Video Service! This makes it a lot easier to share your fishing success, tips or outdoors video with all your fellow GreatLakesBass.com members and visitors up to 2 GB in size!! One thing to remember when uploading your own video - when you enter keywords, make sure you separate each single word by a comma with no spaces.

Due to a number of requirements by Google / Youtube, videos you upload may not show up on GreatLakesBass.com for up to 24 hours after you upload them but they will show up in the Channel and if you tag the video with your GreatLakesBass.com username and stun everyone with your creativity, maybe you can have your own category on the GreatLakesBass.com Video Service! If you upload a video you are really proud of, Contact Us to let us know!

Your video can still be watched on Youtube too! And if you have a bunch of videos you've already uploaded to your own Youtube channel that you think GreatLakesBass.com members and visitors will love, Contact Us about that too and we'll take a look to see if it should be added to our categories!! Please understand that videos we add to our channel and/or service categories must be related to fishing or the outdoors, fit the website and cannot be a pure business promotion or solicitation unless you are a GreatLakesBass.com sponsor advertiser.

Please watch! And enjoy! As always, we appreciate your great participation and support of GreatLakesBass.com!! Thank you!! Please let us know what you think?

[fiker]

Just another service offered to all of us through the hard work of DK and all of our sponsors at an affordable price.   Like Free Dude.

[djkimmel]

I like free too. So if you don't mind some advertising around the site, the rest can stay free. I hope people try the video service out. You can watch so many great videos without ever leaving the site. Like that reel cleaning video. Just put in the ID in search and watch it without leaving. I know I like that!

[josh617]

Can't wait to watch Hell's Kitchen.   not really.

[djkimmel]

Really? My wife loves that guy... or show... I'm not sure. I'm not sure I'd want any of them to cook for me except Gordon himself. And only if he isn't screaming and sweating at someone else!

[Dan]

Yeah that guy is always sweating at sombeody
Nice job on the video service Lt. Dan. How large, file wise, of a video can you upload using You Tube?

[djkimmel]

I actually meant sweating! Have you seen that show?!? It's HOT in that kitchen (in more ways than one)!

Through this service, you can upload videos up to 2 GB and 10 minutes long. I have approval for over 15 minutes long, but I don't know if that will work through this service. Have not tested that yet.

[Dan]

I've messed with your new service with my Mac and it works very well. I have accumulated a bunch of videos over the years, but have never uploaded any to You Tube. The ones I've made though have music that is copyrighted on them because I just made them for for a friend or myself for individual viewing. I noticed though that a lot of the You Tube videos have copyrighted music in the background. What do you think the legal smeegal is on uploading stuff with background music? How would you go about getting or paying for the legal use? I would think some of the fishing songs etc. that I've used are from artist that I  would love the advertisement and would give you permission or just charge a nominal fee.

[djkimmel]

Youtube has had some major copyright issues the past few years. Because they are gigantic (and now Google-owned), they have been able to secure some type of copyright agreements with a few music companies. That is partly why some copyrighted music now gets left on the video.

Unfortunately, some music companies and Youtube have not come to an agreement (translate - too much money wanted) and they are pretty proactive about kicking off videos with that music on it.

Some videos only get deleted if a copyright owner complains, probably because the music is not copyrighted by a larger music company.

If you upload directly to Youtube now with certain copyrighted songs, a friend told me you get a warning and then they provide you a list of 'approved' songs to choose from to replace your music with. I assume it overwrites your entire soundtrack. I just don't do it - I have my own alternative - see below.

As far as my video service, I have required business insurance that is pretty strict. If I knowingly allow any copyrighted content to be put on my website and I'm sued, it could void my coverage. So under better-safe-than-sorry, please don't upload anything through my service if you don't own all copyrights. If you upload on Youtube and they allow it, it can still be viewed here by searching for the title or ID.

Here's some of the boring and pain in the neck legal stuff:
Getting copyright permission can be very difficult because legally, you have to get permission from every single party that was involved in a particular song. Which means you might need permission from the writer, the band or artist and the music company, and maybe more. It could take way too much time and possibly money. Maybe a local artist might not be that big a deal, but you'd need to be absolutely sure they own the entire copyright, which if there's a label, they probably don't. Meaning lawyers might be involved.

I don't have the budget at all to pay a fee for music or a mechanism to track and pay royalties. I definitely don't have the time or lawyers to research and get guaranteed copyright permission. They may change their mind later depending on the agreement (contract).

What I do: There's lots of royalty free music available that I use - some that has come with the video software I've purchased, or you can buy it for one-time fees or join a service for an annual fee that is simpler and safer than trying to enter the world of copyright permission.

I realize this will limit the interest in uploading videos from users through the GreatLakesBass.com video service, but that is just part of running a legal business. There are many other, even more boring and pain-in-the-butt parts, believe me.

Regardless, you can watch the thousands already there to your heart's content!