Creating Internet TV Couch Potatoes

Saturday, June 03, 2006

Free Video Blog - Vidiac Merger Announcement!

Before YouTube, prior to Google Video and long before VSocial, Vidilife, Veoh and hundreds of other video sharing sites there was only one place to host your blog video for free.

The Free Video Blog
FVB, is a simple web site with a simple purpose, to help video bloggers upload and host videos on their blogs. Created in 2004 Free Video Blog chose Vidiac as it's technology partner to enable this goal and after a year and half of a successful partnership, we are happy to announce a merger of the two sites!
"It has always been FVB's goal to help people put videos on their web site and blogs, and Vidiac has provided us with this capability for the past year and a half. But now that free video hosting has become passe, it's time for FVB to lead the way again by going to the next step. Showing users how to create their own Video Sharing Web Site. The easiest way to do this is with the Vidiac. In 5 minutes you can have your own 'videos.YourName.com' video sharing web site with your brand and your advertisers for free."
- Chris Jones, Free Video Blog

Free Video Blog was one of Vidiac's first partner sites along with StreetFire.net, LS1Tech and Crossroadvideos.com. Over the past year and half FVB has provided a space for hosting video of all sorts, from the "Will you go to Prom with Me?" video by Ashley to hosting the only live video webcast out of New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina.

The landscape has changed now and Vidiac is preparing a new Version 3 release this summer that will proudly feature the works of FVB Videographers as a key piece of the overall vidiac family of networked web sites. With help from it's partners like FVB Vidiac has been able to grow a network of three small video sites into an international community of over 500 Video sharing websites streaming videos to more than 4 million unique visitors a month.

The relationship between FVB and Vidiac has always been a close one, and the partnership has often shared resources between the two companies. FVB has sometimes functioned as the consumer face of Vidiac while Vidiac.om has functioned as the business face providing information to users wanting to start their own video web site. With the accelerated release schedule and increased competition it was important to combine resources, refocus and integrate.
"The Free Video Blog, it's viewers and videographers are long overdo for the new features this merger gives them. The chief benefit to FVB users will be direct access to larger Vidiac community as a whole. FVB itself will now act as the Hub for the entire Vidiac network."
-Jeremy Farber, Vidiac
Questions & Answers about the Merger
Q: Will my Free Video Blog user ID be affected?
A: Last month FVB and the rest of the Vidiac network moved to email based authentication. Not only will your log in on FVB still work, you can now use it on all 500 Vidiac Powered Sites. (Makes remembering that password a little easier).

Q: Will this affect my Videos?
A: Yes, and in a good way. You are now be able to "take your videos with you" to either a new website you find or one you create.... or just stay where you are.

Q: Is the domain freevideoblog.com going to change?
A: Yes, we will be merging domains during June. This will not affect your links as direct links will forward to the new address. No dead links, we'll keep those forwarded for you!

Q: Is Vidiac planning on acquiring any more partners?
A: Anything is possible, but we're a small team and this is going to keep our hands full for the time being, thank you very much!

Q: I have a "NAME.freevideoblog.com" account set up, will this change to "NAME.vidiac.com"?
A: No, you can keep that going if you like. WE still recommend moving to a "video.NAME.com" instead though just to help you individualize your brand more.

Further Questions? Feel free to post them in the Vidiac section of the StreetFire.net forum and we'll happily answer them. Keep on VidBlogging!