\”As online video is the most powerful marketing tool in the 21st Century, it is very risky to compromise your content by using free online host sites like YouTube,\” says top online video marketing strategist, Stephen McCluskey, CEO of vzaar. “Businesses need customizable, secure and reliable web video hosting that protects their content and branding.\”

He is appalled by how many businesses are destroying their reputation by publishing video of poor quality on their websites: the loop often stutters or stops, the image is embedded with garish logos from the hosting site, surrounded by advertising (often from competitors!), and the video is often confined to a limited file size, player dimensions and duration.

“YouTube is a good way to get started with online video to promote your business, products and services,” says Mr. McCluskey. \”However, if you want a truly professional look and feel, with reliable high quality delivery and the ability to track who sees your video and control what they do with it, you need to migrate to a powerful, secure and dependable online video platform.”

James Orr, vice president of an Internet video channel for high-end cigars and wines (www.jamessuckling.com), is one of the converts who opted for the vzaar platform after initially considering using YouTube. “Our business has a specific audience, starved for exclusive content. We decided to build and launch a video-based subscription media site aimed at that demographic. YouTube does not offer that capability,” says Mr. Orr. vzaar was his platform of choice because it “offers more flexibility and control over our content, and is of consistent high quality, with highly responsive tech support”.

Another vzaar client, Bryan Pate – co-president of ElliptiGO, also rejected YouTube. “We started with YouTube but quickly learned that the only way to get the slick, cool look and feel that we needed to promote our brand was to use a professional hosting platform,” says Mr. Pate, who is now the happy owner of a customized vzaar video player.

\”We carefully researched YouTube and what it could offer. Instead we chose to use vzaar because it enabled us to track who watches our videos and control who \”borrows\” them,\” says Cathy Aggelopoulos, CEO of SnorkelingOnline. \”The SEO (search engine marketing) is in our control and we can brand our own videos. There are no outside company names on our videos but SnorkelingOnline.\”

According to Cindy Vanegas, Executive Producer for Shoes.tv, “When it comes to showcasing our video on our site, vzaar is the platform we utilize. vzaar provides the timely analytics that allow us to determine the effectiveness of our video initiatives. vzaar also offers an easy-to-use interface that can be learned by anyone on the staff and it allows us to mobilize our videos via i-Tunes using video podcasts.”

The vzaar video platform allows for total control and ownership of a business\’s online video material, and unlike in the public domain on a site like YouTube, their videos can not be reproduced or prepared for derivative works. Here is an excerpt from the YouTube Terms and Conditions “The Service may include hyperlinks to other web sites that are not owned or controlled by YouTube. YouTube has no control over, and assumes no responsibility for, the content, privacy policies, or practices of any third party websites”

Businesses not subscribing to a video platform like vzaar are giving away exclusive rights to their content, exposing themselves to abuse of their material as well as missing out on a professional looking, high quality video player for their website.

Author Bio: Mark Shapiro has been writing about technology for over 25 years. He also promotes and helps publicize a wide diversity of technology web sites and businesses. More at http://www.srs-techpr.com For more information about online video hosting visit http://vzaar.com

Category: Business
Keywords: streaming media, video platform,online video, business video, video hosting, vzaar. eCommerce video, web video,