I don’t know if you noticed or not, but I have uploaded a couple videos to YouTube. I didn’t read the Terms of Use, but I should have. According to them, YouTube can redistribute any video that I provide them. They could add it to a DVD and release it. They could sell it to a television station. They don’t have to pay me a penny to do it, either. Here is a quote from their Terms of Use:

“[B]y submitting the 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 successor’s) 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.”

I didn’t know this when I started adding video to my weblog and it’s not like the couple of videos that I uploaded were worth anything more than a memory for me, but I wanted to spread the word. You should also check the terms for Google Video, Yahoo Video and AOL Video before using them also.

Now, how DO you add video to your weblog without letting big corporations own them?

Lucky for me, I attended the How To Add Video To Your Weblog panel at SXSW. Mike Verdi has an online tutorial about the nitty gritty of both starting a blog and uploading the video:

• Freevlog: Tutorial – A step-by-step guide to setting up a videoblog for free

There is also a script generator that will help you embed your video easily:

• embedthevideo.com – Video Pop-Up Link Maker

I found these tools very helpful to get me past the fear of putting my own video on my weblogs. Stay tuned for video glimpses into my life.