BusinessWeek looks at the ways online video sites such as YouTube are beginning to compensate those who create content, and the issues that arise from this. For content creators, there may be a trade off on how well they can monetize their creations:
“[Online video creator Christine] Gambito is coming to terms with the mixed blessing of compensation for online content. Video-sharing sites are a valuable asset, but the slice of the ad revenue they dole out to successful producers isn’t how you really want to cash in on the Web. In fact, for the truly successful content creators, such sites threaten to steal audience from what really pays the bills: building your own site.”
Some questions that content creators will have to face:
- Do they want their stuff to spread virally across the Web, or do they want it to stay in a few key places where they have more control and a greater financial stake?
- Do they want some content to appear on mass market sites for publicity and other content to appear just on their own site?