Video Sharing Where It Actually Matters

A new website has just been launched for social issue filmmakers to offer us an alternative distribution way for films with a social message. The name is NomadsLand - meaning that it is actually aimed at people searching for some sense for their living.

Anyone can upload their videos here - both professional filmmakers and video enthusiasts. The videos will be featured on NomadsLand for free - provided that they encourage some social action or a conversation around political issues. And sorry about the "videos" - here they actually use the word "film":

"Notice we use the word "film" - not "online video" or "clip."  The main difference between us and them - the YouTube's and Revver's of the world - is we are not in this to make a quick buck or get bought by Google with terabytes of 45-second Mentos experiments videos. In fact, we're not sure whether this start-up will evolve into for-profit or non-profit corporation." (from the company's manifesto).

It is promised that much of the video will be available to view for free but NomadsLand will offer paid downloads and rentals on premium films. And people creating social issue films will be able to additionally benefit from the website sharing 50 percent of its revenues with each director. Several films are already available on the website, and, honestly, I was impressed by From Dust on social and political aftermath of the Asian Tsunami.

Davin Anders Hutchins, CEO and founder says:

"Most independent films are grossly under-distributed. One of the main goals of NomadsLand is to assist filmmakers who were short changed after their festival run. Through viral e-mail, search engines and RSS, they can reach a vastly larger audience. Likewise, film aficionados can see quality films they'd never see otherwise without sifting through a cloud of amateur video. We think films can make a lasting impact if they 'permanently premiere' for people who care deeply about these issues."

One more thing that is not clear for me is who decides on the social awareness of this or that film - I guess it must be the website's moderators. But I strongly believe that it could have been much more efficient to use social networking here more - by letting users vote. Anyway I think this will need to be done during Alpha stage (and it is actually launched as Alpha - I guess it is a new emerging trend already) if the site gets any significant number of uploads. Besides, social tools prove to be more efficient when social issues are concerned.

And I see one more trend emerging within the online videos market - I'd call it "Never try to compete with YouTube". It is absolutely clear already that there's no use in trying to launch anything "similar to YouTube but better". We all know that YouTube is not the best video hosting and sharing website available (like MySpace is not the best social network) - but still YouTube is the most popular video service and general public does not even have a slightest idea about most of its direct competitors. And while it is clear that it is impossible to try to take away some of YouTube's share of general video hosting market, I am quite sure that there is some place for niche products like this one - here idea will matter more than actual implementation.

And this idea actually sounds like something we really need right now - socially aware internet instead of wasting time and money to create some Useless Account. Sure, we need some fun online - but does not it seem to you that we are having some misbalance already?