“The Vimeo Festival and Awards invites video creators throughout the world to submit their finest original online videos.” To find out how to enter a video, you must sign up at Vimeo by entering your email. Submission details will be out soon.

Other than this, there is not yet much information. No date, location, etc. But it sounds very cool. I look forward to viewing the winning videos. Good luck!

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Enter video posting. It fits the bill on all three points.

Fast Post Production

With a cool video, you can whip up a post fast and easy. Write a brief paragraph or two, ask a question related to the video content, and voilà! You have an original short post accompanied by an entertaining video, which may spark commentary.

Tools for Video Post Workflow

I like collecting videos with VodPod. The basic service is free. You can use the VodPod browser button to save a video from most video services, and write a blurb for it while it’s fresh in your mind – all in one easy step. Granted, the blurb may be too long for a video player caption, but it’s saved safely in your VodPod library where you can access it later to copy/paste it into a video post.

There are several VodPod video plugins that vary from page galleries to post embeds. VodPod provides gallery and video sidebar widgets.

But the simple way to insert a video into a post is to copy the embed code and paste it into the HTML tab while editing. No plugin required!

Ease Burden of Frequent Publication

Whatever services or tools used, video posting eases the burden of frequent publishing for webmasters. At the same time, it offers readers something quick and visual to enjoy.

I will probably use video posts often at àlaFurBabies. They’re especially fitting for a niche blog targeting pet-lovers. Pet videos are abundant, and people love to watch them. If you like, take a look at the first video post at àlaFurBabies. It’s about an amazing cat who plays the piano. (Really!)

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FORA.tv receives recognition.

FORA.tv is a cool video website that targets a particular niche: Smart audiences. This is what FORA.tv has to say about itself:

FORA.tv helps intelligent, engaged audiences get smart. Our users find, enjoy, and share videos about the people, issues, and ideas changing the world.

We gather the web’s largest collection of unmediated video drawn from live events, lectures, and debates going on all the time at the world’s top universities, think tanks and conferences. We present this provocative, big-idea content for anyone to watch, interact with, and share – when, where, and how they want.

You’ll find intelligent videos about the economy, environment, politics, science, technology, and culture. Many of today’s big issues are gathered into series. A sampling:

• The Universe of Neil DeGrasse Tyson, bestselling author and director of the Hayden Planetarium, presents a series on outer space (black holes, Pluto, etc.).
• Bold Ideas, New Fuels, and Big Energy Needs, a series about the benefits and challenges of today’s energy sources.
• Now Playing: Visionary Actors, Directors, and Executives, an up-close and very personal series about some of the film industry’s biggest players.
• Is Capitalism Dead? A series that addresses many longheld tenets that are now being questioned and even overturned. Do the fundamentals of capitalism ensure its protection or its destruction?

Viewers have the ability to rate and comment on video content. Some content generates a fair amount of comment, contributing more intellectual stimulation. Click on the tabs below each video for further information, including presenter’s bio, transcript (if any), and related links. The video interface makes it easy to email a video, post to social networking sites, or capture embed code; just click on the Share button.

FORA.tv was recently named one of 50 Best Websites by Time.com/. Check out the àlaBuzz video page to view an interview with Blaise Zerega, CEO and President of FORA.tv/.

FORA.tv was founded in 2005 and is funded by a select group of investors including William R. Hearst III and Adobe Ventures.

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HowCast describes itself as an “ever-expanding universe of how-to knowledge, created for you and by you.”  It offers a broad array of high-quality, free and useful instructional videos that show you exactly how to do something right.

HowCast video and guide categories.

Easy-To-Browse Categories

You’ll find how-to video topics on everything from surviving a bear attack, to capturing breaking news with a cell phone, to dealing with being a flat-chested girl.

Videos, as well as written guides, are organized by category. Click on the Categories Tab for a clever visual search interface that helps you drill down and refine your search.  As a registered member, you can subscribe here to specific categories and recieve email updates when new videos or wiki guides are published in your subscribed categories.

When you search topics by entering a topic in the search box, results include tabbed sub-sections for Videos, Guides , Playlists, and Community.  This is the only way I found to access written Guides (how-to’s without video).  Guides are supposedly in editable wiki format; however, if there’s a “small blue box marked Edit” somewhere on a Guide page, I could not find it.

HowCast video user interface.

Intuitive Video User Interface

Videos are viewed in a generous-sized player, with a user-friendly interface.  It’s easy to capture video embed code, and to share videos via email or by posting them to social networking sites.

If the how-to video is accompanied by a written guide, a printable version (great feature!) will be displayed directly below the player; complete with thumbnail images and “Tip” or “Warning” highlights. When a video ends, links to related videos that might be of interest will appear to the right.   A comment section wraps up each video.

HowCast Widget Gallery

You can embed a HowCast Widget on your website, blog, or start page. The widget lets you create a channel by selecting videos from a particular category.  As an example, I’ve added a HowCast widget to the àlaBuzz sidebar that features the newest HowCast Technology videos.

In contrast to the VodPod video widget (which is lower down in the sidebar), a drawback to the HowCast widget is that it takes viewers to a new window and away from the site.  You can click on a video from each widget on this page if you’d like to make a comparison.

Collaborative Opportunities

An exciting aspect of HowCast is the opportunity to share expertise and to collaborate on video production. Share your expertise by submitting a how-to video or a written guide.  Your how-to guide could possibly be made into a video by members of the HowCast Network.

The HowCast Network is a place for film-makers, experts, and businesses to connect and collaborate on video production. Join the Network to get involved.

Check out the Emerging Filmmakers Program at HowCast for up-and-coming filmmakers, Internet superstars, film students, and recent graduates.  Earn $50 for accepted videos, and some possible ad revenue.

Watch and Enjoy HowCast Videos

You can watch HowCast videos on your computer, mobile phone, or cable television. HowCast content is distributed through notable media partners such as YouTube, MySpace, Hulu, AOL, Yahoo!, Comcast, Apple, TiVo, and Verizon. HowCast videos work beautifully with VodPod apps, too.

You’ll appreciate the consistent professional quality among HowCast videos.  They’re clear, succint, and attractive; and the progress bars are really efficient, letting you can scoot back and forth through a video with ease.

Final Summary: HowCast Pros and Cons

HowCast videos provide valuable information and/or entertainment.  It’s a site worth keeping up with.

Pros

• All HowCast videos are professionally produced, achieving a consistent high-quality. You can set up a widget on a site with an automatic feed, for instance, without needing to moderate every new video.
• Whether you are playing videos or searching for topics, the HowCast user interfaces are clean, uncluttered and intuitive to use. (I love them!)
• HowCast makes a positive contribution to their industry by supporting collaborative networking amongst experts and professionals, including filmmakers who are just getting started.

Cons

• HowCast documentation is confusing on a few points. For instance, members are encouraged to suggest topics for videos and wiki guides by clicking on the “Suggest button found on most pages.” There is no such button. Likewise, written Guides are supposedly in an editable wiki format, but the small blue boxes marked “Edit” do not exist. Somebody at HowCast probably needs to comb the site to update these inconsistencies.
• In practice, HowCast isn’t quite as collaborative as some of the site content suggests. Again, a few places just need to be updated to be consistent with the site’s current focus.

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VodPod is a video bookmarking service.

REVIEW

Vodpod is a cool website for managing video collections.  It provides innovative services to organize and share your videos, with sheer simplicity. Membership is free.

Collect Videos from 1000’s of Sites

Vodpod was launched in December, 2006.  Since then, Vodpod members have collected videos from over 10,000 different video sites!  Members are allowed three free collections, enough for most people to efficiently organize their videos.

You can search for videos right from the VodPod home page.  You’ll find tons of videos collected by VodPod members from popular video sites like YouTube and DailyMotion. There is also a growing proliferation of videos being collected from niche video sites such as ScienceStage, KidsTube, and CarHubTV.

Video Trends and Popularity

Follow video trends and popularity at VodPod.  Notice the category tabs just below the VodPod logo.  Click on “Popular” to see which videos are “Most Collected,” either recently or for all time.  Explore “Most Discussed” and “Most Watched” videos.  You can also click “Right Now” to see what members are collecting in real-time.

VodPod Button

The quickest and easiest way to save a video to your collection is with the Vodpod Button, which installs in your browser’s toolbar.  Simply click on it whenever you want to add a video to one of your collections, and VodPod copies the video embed code and thumbnail image for you.

VodPod Button interface.

Organize Your Videos

VodPod provides an easy-to-use, drag-and-drop organizer to help you manage your video collection.  To find the organizer, first sign in, then go to your home page (click on your user name in upper right), and click on the “organize your videos” link.

The VodPod organizer lets you copy a video to any of your collections, or delete it. You can also edit the title, description, tags, or your own comments.  This is where you prepare videos for widget publication by assigning a specific tag or moving them to a particular collection.

VodPod collection organizer.

Socialize Your Videos

You can follow other VodPod members to see what they are collecting, and they can follow you.  Members can search and view video collections, and add a video to their own collection.  They can also share, rate, and post comments.

VodPod statistics chart.

VodPod provides social statistics for your video collection.  You can see for the last 30 days how often your videos have been viewed, how many videos you have discovered, and how many videos you have made popular (that is, how many videos you were the first to collect at VodPod that went on to be collected by five or more other people).

You have the ability to post select videos to social networks.  Whenever you save a video to one of your Vodpod collections, you are given the option to post it to your Facebook, Myspace, or Twitter accounts.

Vodpod and Your Blog

While you’re collecting, it’s super easy to add videos directly to your blog or website with a VodPod widget.  Notice the VodPod widget right here in the àlaBuzz sidebar. We use it to offer readers video resources relavant to recently posted topics.

Conversely, when you include a video in a blog post, you can use the VodPod Blog Importer to post it automatically to one of your VodPod collections.  This is useful for bloggers who have already established a workflow for inserting video into posts that doesn’t involve the VodPod Button.  It’s a great way to archive all your videos in one place; and you can import videos from past posts, too.

If you don’t have a blog, you can set up a VodPod-hosted VodSpot blog.  Learn more about this in Vodpod: Part II – Vodspot, a Free Vodpod-Hosted Blog to Present Your Video Collections, which àlaBuzz will soon publish.

Final Summary:  Vodpod Site Pros and Cons

VodPod is an excellent video management service.  Try using it along with a good search engine (like LeapFish) that highlights relevant videos.  You’ll be able to collect videos, or post video content to your blog, with just a few clicks.

Pros

• Lets you store and organize videos collected from all over the Web in one place
• Offers a variety of tools for discovering, collecting, and publishing videos
• Innovative, regularly offering new and exciting video tools
• Socially integrated
  • Online community for video collectors
  • Ability to share videos at major social networking sites

Cons

• Finding information regarding VodPod features is a bit bewildering – be sure to look in the site footer for links to feature information (the search box works only for video content)
• The VodPod Blog is a good source for feature and site information, but cannot be searched

Watch Mark Hall talk about VodPod.com on BeetTV:

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