Tuesday, January 02, 2007
VideoRonk: Search and Download Videos From YouTube, Metacafe, MySpace, Blip.tv, and More
Videoronk is a search engine for video sharing sites that lets you narrow searches by type (normal, music videos, and favorite videos) and site (YouTube, Revver, Google Video, etc.). There's also support for video searches on the web in general.
The user interface is a little awkward since results are pushed down the page because of extensive use of white space, but otherwise usable. You can repeat popular searches by clicking on the circles below the search box.
On the results page, tabs can be used to narrow your search to specific sites. Videos are embedded on VideoRonk's site, and you can easily download them. As with all smart video sharing sites, they also helpfully support searches for adult videos.
However, I found it a little troubling that they're essentially monetizing other people's content by embedding, say, a YouTube video and running ads next to it. Although this is similar to the practice of embedding videos on blogs, VideoRonk is essentially competing with the likes of YouTube which makes the practice qualitatively different. Moreover, the permalink and embedding code for a given video gives the impression VideoRonk is the originator of the content. I have to wonder when the first cease-and-desist letters start arriving on their doorstep.
The user interface is a little awkward since results are pushed down the page because of extensive use of white space, but otherwise usable. You can repeat popular searches by clicking on the circles below the search box.
On the results page, tabs can be used to narrow your search to specific sites. Videos are embedded on VideoRonk's site, and you can easily download them. As with all smart video sharing sites, they also helpfully support searches for adult videos.
However, I found it a little troubling that they're essentially monetizing other people's content by embedding, say, a YouTube video and running ads next to it. Although this is similar to the practice of embedding videos on blogs, VideoRonk is essentially competing with the likes of YouTube which makes the practice qualitatively different. Moreover, the permalink and embedding code for a given video gives the impression VideoRonk is the originator of the content. I have to wonder when the first cease-and-desist letters start arriving on their doorstep.Tags:
Labels: Technology
