If Google is really good at one thing, and one thing alone, it’s listening to its users. Which is exactly what it has done when it comes to Google Video and the imminent closure of the surplus-to-requirements site.
Google Video…
In January 2009 Google announced Google Video was being killed off as the new, shiny YouTube had made it unnecessary. A few months later and the site was frozen for posterity, with no new uploads allowed.
We then heard nothing for over two years until earlier this month when Google finally announced the dates when Google Video would be culled for good. However, those dates have now been wiped from the schedule, and Google has began endeavoring to make the transition to YouTube an easier one for all.
… To YouTube
Google sent an email to all Google Video users informing them that the previously-announced April 29 date for the end of viewing videos on the site has disappeared. This is in response to a bit of a user backlash over the acceleration of the end of the site.
As well as the death date being canceled, Google has committed to making the transition from Google Video to YouTube easier.
As detailed on the Official YouTube Blog, an ‘Upload Videos to YouTube’ option has been added to Google Video. Those who have a YouTube account associated with a Google Video account can now switch their content from one to the other simply.
There’s also the promise that no content will be lost, with the company “working to automatically migrate your Google Videos to YouTube.” So even those who don’t grab their content before Google Video is killed for good should be fine.
Conclusions
It’s good to see a huge company such as Google listening to its customers. That makes a refreshing change. However, I do wonder how long Google Video will carry on for at this point. Two years was surely enough time for video producers to choose a new host and move their content to it. Everyone must have heard of YouTube, surely?
