Griz need a YouTube presence
This time of year is an especially trying time for a Montana Grizzlies fan looking for some news on their team. Since things are slower Zydrunas Ilgauskas trying to make it up and down the court, I figured I'd spout off whenever I thought of an idea I believe would improve the University Athletic Department in some way or another. Here's the first entry in what'll be something of a series.
Have you ever tried to find Montana content on YouTube? It's a pain in the ass. Sure there are some great videos shot by fans with hand-held camcorders but we need more. When I go looking for information on a random subject I know YouTube ranks in the top 3-5 places I go first. For example, when I wanted to find video of recruits I scoured Youtube in an attempt to find out what these guys were like.
Interestingly, Montanagrizzlies.com offers a wealth of media -- video, audio and images -- but it's buried very far back in the site. It should be more accessible. Besides being hidden, the video is in an awful format I can't save to my computer. Maybe this is due to bandwidth and storage restrictions but YouTube is a simple solution for that.
Not only does it provide free video hosting but but it's free marketing as well. I'm a Mac user and I really don't like being forced to open Windows Media Player to stream a video. Buffering sucks. Put everything on YouTube then use the YouTube video on the site to have everything play right on the browser. It's quicker and more convenient for users.
Fine, it's easier just to keep the video files and website in the current format but that doesn't mean they can't upload every file to YouTube. Once again, it's free marketing. You put everything up there and tag it accordingly so when someone searches for 'montana basketball' they don't get a clip of Griz-Cat tip-off, Monte making a half-court shot and six Idaho State videos. Other schools are doing this and we should too.
Honestly, give me a data DVD with these videos and I'll put them up on YouTube for free in my spare time. Why not? Increased exposure for the University of Montana will only make this a better time to be a fan of the Griz.
Have you ever tried to find Montana content on YouTube? It's a pain in the ass. Sure there are some great videos shot by fans with hand-held camcorders but we need more. When I go looking for information on a random subject I know YouTube ranks in the top 3-5 places I go first. For example, when I wanted to find video of recruits I scoured Youtube in an attempt to find out what these guys were like.
Interestingly, Montanagrizzlies.com offers a wealth of media -- video, audio and images -- but it's buried very far back in the site. It should be more accessible. Besides being hidden, the video is in an awful format I can't save to my computer. Maybe this is due to bandwidth and storage restrictions but YouTube is a simple solution for that.
Not only does it provide free video hosting but but it's free marketing as well. I'm a Mac user and I really don't like being forced to open Windows Media Player to stream a video. Buffering sucks. Put everything on YouTube then use the YouTube video on the site to have everything play right on the browser. It's quicker and more convenient for users.
Fine, it's easier just to keep the video files and website in the current format but that doesn't mean they can't upload every file to YouTube. Once again, it's free marketing. You put everything up there and tag it accordingly so when someone searches for 'montana basketball' they don't get a clip of Griz-Cat tip-off, Monte making a half-court shot and six Idaho State videos. Other schools are doing this and we should too.
Honestly, give me a data DVD with these videos and I'll put them up on YouTube for free in my spare time. Why not? Increased exposure for the University of Montana will only make this a better time to be a fan of the Griz.
