GooTube

Well, Google bought YouTube for $1.6B in stock and rumors are flying that they may continue to invest in other video properties. Google is clearly trying to dominate the online video field, so YouTube is a smart buy in terms of established user community.

In terms of user-generated content, though, YouTube is considerably weaker than some of the others. YouTube is dominated by repurposed clips, TV excerpts, music videos, extracts from DVDs. You can see this in the company's previous deals with NBC and CBS. User content is decidedly depricated.

Sites like Revver and Blip TV have a few talented users who actively create compelling content and use this new media for more than just video diaries or a dumping ground for pop-cultural effluvium. So, having snapped up the one with the strongest community, Google will now likely turn to the outlets with superior user-generated content.

However, the best thing about sites like Blip TV is that their end user agreement protects the intellectual property of their community. Where both Google and YouTube reserve the right to exert proprietary control over the videos uploaded to their sites, Blip TV leaves the rights in the hands of the creator.

If Google gets their hands on some of the finer sites like Blip TV, I hope they leave the liberal EULA intact. But I don't think they will.