Read This: Your "Video Guy" Will Thank You

Along with an information-sharing mentality, Web 2.0 has brought on an onslaught of upstart codecs, compressors, file formats, channels, etc. for online video distribution. For better or worse, there is generally lax standardization when it comes to video on the Web. So the good news is: There are lots of options. The bad news is: There are lots of options.

Project Managers and Account Directors who are just trying to meet a deadline don’t want to talk streaming media vs. progressive download vs. "regular" download. But here's the dirty little secret: Outsourced production companies and in-house video resources need to know these things. Not only so they can share your completed project, but so they can make informed decisions during creation of the content. So, without throwing the e-book at you, let me suggest a few questions that you should ask in order to determine what to do with your video when it’s ready. Your "video guy" will thank you.

Who is your audience?
Marketing 101, but why stop asking now? Sliding your geek glasses on for just a second can help feng shui your viewers' video landscape. Are they PCs or Macs? T3s or 56Ks? Downloadable content pack-rats or baggage-free, view-in-the-moment information junkies? This can help you narrow some of the major options (streaming vs. download, file format, etc.).

How important is branding?
If your client expects a microsite, then a YouTube redirect is going to disappoint. But if it's more important just to get the message out than it is to mark territory, generic URLs are an easier and reasonable choice. Many of these sites now offer some (albeit limited) custom branding options. Also, consider a resource like tubemogul as a one-to-many approach for distributing across multiple video sharing platforms. You may have to create accounts with individual sites, but it will cut down on time and guesswork to meet platform-specific requirements.

Is the content really king?
Or is it a $50,000 animation initiative that needs to look wickedsweetawesome? If, hands down, it’s the thought that counts, then file sizes and download times can often be significantly decreased, because images may need not look pristine. Heck, maybe you don't need video at all? One of the more common scenarios I come across is a client requesting video of a slide-centric presentation, when, in reality, their audience (and sometimes their wallet) is better served by a downloadable audio file and accompanying PowerPoint.
 
Still not sure? Consult that guy (or girl) in the dimly lit, gear-cluttered room at the back of the office. Incorrect assumptions about how something should or can be distributed often cause far more problems than leaving yourself with, what else? Lots of options.