Kiwitube: My adhoc Analysis

I visited the Kiwitube website on it's official launch date. I was not impressed. It appears the site still has some teething issues to deal with. I found the sign-up process was acceptable, and the ability to upload a decent-sized profile image gives it a small advantage over the world dominating YouTube in that respect. But the important thing about a video-sharing site is the video sharing, and on my first use of this site I was not impressed.

Kiwitube is completely picky about what you upload to it. The site claims that you can upload almost any file format. That's fine, unless your upload breaks any of their 10 comprehensively listed limitations on file names!

When last on the site, the following are not permitted within the file name of uploads:

1) commas,
2) more than ONE space between words, (check this)
3) apostrophes ' (e. g. she's becomes she is)
4) speech marks or quotes " "
5) the $ sign (so $4000 becomes 4000 dollars)
6) the @ symbol (use the word AT or at instead for e-mail in your description)
7) backslash / or forward slash
8) a dash -
9) an exclamation mark !
10) the & symbol. Use 'and' instead.

This doesn't do much for convenience in uploading. YouTube doesn't care about your file name, as long as its legal.

The site design looks reminiscent of a 1990's Warez BBS. A mixture of colours you would expect to see when connecting at 2400 baud to your local BBS to get your weekly allocation of Amiga MOD files and other ancillary shareware.

Uploading is tedious needless to say. Uploading a video to YouTube is significantly faster than Kiwitube. Im based in New Zealand, and this statement is true both before and after YouTube launched their New Zealand branded YouTube site.

My other complaint is the main entry into the website. The site has a video automatically playing on entry to the website. This is a very poor choice I say.

I do have some positive comments about Kiwitube. I like the way how comprehensive information is provided about an upload in progress. The site displays how many Kbytes you have uploaded so far, and even provides an estimate on time remaining for your upload. Kiwitube could teach YouTube a thing or two in this respect.

I have no complaints regarding the resulting video quality of videos uploaded to the site. In fact, a sample video uploaded to the site looked as good as the same clip uploaded to YouTube.

By default, when you embed a video clip outside of Kiwitube, the default window is smaller than then the normal size you would see on YouTube or Revver. The video also appears to automatically play in it's embedded form (when it functions).

Overall, the website looks like it has been quickly thrown together with some fence posts, number 8 wire, and some nails.

Want to start your own video-sharing site? head over to www.clip-share.com like Kiwitube did and join in all the fun!

Useless Information: Actress Michelle Pfeiffer was the first choice to play Clarice Starling in the movie "Silence of the Lambs." She turned down the role because she found it too scary.