David All doesn’t like QubeTV. And for that matter, he’d just assume be done with Conservapedia, too. David and I probably agree 98% of the time, but this is one time we’re on opposite ends of the spectrum.
David’s criticism of QubeTV centers on the notion that it’s a conservative alternative to YouTube, a point that was punctuated by Eric Pfeiffer’s Washington Times article Tuesday. (It’s in the news again today; this ABC News story is linked on the Drudge Report.) While some people, including QubeTV founders Charlie Gerow and Jeff Lord, may think that QubeTV is a viable alternative, there’s simply no way this site will ever rival YouTube in traffic. Jeff Lord pretty much acknowledged that when he spoke at the Heritage Foundation last month. Rather, he seemed perfectly content with users cross-posting their videos on multiple sites. He knows he’s filling a nich√© market.
Lord is following in the footsteps of many an entrepreneur before him — trying filling a void in the market. David Livingston is attempting to do the same thing at Capitol Hill Broadcasting Network, another video sharing site that caters to the congressional crowd. Are either of these sites harming either constituency? I’d argue that they’re actually advancing people’s understanding of web video. If you want to reach a nich√© market, you post to those site. If you want viral marketing, you turn to YouTube. Let the market decide winners and losers, my friend.
My colleagues at the Heritage Foundation, a strong advocate of the free market, have embraced as many video-sharing sites as possible to market our Heritage in Focus videos. The last time I checked, we post them to 15 sites: Blip.tv, Broadcaster.com, Capitol Hill Broadcasting Network, Daily Motion, Eyespot, Grouper Video, GUBA, Jumpcut, QubeTV, Sharkle, Veoh Video Network, Vimeo, vSocial, Yahoo! Video, and YouTube.
Two months ago, David lauded Democrat presidential candidate John Edwards for his devotion to 24 social-networking sites. Using that same logic, you’d think he’d embrace these 15 video-sharing sites, even if some reach a nich√© audience.
Conservatives shouldn’t be ashamed of trying new things, but they also shouldn’t abandon the existing infrastructure. Anyone who has asked me about QubeTV, including CNN’s Jacki Schechner, has gotten that advice. I haven’t heard a compelling argument to the contrary.
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