How to Start a Video Sharing Web Site

It seems as though streaming video online becomes more popular each day. Operating a video sharing web site is easy, efficient and costs a lot less than you probably think. Whether you want to try to become the next YouTube or just want to wow your friends with your own video sharing website, putting together a video sharing platform is fun and easy to do. Here is how to start your own video sharing website.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Web host that has ffmpeg or mencoder installed
• Video sharing script

1. 

   Locate a web host that has ffmpeg or mencoder installed on the server. These utilities are required to convert the videos that get uploaded to your site into a flash video format (flv). Most standard web hosts will not provide these utilities unless you are on a dedicated server, so this may require some searching. Try going to your favorite search engine and doing a search for "ffmpeg hosts" or "YouTube clone host." This should provide you with a decent list of hosting companies to look over.

2. 

   Set up a MySQL database on the host so that your video sharing script will have a database to use. This is easier than it sounds. All you have to do is add the database, and the video sharing script's installation will do all of the configuring. To add a MySQL database, log into the control panel for your web host and look for the link to MySQL. Follow the instructions on screen to set up a new MySQL database. Make note of the database name, user name and password. You will be asked for this information later.

3. 

   Get the video sharing script that will power your new video sharing web site. There are a number of scripts available in every imaginable price range. Those who are learning the ropes of how to run a video sharing web site may wish to look into phpMotion, which is free but also carries links back to the script. For illustration purposes, we will be working with the vShare script available at buyscripts.in. This is a $10 script that is robust, feature packed, updated regularly and has great support.

4. 

   Upload all of the files to your web host. This can be done via the file manager in the control panel that is provided by your web host, but it is quicker and easier to transfer your files using an FTP program. SmartFTP and Filezilla are both excellent options that can be downloaded for free.

5. 

   Run the installation program. In vShare, this is obtained by browsing to yoursite.com/install/. Other scripts may be different, so pay careful attention. The installation will ask you for the log in information for the MySQL database, and will install all components for you automatically. Simply follow the on screen instructions and let the installation routine do its job.

6. 

   Delete the folder containing the installation program. This step will help keep someone from screwing up your site. To delete the folder in SmartFTP, simply right click on the folder and select Delete. That's it. You now have your own video sharing web site installed and ready to use.

Tips & Warnings

• Decide in advance how you will handle copyrighted videos. It is inevitable that someone will upload a television show, music video or other copyright material. Have a plan in advance to determine if you will allow these videos to be uploaded, or if you want your site to be purely composed of home-spun videos.

Resources

• Get vShare Video Sharing Script

[neilybug]

on 10/31/2008 Is there a number for the video sharing script that's mentioned