How Do I Share My Home Videos Over the Internet?

Whether you're a budding filmmaker or just an eager home moviemaker, you can share your movies and videos with friends and family. There are lots of video sharing websites that let you upload your videos, and then share them with anyone in the world. And the best thing is, these sites are free.

Uploading from Your PC

Before you upload a video from your PC, you have to prepare the video for uploading. That means making sure that it's in the right file format and that your video fits the requirements of the specific video sharing sites.

The video file format you should use depends on the video sharing site you're using. Most sites let you upload videos in the following file formats: 3gp, 3gp2, avi, dv, mpg, mpg4, mov, mqv and wmv. Other sites might accept MPEG-2 or QuickTime files. Check with the individual site for file format guidelines.

Most video sharing sites also set a limit as to the length of the videos you can upload. For example, AOL Uncut Video sets the maximum video length to five minutes. Also, most video sharing sites don't let you upload videos with adult content. That means that your video shouldn't include pornographic, illegal or harmful content. When in doubt, ask yourself -- is this something I'd want my kids (or my neighbor's kids) to see? If not, then don't upload it.

In most instances, uploading a video is as simple as clicking the site's Upload Video button and following the onscreen instructions from there. You'll need to locate the video file on your PC, enter some information about the video (title, description and so on) and then complete the upload. Once the file has been uploaded to the video sharing site, it may need to be approved before it's made visible to the public, which may take anywhere from a few minutes to a few days.

Uploading from Your Camcorder or Mobile Phone

Some video sharing sites also let you upload videos directly from your camcorder, webcam, video-enabled mobile phone or other device. For example, AOL Uncut Video lets you upload videos from all these different devices -- just connect the device, select which type of device you have and choose the video you want to upload.

AOL Uncut Video

One of the most popular sites for sharing videos is AOL Uncut Video. Uploading your videos is as easy as clicking a few buttons and entering a little information.

Once your videos are uploaded, visitors can view them with the click of a mouse. Videos can be browsed by a number of criteria, including:

• Location

• Category

• Event

• Most Recent

• Most Views

• Highest Rated

• Most Comments.

Available categories include AIM Pages, Art & Animation, Autos & Vehicles, Comedy, Family, Hobbies, Home & Garden, Music, News, Odd & Absurd, Personals, Pets, Short Movies, Sports, Travel and Video Games. When you view a video, you can rate it (on a scale of 1 to 5 stars) and add your own comments, if you like.

Other Video Sharing Sites

AOL Uncut Video isn't the only video-sharing site on the web. There are lots of sites that let you upload your videos and share them with the world, including:

• Castpost

• Clipshack

• DailyMotion

• Google Video

• Grouper

• Ourmedia

• Revver

• YouTube

• Vimeo

• VSocial

Of these sites, YouTube is probably the most popular, with the widest selection of videos from users around the Internet. YouTube and the other sites work in similar fashion to AOL Uncut Video and feature lots of amateur and semi-pro videos in a variety of categories.

Michael Miller is a writer and commentator on technology and digital lifestyle topics.