At the end of every YouTube video, you see the following options:

Favorite

Share

Playlists

Flag

Download ($0.99)   <———-What the hell is this?

I’m sure though you have probably never seen this at the end of a video before. Alright, maybe you have. However, why is this here? I only have seen this implemented onto one YouTube channel that I am currently subscribed to, but I am not going to mention who it is because then I would be singling them out. So, what was my first reaction to this? Well it was something like -why is this here and why would you add this into your YouTube channel? Honestly, I am wondering how you can add this in because those functions at the end of a video are under YouTube’s control.

We all know that YouTube is probably the most popular website for watching video content and you can most definitely classify it as a social media platform. Although, did you consider that possibly YouTube could be trying to create their own version of an iTunes Store with $0.99 downloads?  I can’t prove that this is possible or not because like I said, I have only seen one YouTube channel with this incorporated into their videos.  Secondly, who would pay $0.99 to download a YouTube video?  I just don’t see a market for it or people willing to pay to have it.  The iTunes Store already has these capabilities.  I feel YouTube doesn’t have a chance at competing with iTunes in this scenario because iTunes has too large of a grasp on that market.

What would be an even bigger shock is if this wasn’t YouTube’s doing and it was done by the individual who has the YouTube channel. I for one can say I felt annoyed just to see that sitting there.  I wonder if others would feel perturbed by it as well if they saw it.  I will mention that this user is no “newbie” when it comes to being on the internet, but this person may be the only one who is doing this on YouTube.

YouTube and iTunes are in related markets considering they both have music and video on their platforms, but when it comes to making money…YouTube’s primary income is from advertising while iTunes is from downloads.  So how could YouTube possibly take that market away from iTunes?  It just doesn’t seem possible.  I hope YouTube sees this post or for that matter the person who incorporated the download function into their videos.  I’d like to hear their takes on this and why this is being done.  I think YouTube is fine the way it is and I know many users would agree.  It’s not a good idea to change something that works!

Hopefully anyone who reads this post may be able to clarify some of theses issues for me. Have you ever seen a channel with “download $0.99″ underneath a video? Either way, what do you think of this being done?  Would YouTube be making a mistake trying to compete with iTunes?

Further reading:

Video Content Improves Interaction With Social Media And Tech Enthusiasts

Do You Want To Download YouTube Videos?

credit attributed to http://www.flickr.com/photos/topgold/

Sponsored Choice:  Download YouTube Videos – Brought to you by Gazzump.com

The following choice above is sponsored and it’s one of the three choices I recommend for downloading YouTube videos.  The thing great about this one is all you need to do is enter in the URL of the video and it will download the video right from the site.  It’s an on site application where you are not required to download anything.  Gazzump is also free to use and accepts multiple file extensions.

Whether your operating system is Windows or Mac, I have two other applications that you can use to download YouTube videos as well.  The best part is, both are free to use too!  The first one I learned about from Chris Pirillo video called Tooble and it is cross platform.  Everyone loves YouTube as well as the videos.  Now you have a way to download those videos to your desktop and have them forever!

The second one is only for Windows, but it’s the one I prefer because it has a built in converter that will allow you to take the YouTube video and convert it. The program is called YouTube Downloader.  It’s a small file to download, but it plays big and I have been using it for a while.  I am very happy with it, but for those who have Mac’s, sorry you can’t download this application.

credit attributed to http://www.flickr.com/photos/stewtopia/

Check out the live stream of Chris Pirillo! I have been watching his live show for a while now and it’s awesome!  If you are big into technology and the latest and greatest of what’s going on, you should check this out.  When he isn’t there, I like to chat with the other members of the community about technology and get their opinions.  Chris will be back Sunday as he is currently finishing up at MacWorld!  If you want to see some of the videos that he has done…and he has done a lot.  Check out his YouTube channel.

Let me know what you think, if you check it out!

Also, be sure to read more about the Twitter Phishing scam that Chris Pirillo reported and learn about his Geeks Community.