Everyone knows about YouTube, but have your heard about Vimeo? No? Then today is your lucky day!
What Is Vimeo?
Vimeo is a video sharing site, for the creative filmmaker. The emphasis is on you and your vision. See what they did there with the name of their company? Video + me = Vimeo! This fun loving organization wants to enable the budding or experienced artist to create, produce, and then share with like minded individuals. The content uploaded by users on this site will put your cousin’s cat videos to shame.
Who Keeps Vimeo Improving?
Based out of NYC, Vimeo was founded in 2004 by filmmakers. Now up to a family of almost 200 coworkers, keeping track of 100 million users, their company retreats look like a spectacular time! Below is their video of Camp Vimeo 2015.
Camp Vimeo 2015 from Vimeo Staff on Vimeo.
If you’d like to see more photos of these fun people, they share with you on their site. These playful people work hard to help their family of millions of members from around the world.
Staying Connected
Forbes notes that Vimeo is quite a bit smaller than YouTube, but their personality is infinitely larger.
Vimeo, since it is not connected to Google, has a much smaller circle of friends and viewers. As Tim Schmoyer explains in this YouTube video, if SEO is your goal, Vimeo is not going to get you there with a Vimeo Basic Membership. Viewing quality content, copyrighting your content, the opportunity to improve videography skills, and maybe make some money are all attributes of spending time with Vimeo.
Video School
The Vimeo team of creative professionals not only appreciates the importance of creative integrity, but also knows the skills so well that they are willing to teach others. Vimeo is designed with the expert videographer in mind, but they don’t leave the novices behind. Through their online collection of how-to videos, the team at Vimeo can help you take your products to the next level. That level ranges from figuring out how to upload videos to Vimeo, or how to turn a profit with your original content.
As with any lesson, practice makes perfect. Vimeo gives members the opportunity to submit their homework, if you will, through challenges posted to specific groups.
Viewing new skills as accepting challenges keeps this learning experience more along the lines of a friendly dare as opposed to the drudgery 
of homework that many in their target market of 18-35 year old tech savvy filmmakers may have finally escaped. The “How I Met Your Mother” connection that I made may be too mainstream for some, but the fun factor is still attention grabbing.
Connecting with Other Artists
Vimeo does not come straight out and tell you how many videos, artists, or hits happen on their site every day. They are classier than that, and let the content do the talking. You can browse videos by Channels, Categories or Groups. Their Staff Picks channel has 9,715 videos selected. Their most recent selection has received 2,763 plays. I posted it below for your viewing pleasure.
Rysy “The Fib” Official Music Video from FILIP ZALUSKA CINEMATOGRAPHER on Vimeo.
Start Selling
Nothing in life is absolutely free, and neither is all of the options and content on Vimeo. If you mean business, there is Vimeo Plus and Vimeo Pro. For $59.95 and $199 per year, respectively, you and your content can receive more benefits than the free Vimeo basic. These paid services help to keep Vimeo advertisement free. 
On Demand
Watch out Blockbuster! Oh… Wait… Vimeo on demand might not overtake Netfilx this year, but with their newly launched On Demand service, partnered with a desire for quality original content, along with individuals looking for the next big thing, Vimeo just might have a product for their discerning audience. An article posted just last week on The New York Times is the closest I’ve heard to celebrity name dropping as Vimeo prepared to announce more mainstream online content. One web series “High Maintenance” which started on Vimeo is now being backed for 6 episodes by HBO next year. Vimeo just may become the career launching pad for artists and their projects.
In order to keep artists from starving, viewers can pay bite sized denominations without committing to full series. Always able to be customized, Vimeo gives viewers and potential customers options in On Demand. Viewing the trailer is free. If you like what you see, you can either rent the video for 48 hours, or buy it and view it anytime, anyplace, for as long as these technologies are relevant.
Couch Mode
One place you can view your purchased content, is on your couch. Always looking ahead, Vimeo created couch-mode in 2010, for a more comfortable viewing experience. The ability to broadcast on a large screen enables the artists creating their masterpieces to showcase their work to more than one person at a time. While social media networks are important, so is sharing experiences in person.
Couch Mode from Vimeo Staff on Vimeo.
If you’re looking for a more intimate gathering, Vimeo is viewable on all types of mobile devices. This is one of the few companies that hasn’t forgotten about the Windows phone. I used to have one, but not many of the mainstream applications my friends had were available for the Windows operating system.
To learn more about Vimeo, go directly to Vimeo.com and sign up, or check out my first ever Prezi for additional information.
To get to know Vimeo even more intimately, without giving them your email just yet, check out their social media platforms, mentioned above with links below.
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
See you next week with more insights to the wonderful world of social media!
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