Facebook Video Over YouTube Video Is A Massive Myth

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There are several reports by media types that claim Facebook Video is ‘making enroads’ into YouTube video. While I do have a bias that I bring to the examination of this claim as I am a YouTube Partner (and part of the first generation of them having been invited to join in 2008), the fact is Facebook has played fast and loose with the truth, and those in the media who have written, blogged, or vlogged about this have failed to consider the obvious.

First, while Facebook public relations blurts out that three billion videos are viewed each day, media type like Ingrid Lunden at TechCrunch, failed to note that the giant social network never once bothered to try and differentiate between views of its own videos and YouTube’s videos that were placed on the site. This is of particular importance when you consider that YouTube has a provision for automatic installation of an uploaded video to Facebook and to Twitter.

It may very well be that Facebook has not figured out how to track YouTube video views separately on its site as of this writing. Since Facebook is good about telling us that a study shows shares of its videos within Facebook are nearing those of YouTube in number, it may be that that’s the only way to start to differentiate between Facebook and YouTube videos on Facebook.

Second, Facebook Videos don’t find their way onto Twitter. Moreover, they don’t, as of this writing, come up in video search for any search engine. The point here is that Facebook videos are ‘innies’ that are part of Facebook’s platform, and not designed to be migrated outside of it. That fact, and this next one, doom Facebook’s lofty claim that it’s challenging YouTube, or more to the point, the media’s assertion that this is so.

Third, Facebook lacks anything like a YouTube Partner Program. Facebook poaching YouTube Stars shows just how much it doesn’t understand the anatomy of YouTube star popularity. The simple fact is that many so called popular YouTubers have gamed numbers behind their channel size with respect to video vie. Justin Bieber allegedly buying fake video views is just the tip of an iceberg sized problem that calls into question just how popular a YouTuber no one ever heard of really is?

This has been problem that YouTube has worked to combat, but that effort underscores my point. But with that, here comes Facebook trying to lure these ‘stars’ and not create its own set.

Paying people to upload, or having some kind of incentive to do so like the YouTube Partner Program, where YouTubers like me make money from ad revenues, is the only way to assure growth in video upload numbers on Facebook. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has to deal with the 1,000 pound gorilla in the room, and that’s compensation.

Until he does that, and a system is installed that’s like the YouTube Partner Program, please people, stop with the silly claims of Facebook video dominance over YouTube – it’s just not true.

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