US builds Trooptube
Something new – and approved by the DOD – a way to share videos for the military and their families as Trooptube. The U.S. military, with help from Seattle startup Delve Networks, has launched a video-sharing Web site for troops, their families and supporters, a year and a half after restricting access to YouTube and other video sites.
Unlike other video-sharing sites (and as you would expect), videos are screened before they’re posted so as not to compromise military activity or promote illicit activity, and the site does not allow embedding of videos elsewhere.
Troops can send videos to families at home and families can do the same, like these wives of troops who created this greeting. TroopTube extends the virtual military community by enabling service members and their families to connect with each other and share videos wherever they may be. When you visit TroopTube, you’re greeted with a somewhat familiar interface—a search box at the top, a listing of the videos of the day on the front page, and a big “upload” button in the corner; however, you can’t (technically) be just anyone in order to upload a video. Once you’re on the site, you will be required to register in order to view or post videos. During the registration process, you will be asked to identify your e-mail address, name, and service branch or affiliation.
If you do manage to get into the site to upload, videos are limited to five minutes in length or 20MB in size—shorter than your typical YouTube video. Privacy settings allow you to make a video public or private, and you can categorize each video into different areas of the military. If you’re not a military member, you can put things in “DoD/Civilian” or “Troop Supporters.” Videos are displayed on the site as embedded Flash video, as expected, but the options are much more limited than on other video-sharing sites
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