Video

156 University Avenue • Palo Alto, CA 94301 • T: 650-543-4800 • F: 650-543-4801

Why did you decide to develop a Facebook Video application?

We built Video to make it easier for people to publish personal videos that they have recorded and share them with their friends in a trusted environment. Facebook uses the power of the social graph as a means to efficiently distribute personal videos. Most people already have video content somewhere, on digital cameras, camcorders or cell phones, but have nowhere to put it where they can efficiently share it with the people they care about. Uploading videos to Facebook will allow them to do that.

How do users upload video to Facebook?

Users will have three ways to add videos onto Facebook:

• Upload and record personal videos: Posting videos to a Profile is similar to posting photos on Facebook. Users can upload videos from their computers, and their friends with access to their profile will be able to view the videos. Using a Flash recorder on the Video page, users can record a video that will post on their profile.
• Record and send video messages: With a Flash recorder, video messaging allows for a more personalized interaction in which users can record a video from their Inbox and immediately send it to their friends within a message. For instance, a user can record a ‘Happy Birthday’ video greeting to a friend and send it on Facebook in the same time it takes to send a regular message.
• Send from a mobile phone: Users with cell phones that have video capabilities will be able to send videos to video@facebook.com and have them uploaded directly to their profiles.

What are the differences between Facebook Video and other video sites?

Users are able to tag friends in videos they upload to Facebook. For example, when a user takes a video of her friend, uploads it to Facebook and tags her friend in the video, her friend’s profile will say ‘View More Videos of…’ much like Facebook’s Photo application. In addition, Facebook’s News Feed generates stories about video uploads which makes it easier for a user to find out about video content that is most relevent to him or her right away. Through integration with Facebook messages, video messaging allows users to create video threads by sending videos from their Inbox to multiple friends at once.

How do users find and watch videos?

Users can find and watch videos that are uploaded by them or their friends, or in which they or their friends are tagged. When users add the Video application, they will be able to view a list of all of the recent videos uploaded from their friends on the Video application homepage. They see two columns, one with lastest videos by their friends and another for videos in which their friends were recently tagged. When they click on the thumbnail of a video they will be taken to the playback for the video. Users can also find videos from within user profiles and in their News Feed when friends upload or are tagged in videos. Those Video notifications and stories do not allow playback directly; users need to click to be taken to the Video page.

Are you concerned about abuse or objectionable content?

Video content will be treated as any other content on the site and will have to adhere to the same Terms of Use. Video content that violates Facebook’s Terms will be removed, and we encourage our users to report objectionable or abusive content. Every video includes a link for reporting a video. Among other things, the posting of abusive, harassing, vulgar or obscene content is a violation of our Terms.

Are there privacy restrictions?

Yes, as with all Facebook applications, there are video-specific privacy settings that will allow users to control who views the videos they upload and the videos in which they have been tagged.

Are there limits on the length of videos or the file size?

Each video can be as long as 10 minutes and as large as 200 megabytes, depending on the type of upload.

156 University Avenue • Palo Alto, CA 94301 • T: 650-543-4800 • F: 650-543-4801

What do users need to have installed in order to upload and view videos?

Users must have a webcam, a microphone and a Flash recorder if they are recording video messages. Users must have Flash installed in order to view videos.

How can users add the Video application to their profiles?

Users can add applications to their profiles by going to any of their friends’ profiles that have the application and clicking the “add” button. They are also able to go to the Facebook applications directory and add it from there.

Why are there restrictions on the size and length of the videos?

Facebook Video is meant for short, personal videos and not for broadcasting longer-form content or professional video-like TV shows, movies, or music videos. The goal is to provide a great tool for friends to share personal videos of one another and record and send video messages. For instance, we expect that users will take advantage of our mobile upload capability, and the types of videos shot from a mobile phone are typically short and personal.

What type of videos do you expect people to share?

We expect that users will finally have a place for all those videos of themselves and friends that they’ve never had an easy way share with their friends. For instance, users can record and upload video at the office, with the family, on a road trip, or at a party. Users that have mobile phones with video capabilities have only been able to send the clips to one of their friends at a time. Now, with Facebook Video, users will be able to share those clips with all of their friends as easily as they can photos or other media.

Can users send video outside of Facebook?

Users will not be able to export or download videos from Facebook. Facebook Video is meant for sharing and viewing videos of people with whom you share a real-world connection, not watching random clips from strangers. Each video will include a hyperlink that users can share and post on the web, but all of Facebook’s privacy settings and network structure will apply. To view any video on Facebook, users have to sign in. They can only view the videos on the profiles to which they have access. So a user who clicks on an external link to video who is not part of a user’s connections or networks will not be able to watch the video.

Can users upload commercial videos from outside of Facebook?

Facebook video is meant for the uploading and sharing personal content. We’ve designed the application to discourage misuse, and our users agree only to upload video of a personal nature that is about them or their friends, or created by them or their friends.

How will Facebook handle copyright issues with video?

Facebook takes copyright issues very seriously and has designed its Video application specifically to facilitate the sharing of personal video. The uploading of copyrighted content is a violation of our Terms of Use. We encourage users and copyright holders to report any violations of our Terms and have included links for reporting violations on every video. We will remove any unauthorized copyrighted materials when we become aware of them, in accordance with the law, and have adopted a policy of terminating the accounts of repeat infringers.

Why is Facebook not launching video on every user’s profile?

We want to give users the ability to choose what applications they want to put on their profiles. As with all applications built on the Facebook Platform, users have the ability to add or remove video from their accounts, including Facebook-built applications like Video.

Does Facebook expect other developers to build a video application on Facebook Platform?

Facebook encourages developers to build any type of application that they want on the Facebook Platform, including video and other media applications. Our users will decide which applications are the most useful for them.