The History and Case for a DiscGolfVids.com Relaunch - DiscGolfVids.com

DiscGolfVids.com was launched way back in 2010 as a project and practice in providing an alternative source to major video sharing platforms. It was a passion project in order to help creators deal with the limitations of platforms like YouTube and Vimeo. One of the major impetus that creators faced at the time was the ability to upload videos that were longer than 10 minutes in length.

There were a few content creators in the area that were creating long format videos of tournaments and special events and there was a need for a video sharing platform dedicated only to disc golf. Thus, DiscGolfVids.com was born. The main feature at the time was that it gave the ability to creators to upload content of any length. This allowed full length disc golf tournament videos and course previews to be uploaded in one video, rather then separating a full length video into different parts. (Part 1, 2, 3, etc.)

We also provided a message board that allowed people to interact as well as letting content creators upload simple images to albums as well. There was even a timeline feature added in to represent the trending social platforms like Facebook and Twitter. Traveling around to local courses in order to generate long previews was also a top priority so they could be linked to websites like DiscGolfCourseReview.com.

We had been working on a system to empower creators to generate revenue, similar to how they do in today’s climate and even came up with a video on demand system. We launched a Dynamic Duo video that users could purchase and keep in their inventory. Looking back, it was ambitious.

Streaming platforms are hard

DiscGolfVids.com was mildly successful upon it’s infancy with an audience that was primed for video content. There wasn’t a ton of content out there, and we partnered early with creators like Terry TheDiscGolfGuy and the crew over at CentralCoastDG to help foster a positive environment and growth vector for disc golf videos.

Six months into the project YouTube enabled the ability to upload content of any length and started to develop the video infrastructure itself very heavily. They also made it easier to integrate AdSense for new creators in order for them to monetize their content. YouTube’s popularity exploded and it was difficult to get people to hop on board, as most effort was spent on other platforms. Our infrastructure was aging quickly and the ability to keep up and provide infrastructure comparable to very large platforms was difficult, at best.

We definitely tried our best and were always interested in promoting disc golf and helping creators get their videos out there to the public. The site was never closed, but ultimately it required a full re-write which is a huge undertaking.

At the same time Facebook decided to literally delete our Facebook account and page which had over 7,000 followers and friends, which at the time was quite a bit. In the end we decided to let the site stay as it was and keep the content available, if nothing else. In hindsight, we should have continued to develop and change our infrastructure as soon as we had the chance.

The case for a relaunch

Fast-forward to 2022 and the infrastructure, while sometimes expensive, is much more attainable and we have the ability to scale if/when we need to. Outside of that fact, there are still reasons why video content creators might want to include DiscGolfVids.com in their allocated platforms.

1. Platform changes: Large platforms like YouTube and others make major changes sometimes that can let creators hanging without any recourse. DiscGolfVids.com has active management that creators can actually contact.
   
2. Aggressive Content Filters: Because there is so much content uploaded to major platforms they tend to utilize aggressive filtering which can cause videos to be flagged and restricted accidentally, sometimes without any action.
   
3. Content Categorizing: While there is still a lot of work to do on DiscGolfVids.com as we relaunch, one of the goals is to allow better categorization of disc golf video content. It is still a work in progress but the idea is to allow you find the content you want, faster.
   
4. Questionable Content: The content mixed in with Disc Golf on other major platforms has reached peak saturation, and there is still a need to build a platform or website that can host general disc golf videos similar to the large platforms without inundating the viewer with non disc golf related content.
   
5. Platform Advocate: We are advocates for disc golf and the creators that make the videos. We will actively campaign for our creators and promote their videos.
   
6. No algorithm: While algorithms play an important role in our content viewing habits, we plan to keep it much more simple, offering a classic viewing experience.
   
7. Content Control: We have a system that lets creators do simple things like re-upload their videos without losing stats, descriptions, etc. Control your content how you would like.

Work on a website like this is never really complete but the intention is to rebuild and continue to offer ways for creators to get their videos our there to the public. It is amazing to see what other platforms have done in years, but our aim has always been a little different.

Creators can generate additional revenue

We have been working on an AdSense integration for creators in order to help them generate even more revenue from their videos, while giving the viewer a classic viewing experience similar to how it was before online videos were riddled with advertisements. We allow creators to add videos or even link existing YouTube videos which can enable them to generate even more revenue than they otherwise would. There is no limit on subscribers and creators can monetize at their will. They can also place video ads and have full control over how long they are and where they are placed in the videos.

Help us build the new platform!

We need your help! If you are a content creator we would love to have some help in testing our video infrastructure along with our AdSense monetization integration. You can upload videos directly to the site or even link existing YouTube videos which makes it easy to add your own videos to the platform. We would love to hear feedback and are always looking to improve.

– DiscGolfVids.com Team