LinkedTube Lets You Link Other People’s Videos
March 16th, 2010 | 
Author: Oh I love this. Assuming this works, below – I’m about to test it – it’s a cool free tool that lets you go find a video on YouTube that someone made (I chose a video about DLGuard) and create a link embedded in a button at the top of the video with a URL of your choosing.
So as you’ll see, someone else made this video – I added a button to the DLGuard website with my affiliate link (read more below):
OMG it worked! Love it!!! This is like having the work done for you. Is it legal? I don’t know. I need feedback on this because it’s awesome. Absolutely awesome. The website is located at LinkedTube.com – it’s one of the nuggets I gleaned from One Week Marketing during that review but I just now got around to trying.
Tiff 
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Posted in Career
I’ve been using this for a while, Tiffany – and I absofreakinlutely love it!! I don’t know why more people don’t talk about it. I had heard that one marketer was mad about it, well, I saw a link to an article saying that – but, never could find the article. So – are people mad about it for some reason? And that’s why it’s so not talked about?
I just love the thing!!
Hello Tiffany,
In the email you sent out with this link in it, you mentioned that you might feel bad about using someone else’s video..
Well I’m the ‘someone else’ that made this video a couple years ago and I do not mind at all.
My ego-meter registered ‘totally awesome’ when I saw it was my video you were talking about.
Like you said, I think others will feel the same if their videos are used. Of course mine would be better if, as you mentioned, I had my video watermarked..
Ok, ego-meter is turned off now. I think the tool has promise and I’m on my way to check it out right now.
Thanks for the heads up Tiffany.
Steve Dougherty
It is totally unethical to use others video without their permission. May even be illegal.
Not a YouTube video allowing embedding it’s not.
Thanks, Tiff!
As always, I have to give you kudos for sharing your ideas and experience.
Kudos to Jennifer(PotPieGirl) as well for bringing it to you in her course.
Old hands like myself are always learning new things–even after all these years!
Thanks again!
I didn’t even know about this – thanks Tiffany.
The opportunities of using this are quite amazing.
I also wonder if it would breach any YouTube TOS.
If it did, I would expect that Google/YouTube would act to try and shut down the site providing the links.
cheers,
Eric G.
Hi Tiff
Actually Rosalind Gardener ( Who calls her self the “Super Affiliate”? ) teaches how to use this. I tried it but could never get it to stick. Not sure of what system she was using. So it is an old system. Not sure of the legalities of using someone elses youtube video. Would that sort of come under copyright or plagiarism?
If you where using the video from an affiliate I don’t see it being a problem.
I think it is a great idea and will check this out. I know some places I could use it.
Love the idea of this but I always worry about using anything questionable that may make Google mad and in some way jeopardise my Google adsense account (doesn’t Google own youtube?).
Just curious about what others think about this or am I just being paranoid?
Hi Tiffany,
Thanks for that heads up – Sounds like an incredible tool.
I can just imagine all sorts of ideas to start running this to promote products.
Many thanks
Hamant
I did something wrong, I guess.
I clicked on the button for the DLG site and it came up like it should. But when I closed the tab and went back to the original site, (your site), instead of the original video screen there was the Linktube form with all of your affiliate information along with all of the code for the link. I closed the Linktube form and there was the DLG video. Hmmm.
I am using Firefox 3.6
Dave
I saw that too – but the initial clickout took you to DLG…the video embed code showing was odd.
Funny, I always thought that you could just get the links from Youtube. I just tried it with the video you demonstrate and it works well in the sidebar, but in context of a post, it does not work.
I guess I just took it for granted that the embed code would work.
Well, I may have to look into the product.
Thanks Tiff,
Buck
Have you tested to see if those links are indexed and counted by Google as well? Could be a great way to add some targeted backlinks to products as well as part of the sales funnel.
Great nugget! New to me…
The “LinkedTube” site is a PR4 and it says it’s powered by “YouTube” and
“Google App engine” so it is seemingly ok to use this without any violations.
Will def have to start using this in my own videos and others on my site!
Interesting. There is all kinds of possibilities here!!
Belinda
“Is it legal? I don’t know.”
Hi Tiffany,
I’m not sure about the legality of this method either, but I do think it’s unethical.
Also, YT doesn’t really make a clear statement of this in there T.O.S., or whether uploaded videos are copyrighted or not.
IMO, it’s great tool for including clickable links on your OWN videos or promotional videos made by product owners (with their O.K.).
Of course, you could always ask the video creator for permission to insert your link, but I suppose that would be too much “hassle” for most marketers.
Sorry if I sound like a “goody-two-shoes”, I’m not, but “stealing” other people’s content for your own purposes doesn’t sit comfortably with me.
John.
Whoa! This is TOO COOL.
Hi Tiff,
I guess I don’t see a problem with it…unfortunately I don’t see that much advantage either. It is a simple matter to grab the embed code from YouTube and put it on your website and make a button to put beneath it to link to any affiliate offer you want.
So whether the button is ON the video, beneath it or beside it…is all the same to me.
I may be missing something though. Wouldn’t be the first time.
Rex
When you post a video to YouTube, you’re asked if you want to enable or disable the embed code. The embed code is the HTML code on the side of the video. It allows others to insert your video into their website or blog.
If you don’t want other people to use your video, you are supposed to disable the embed code. Leaving the embed code enabled is like saying it’s fine for other people to use your video.
As for adding your link directly on the video, Google/YouTube needs to address it. They probably will if LinkedTube becomes more popular.
I think there is a way in YouTube a person can block the download if they do not want somebody else using their video. In my travel blog I use videos from YT and occasionally one is blocked from being down loaded.
Similarly with Amazon, some people claim you can not copy their content. But in their TOS it (to me) plainly says you can copy their content and use their links. How does YT and Google write their TOS?
That looks amazing!
Is it similar to the hyperlink tool where it is not something you download, but rather just input your info, and it gives you the code that you then put on your site? I’m too tired to try right now
.
Thanks for sharing!! Kudos to Pot Pie Girl for giving it some attention!
Thanks again, Tiffany!
Lauri
Thanks Tiff -
I came across this a while ago but it sort of fell to the wayside. Seeing a your real example rekindled my interest, I went to the site, ya know right below the video they post “Recent Linked Videos…”. Someone copied you using the same video. lol Except they just inserted their encoded CB link. I doubt it was coincidence. Rather someone here copying you. How cool is that. Someone learned and took action.
Being a fellow DLGer good product choice for the demo. Excellent product. I’m sure Sam Stephens thanks you. He probably could use a visit from the paperboy. lmao
Ha! That’s great, John. And yeah, thanks for the reminder! Papergirl Tiff off to do some stalking
As usual, Tiffany you have given us one tasty morsel!
The added link is only seen where YOU embed it (youtube does not post the embeded link on youtube…).
However, if someone grabs the linkedtube code from YOUR posting of someone’s youtube video and posts it to THEIR blog, chances are, they are doing you a glorious favor and giving YOUR link to their followers.
I was just wondering, how effective this can be with viral videos and… oh, my head is spinning!
Thanks, you rock!
Hi Tiff, Yeah a cool tool I had that tip from A Wealthy Affiliate Friend a while ago
LOL! Probably – because Jennifer’s OWM is where I first mentioned it.
Thanks for the heads up on this Tiffany, I went straight to the tool and set up a video on one of my sites.
I’ll be doing a lot more… hmmm I wonder what would happen if I uploaded some modified videos back to YT.
Let me see if I have this straight…
I buy the video software and the camera.
I carefully script and storyboard my video. I search out and purchase the rights to the appropriate royalty-free soundtrack.
I take the time to put the video together.
And then YOU use it to promote your own interests?
How, exactly, is this different, from the people who steal my web copy and presents it as their own?
Unless you have express permission to do so – i.e., from an affiliate merchant, this is a definitely a copyright violation, plain and simple.
It’s also highly unethical.
However, as some folks have already noted, it’s a simple matter of updating your “broadcasting and sharing” options in YouTube to prevent embedding. That’s obviously what every video publisher needs to do.
All the best,
Paul
Hey Paul!
Well, here’s the fine line I want to consider more about: When I buy software, carefully script a video, etc., I have the option of keeping it on my own website. Once I put it on YouTube, if I allow embedding, I am INVITING other people to use my video on their site. So in my video, I’m saying, “TiffanyDow.com” and I may have an annotation with my URL etc. Someone picks it up and adds the LinkedTube button and puts my video on their site. I’m still getting the same exposure – but the user is also getting to use it to click out on their link. I’m only just now exploring the issue Paul, so I appreciate your input
Gives me something to think about!
Tiff
Tiffany,
Thanks for yet another interesting find and bit of info.
I’m struggling a bit with the ethical part of this. I hate the thought of using other people’s work without their consent. I’m not saying it is the same thing, but how different is this from me finding a great article on EZA and changing the links in it to point to my own site instead?
Great thought provoking stuff as usual.
Hey Scotty! It’s a little different from changing links on EZA because my video would still be 100% intact if you used it and added the button to it. You could do the same legally with an EZA – Andrew Hansen teaches this in the 1,000 visitors report in a way – not the link part – but he talks about taking an EZA and introducing the article with your own paragraph. Then you keep the EZA intact fully with links, etc., and then write a conclusion (follow up) that includes one of your links.
Wow this is great – now you can make some videos us affiliates can use to promote your products!
Yep! I already have tons of Squidoo videos but you’re right Claudia I’m going to make some
Wow! What an awesome resource! Glad you found it in OWM and shared it with us.
@Michelle, …”As for adding your link directly on the video, Google/YouTube needs to address it.”
Hi Michelle,
YT already has to some extent. You might find this article interesting –
http://techcrunch.com/2009/06/29/youtube-to-broadly-release-call-to-action-overlays-allows-linking-off-site/
John.
when I create, or pay to have created, my PR marketing videos to post on YouTube, I make sure there is a mention of my site URL in the body and at the end of the video. Or I get it watermarked.
And then I pray, wish, hope, that someone, anyone, will like it enough to put it on their site, their blog…. just share it any ol way.
So the thought of someone grabbing my audio article videos for instance, and using this system with them to get some linking benefit themselves, would delight me!
Anyone posting videos online for marketing purposes would make sure there was a URL within or on the video. Common sense, otherwise how would people benefit?
If I didn’t want the videos shared, I would disable the embed code.
As far as I can see its just another way to help your video go ‘viral’, because this way the other people get some benefit too, for promoting your video.
Hello Tiffany and friends, I am trying to get linkedtube to work on my own personal videos. When I get the code and put it on my website it works fine. Problem is it does not maintain the new header on Youtube itself? Is it supposed to or am I missing something?
Thanks again
MrWooHoo
No it doesn’t do that on Youtube…only on your site.
I came across your post when checking to see if this was “legal” to use in this fashion when I saw someone doing it to several of my own videos.
Looks like I will have to contact a lawyer about this as I really don’t like being associated with the scam product that individual is promoting, and the site in question has not replied after a couple of weeks.
Something interesting I can see is that if you use a Linkedtube video then put the data in your site’s video sitemap then your site will show up in Google’s video search results.
I’m not going to use it on other people’s videos myself due to the questionable legality, but I am going to use it on my own using my own custom player. It seems like a good idea.
Hi John! If you don’t want someone using your video in this manner you can go to embedding –> no. Not sure if you want to do this but it’s one option
Not the option I was looking for, after writing that comment I checked the traffic. Looks likethe guy embedding the video with LinkedTube really gets any traffic anyways so I don’t think I’ll worry about it
For awhile it popped up in Google’s results on his site because he placed it in his video site map, but the site has fallen off the map now.
I finally made a decision to post a thought, and let me tell you this really is yet another very powerful post. I’ve been reading through some of your old blogposts and have been browsing your web site regularly|Greetings, I really enjoy your write-up.