Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Basic Questions

What is ClipShack?

ClipShack is a video sharing community. We built it so that people who enjoy shooting digital video and showing it to other people have an easy and fun place to do that. So if you want to share video with your friends and family, get some feedback on your work from a community of other videophiles, or just look at some cool video, you should join us at ClipShack.

What does it mean to be in “beta”?

Beta means that the software that runs ClipShack is still in development and we want people to use it and test it out and give us feedback. Being in beta means that sometimes the site will have a problem or go down while we fix something. We will try to give you advanced warning, but using a site that is in beta means that you realize that we are early in the game and don’t have it perfect. Yet.

How much does it cost to use ClipShack?

In the current beta version, the site is completely free. There is not even a way for you to pay us! You have to become a Member to upload any video, but the only membership level is the basic free membership.

That also means you can’t upload as much video as you might want to, so we are going to add the paid level of membership in the next few months. Even then, there will always be a free level of membership where you can upload and share some video. You just won’t get as much as you get with a paid subscription.

Okay, so how much will it cost to be a Subscriber?

Paid subscriptions will be available for $5 per month. For that, you can upload and store your higher resolution videos instead of just hanging on to the lower resolution files as we do in the free account. Plus you get to upload much more video. And you get some nifty other features. We promise to tell you more when it’s actually ready to go.

Are there any restrictions about what I can post on the site?

Yes. You can’t post pornography. You can’t post video that is copy written or not in the public domain. You probably shouldn’t post video that is really unflattering of people you like because they might get truly angry, but that’s your business. See the Terms and Conditions for full rights and limitations.

Do I have to have a certain browser or system to use ClipShack?

The only requirement is that you have the MacroMedia Flash viewer on your system. ClipShack works in any browser and on any system (Windows PC, Mac, whatever). There are some capabilities that are not yet fully functional on a Mac, but we tell you whenever that is the case (right now that only affects the uploader tool).

Can I post ClipShack video to my blog?

Absolutely. Click on the “Link to this clip” icon from the information page of the clip you want to link to. Be sure to copy the html EXACTLY as is, without adding extra breaks or spaces. And let us know what else you want in terms of making it easier for you to link your video so we can make it better.

What can I do on the site?

Today, you can look at and comment on video on the public site. Upload your own video and share it with whoever you want. Link your video to your blog. Sort your videos by topics and check out clips on the same topic. Coming soon, you will be able to submit video and/or vote on a weekly “best public clip of the week.” And upload from your cell phone. And share video from specific events as part of a group. And use frames to create video cards. Just hold on, we’re working on making it even better!

Getting Started

Why should I become a member?

You can browse the public clips without becoming a member, but to upload anything of your own you need to join ClipShack. Just click on the Join Us tab on the left hand tool bar, and enter your basic information.

Why should I create a profile? How do I do it?

It’s up to you. You can have a geeky place-holder image when people click to your clips or you can upload your own image (your face, your dog, whatever). Your profile is how your clips are attributed to you and how your friends can find you. Click on the My Profile tab in the upper right hand corner of the site and add as much or as little personal info as you want. Instructions for adding a photo are there too.

How do I upload or capture my video?

You can upload any video that is on your hard drive currently, no matter what format it is in. Just go to the upload page and browse your system, select the video you want uploaded and click upload. Don’t close the browser after you start uploading. If you are uploading during a really peak time you might experience delays, but usually it is pretty fast!

Can I capture directly from my digital video camera?

Yes! Really soon! We promise that this is the first additional feature going up. After we announce it, you can go to the upload page and download our ClipShack Uploader tool. Once you connect your camera to your computer, you can use the Uploader to control your camera, play the footage and hit “ingest” any time you have a segment you want to upload into ClipShack. Once it is in ClipShack you can add information like key words and descriptions to it.

How about from my cell phone?

Hold that thought! We should have upload from cell phones working within the next few months, but not yet. Soon, but not as soon as the Uploader. We want to give you something to wait for!

How much video can I add to my account?

In this initial beta, you can upload 50 MB of video before we will cut you off. Since we are converting all the video to Flash during upload, 50 MB is really a lot. Really! Once the paid subscription is available, the free members will still get 50 MB but to get more you will need to become a paid subscriber. And free subscribers won’t get to upload and store their clips in higher resolutions.

What are the different views I can see?

You can change the View via the pull-down menu just above the player window to decide how you want to see clips displayed. Thumbnail view is the default, since it is the cleanest and most visual way to see things, but you can decide what you like best.

What are Playlists? 

Playlists are like Albums or Sets on a photo sharing site. Playlists are ways to group clips so that you can put them together for easier browsing and sharing. To create a playlist click on the Edit button next to Playlists in the My Clips page. You can then follow the directions on the page to create new playlists, or edit or delete existing playlists. 

How do I set the privacy for my clips?

After you upload clips, you can decide who you want to have access to your clips. By default, your clips are marked Private, which means only YOU can see them. If you want to extend viewing privileges to your friends, you can edit the Access setting on the Properties page for that clip. If you want everyone in the entire ClipShack community to see your clips, select the Public setting.

Using the Site

Friends:

What is the “Friends” section?

ClipShack is all about sharing. When you add your friends or family to your ClipShack Friends page, you allow them to see all the video that you have marked as viewable by your Friends. You designate a clip as viewable by your Friends in the Properties section for that clip.

Can I email a clip to someone who is not a ClipShack member?

Absolutely! Email away! When you select any of your clips you will notice that there is an Action tool bar below the player. You can add the clip to a playlist, email it to people or download it. You can add addresses into the email itself or add people to your address book if you are going to email them regularly. When they get your email, it will have a link to the clip. Once they click it they will immediately see the clip (as long as they have the Flash player installed on their machine).

How do I share video with my friends or family?

Well, you can email it (see above) or you can invite your clan to become part of ClipShack. Then, every clip you upload and set the access as Friends will be automatically viewable by your entire Friends list. They can comment on the clips and download them if they want to. The Invite page sends an email invitation and if your friends do become members, ClipShack automatically adds them to your friends list.

Can I invite my friends and family to join ClipShack?

Oh yeah. Go to the Invite page and tell ‘em how great it is! Get them to comment on your clips and then go comment on theirs. It is really addicting to communicate with video and comments in this way!

Who can download my video?

No one. And since it is a Flash movie they wouldn’t have access to the original anyway.

How can I make sure only my friends see my video?

Be sure to designate the clip as Friends under the Access pull-down menu. Or, keep it private and then email access only to a few specific people.

How do I remove someone from my friends list?

Go to the Friends page and click the Edit button. You can add or delete friends really easily.

Public Clips:

What is the “Public Clips” area?

Some of us are looking for that 15 minutes of fame, or maybe we just really want to get some feedback on something cool we shot. Or we like to talk about video and want to hear what other people have to say. For all those and many other reasons, there is a Public Clips area of ClipShack. Any member can designate a clip as Public, and get it posted to the public site. Then anyone can comment on it and the video community expands! The Public site is regularly monitored for appropriateness, but we don’t vouch for the quality of all the content! So load cool stuff and comment on the things you like.

Are there groups or playlists within the Public Clips?

Not yet, but we will be implementing groups so that you can share with a specific public as well as the general ClipShack public.

How can I search for images in the public space?

Right now you can browse, but you can’t search. All that will change very soon. Stay tuned.

What if I want to change the privacy on a clip after I put it in the public space?

You can always change the access or privacy setting on any of your clips by going to that clip and clicking on the Edit button in the Properties window. From there you can change any of the descriptive information about the clip and change the privacy, etc. The clip will disappear from the public space when you refresh.

How do I comment on clips?

After you have viewed any clip you can click on the View/Add Comments button and view or add comments. Didn’t we do a good job of making that intuitive?

Can anyone download my clips if they are public?

No. Right now you can see clips and comment on them, but you can’t download them.

I hate seeing ads. How can I get away from them?

Pay for a subscription. We understand, and we aren’t putting ads on the paid pages. And we don’t support pop-up ads. And we don’t sell our data. So we feel like the free users just have to deal with the ad we have and consider it the price of use!

Why can’t I view the video in the resolution or format that I uploaded?

ClipShack converts all the video to Flash so that we can store it and move it around really easily. When we have the paid accounts you can upload and store your video in other formats, and designate how you want it viewed. But we’re not there quite yet!

My Account

What do I do if I forget my password?

You click on the “Forgot your Password?” button on the log-in page and an email gets sent to the email address in you profile.

What about if I want to change my password?

You go to the My Profile page and change it!

How do I change my profile or screen name?

You go to the My Profile page and make whatever changes you like! We tried to keep it all pretty easy for you.

Help!

I am having problems with the site. How can I tell you?

We expected that, so please go to the Tell Us page and  . . . . well, tell us! You can log problems and join in a discussion regarding the site and features.

I can’t (log in, play a clip, see a storyboard, hear the audio, see a thumbnail). How can I tell you?

Technical difficulties, eh? Drop us a line at help@clipshack.com and we will get back to you asap. There are an endless number of video codecs (the encoding and decoding technology related to video) and audio codecs and frankly we sometimes run into combinations that are new to us. Not often, but it does happen. We’ll do everything we can to make it all work seamlessly for you. Just let us know when you need some assistance.

I think there is some content that is inappropriate or pornographic. How can I tell you?

You can click the check box that is next to every public video to indicate that there might be a problem. That helps us find abusers faster. We DO monitor the site and we appreciate your help in keeping it a community for everyone. You can also go to the Tell Us page and email us directly.

What should I do if I see something that is clearly protected by copyright laws?

You can click the check box that is next to every public video to indicate that there might be a problem, or send us email if you have specific concerns.

How can I talk to a real person?

ClipShack is only run by real people. Really tired real people. SO, if you send an email to help@clipshack.com we will really get back to you with a real answer. As soon as we can.