There are a lot of people who don’t know what Vimeo is or know but have never used it before. I spent the weekend getting reacquainted with the website because, just like a lot of internet users, I primarily use Youtube. So aren’t they just the same thing? A website that hosts video. Well the answer to that is a little more nuanced.

Vimeo is more about quality then quantity. In fact, when I was working on my cinematography degree in 2010, it was the only website used by the professors. Why is that? The nuts and bolts of the website may be the similar, but the design of Vimeo is closer to independent films then memes.

Vimeo is not as popular because of the way both websites broke into the market. Youtube was originally designed to get money for the content creators but lately have been pulling farther and farther away from that platform by making views worth less each year and demonetizing videos with a large brush.

Vimeo didn’t start out with advertisements in the same way Youtube did but they did still have to pay for servers. That means that while you can technically have a free channel, that channel also has a size limit or 500 MB per week. If someone wants to upload more each week then they can pay for higher tiers of service. This makes it less desirable for someone that is trying to build an audience and more desirable instead to people who already have an audience but need somewhere to put their creations. That’s why an audience will find thoughtful independent films, animations, or Kickstarter advertisements instead of 8 hours of “Toss a Coin to Your Witcher” (Sorry that song is now stuck in my head!).

So it is a good site and extremely good quality. Uploading has never been a problem for me. I would only upload highlight films, or sometimes the entire film, once a week at most so the limits never hurt me personally. I used it primarily for my videography business. However, I had so many couples request something they could share on Youtube instead so I moved back over in 2015. Now I am slowly moving my channel back to Vimeo because it is, in my opinion, a much better platform for businesses. The design is undeniably more professional and you do not need to worry about a clickbait thumbnail distracting from your content. I also do not want to have to worry that whatever advertisement plays in front of my wedding video highlight will upset the bride’s grandparents when they show them their video.

The downside is that Youtube does have a wider chance of someone finding your video randomly and building an audience. There is more access to website video editing tools (and Youtube has a library of background music that anyone can use for free). However, the quality of the website for a professional venture is always going to be with Vimeo.

Technology is always changing and constantly updating. It is both a requirement to understand technology in our modern world, and a very special kind of knowledge that eludes most people. Everyone knows they need a high speed laptop or wants the best phone for their budget, but not everyone knows where to go to get that information from a reliable source. Digital Trends is the website that takes all the information about technology and condenses it into easy to understand articles and videos from experts.

Technology News

The news featured on the front page is recent, an impressive feat with the constantly changing tech industry. It features information that is expected on such a site, such as new updates about new versions of phones, internet news, and AI, but it also has information regarding pop culture like movie trailers. Bookmarking this website will allow you to stay on the pulse of all the newest technological innovations.

Product Reviews & Buying Guides

The most important and, in my opinion, useful piece of information on this website are the product reviews and buying guides. Most consumers do not have the time, energy, or funds to devote into comparing all the different options out there for various technology. This website does all that work for you and summarize the information in a concise and easy to understand review.

The best part about the product reviews are the honest pros and cons that are listed right at the top of the article. This Lenovo ThinkPad review honestly explains that the laptop has great 4K display and great audio, but runs like a last-gen computer and has poor battery life. Because you already know what the downsides of the product is before you get into the review it helps you know that the reviewers are already being objective. Most products have a few downsides and if the writers are actually writing about what those cons are, then it gives the readers a chance to recognize if that is a deal breaker for them.

The transparency that the website gives the consumers about the various tech products out there is an invaluable resource. It is more in depth then a typical Amazon review because it gives the audience a chance to assess whether that is an issue for their needs. For example, if someone isn’t planning on traveling often with their laptop and know they will always be close to an electrical outlet, then the poor battery quality of the Lenovo review above may not bother them nearly as much as a business person always traveling.

The Cons of Digital Trends

Just like how Digital Trends gives honest reviews, including cons of their products, I have to give the downsides of the website as well.

1. They have to make money somehow, so they went with ads but don’t implement them in the best way. Advertisements take up half the screen at times, which is down right distracting. If someone doesn’t have Adblocker they might have trouble discerning what is an actual review and what is an advertisement.
2. The website leads the front page with news, when I personally feel like the reviews and product guides are their strongest feature. Instead, newcomers to the website are greeted with news articles that seem more like click-bait then when you dive deeper into the website.

Conclusion

Ultimately, I believe that the website Digital Trends, is a positive place to gather a variety of tech related information. Whether you are looking for news about the new iPhone, or a comparison of different game consoles, this is the website for you. If you are okay with intrusive advertisements (which have become a staple of the internet in this decade) then the ads on Digital Trends also shouldn’t bother you.

As for me, I am planning on using this website to compare different laptops because I am actually in the market for one. Knowledge is power and I am planning to have as much power as possible before making such a large purchase.

This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.

You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.

Why do this?

• Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog?
• Because it will help you focus you own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.

The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.

To help you get started, here are a few questions:

• Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal?
• What topics do you think you’ll write about?
• Who would you love to connect with via your blog?
• If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?

You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.

Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.

When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others who care about your topics find you in the Reader. Make sure one of the tags is “zerotohero,” so other new bloggers can find you, too.