Bam Video Vault
| Website | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Bam Vid Vault or BAM |
| Owner/Maintainer: | |
| Dates: | Feb 4, 2009-present |
| Type: | Video hosting service |
| Fandom: | Multi-fandom |
| URL: | http://bamvidvault.ning.com/ |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Bam Vid Vault is a site operated within ning.com that hosts video uploads of content made by users. It is a favourite of vidders since it allows for embeds of streaming versions of vids on blog posts as well as many other social networking features. It was created on Feb 4, 2009 by two Buffy/Dean vidders buffyadict3 and bamaniavids. After the free iMeem streaming website shuttered in 2009, thousands of vidders flocked to BAM to upload their vids in the face of YouTube's newly instituted Content ID matching system.
On April 15, 2010, Ning, the parent network of BAM decided to move to a paid user only format.[1] On April 18, 2010, Bam put up the following notice on their main page:
Ning has decided to do away with the free networks and switch all to premium. Justin and I won't be able to keep the site alive if a payment is involved, so sadly enough, BAM will be closed when Ning makes it's final switch. I hope you all can find some different video homes - and it's a shame to see this site go down in flames when we have made such an impact on the vidding community. I'm so incredibly sorry guys. - Sequoya.
Many members mourned the loss of the network. Other members protested the shutdown .By 2010, there were 14,000 members and almost 19,000 fanvids, many posted to Bam to avoid Youtube's Content ID system. The site owners felt that asking for donations would not be fair to the fans who had uploaded their vids expecting the service to be free. They also felt that hosting fanvids on a site that cost money to operate was "AGAINST THE LAW." Unlike many vidders who argue fanvids are fair use, he believed fanvids were copyright violations, so that any attempt to pay for the site hosting would be illegal. To some this argument made little sense because vidders pay for their own websites when they hosted their vids or pay for storage site for downloads. And most 'free' websites are commercial with ads. VidderKidder, owner of Vidders Net, another Ning network, disagreed and asked that the site owners allow the members to vote on whether to offer donations, or absent that, transfer ownership of the network to other fans willing to keep it alive.
What followed was an acrimonious battle between the site owners and VidderKidder, which grew after VidderKidder posted an impassioned plea in video format on YouTube asking that fans sign a petition for the right to donate to keep the network alive. The network owners demanded that the video and petition be removed because the site was theirs and anyone paying for the cost of running the site would be breaking the law. Any further discussion would be a sign of disrespect. Below are screen caps of the YouTube video comments from various participants during that time.
BAM network owner buffyadict3's initial comments left at VidderKidder's Youtube demanding his video and petition be removed.
Screencap of BAM owner Comments at VidderKidder's Youtube video
VidderKidder's response asking why the site owners would not allow the users to decide BAM's fate
Other users weighed asking who would step in if the BAM site owner's were no longer willing to host. Vidderkidder again asked that members be allowed to vote whether they'd be willing to pay to host their vids. If no one stepped forward to manage the site, then at least they would have had input
Users seem to skip past the possibility that, if the membership voted to pay for hosting, ownership could be transferred to other fans which would mean that the original owners would have no financial or legal responsibility
Other BAM members called VidderKidder an 'idiot' and a 'troll' and agreed with the site owners that requests to allow member input was a 'personal attack' on the site founders
Some BAM members supported the idea of setting up a PayPal to see if there was enough support for the site but felt that the owners were too stubborn and proud to take input. "Go ahead and kill your baby."
In the end, VidderKidder, buffyadict3 and bamaniavids came to an agreement. They allowed VidderKidder to take over the legal and financial liability for BAM. He was able to raise the $500 fee from donations and on July 20, 2010, Vidders.net and BAM merged.[2]
References
- ^ "No More Free Ning Networks". Archived from the original on 2021-04-15. Retrieved May 3, 2010.
- ^ http://vidders.net/forum/topics/bam-and-viddersnet-merge