An Interview with GooTube.net founder: Roldan Aquino

20. Mar, 2007 Categories: Interviews by Justin Smith 0 Comments

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Well… unfortunately, Inman news beat me to the punch, by just a few days!!! But I’m still going to post this. It’s an interview with Roldan (Dan) Aquino, the founder of GooTube.net, a fairly new mashup combining real estate video with google maps.

Here it is…


When did you found GooTube.net?

I started GooTube last August 2006 as a mashup of Google Map and YouTube videos, hence the name GooTube. It has since evolved into a video-sharing site where members can directly upload videos via the VideoEgg platform.


What are you trying to accomplish through the services of GooTube?:

 

My goal is to make GooTube an easy to use site for realtors and small business owners where they can showcase their videos and self-made commercials online. A lot of real estate agents and developers are starting to leverage the Internet to have their services and Inventory closer to the masses and GooTube can be a valuable tool for them. I want GooTube to be the home for Local Ads and videos that never took off on cable.

I notice that many of the videos are from the Real Estate Home Show Website. How did this relationship with REHS come about?

 

I found REHS on Youtube while I was searching for videos related to real estate. I sent an invitation to the provider to post videos on Gootube and I got a positive response, hence the presence of their videos on the site. GooTube takes pride in being used as a real estate promotions platform by the Real Estate Home show. I am thankful to REHS for providing the site with video content.

When you first launched, weren’t you using Youtube for your videos? I notice that you’ve switched to Videoegg.com Why the switch?

I’ve switched to VideoEgg to comply with YouTube’s demand to cease and desist from using YouTube’s video for commercial purposes. Legal representatives of Youtube sent a letter stating that YouTube’s Terms of Use prohibits usage of YouTube’s service for non-personal, commercial purposes. I have asked for permission when I started the mashup last year. Much as I disagreed to their claims, I complied to avoid any problems. I’m glad I found VideoEgg. It is a great tool because it allows users to upload videos from different devices.

Where is GooTube headed? Are you marketing to agents as a free place to post real estate videos?

Yes, I am marketing GooTube as a free place to post Real Estate videos. I am continuously developing GooTube with SEO in mind, leveraging on User-Generated Content. Users add relevant content to Gootube thereby optimizing the site’s visibility on Search Engines.

I am also planning to add community features and get widespread viewership. I am working on integrating Zillow’s API that will provide Real Estate data like historical sales and comparable homes soon.

It is a great idea. This is one of the better real estate mashups I’ve seen. Thank you for your time.

Thanks Justin for this opportunity. More Power to the Christian Real Estate Network

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