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YouPublish.Com Offers Up a Content Marketplace

By Maria M. Diaz

May 13. 2008

Filed Under: collaboration dropio micro cms pod web publishing youpublish

Just a few weeks after private file sharing service drop.io was opened up to the public, another file sharing service, called YouPublish has been announced. Since we like file sharing and we like drop.io, we were interested to see what this new service had to offer and what makes it different from drop.io.

YouPublish as a Marketplace

Like drop.io, YouPublish.com users can upload their files via the web and when done, they will have a unique URL to access their files. But this is pretty much where the similarities end.

Whereas drop.io is solely intended as a way for people to access information remotely and share it with others (or not share it), YouPublish wants to create a marketplace for the content that is uploaded, one in which the publisher makes a 50% commission on their sales.

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They appear to be poised to become an easier, quicker “publish on demand” platform, similar to a “lite” version of POD provider, Lulu.com or as a competitor to Amazon’s BookSurge.

YouPublish as a Content Portal

YouPublish calls itself a “content portal”, where users can send a variety of files to the service and find content they are interested in. They also intend to become a social network. At the time of this writing, these features appear to be rather limited. Searching for other users at this time consists of getting a list of people by their sign up dates, with no ability to search by email, keywords or even the ability add others as friends. They promise to flesh out this feature in the coming weeks.

Terms of Service
Upon perusal of the TOS, YouPublish promises that the publishers of the content retain copyright but unlike drop.io, they don’t promise they won’t be snooping around on what you post to the service.

In their TOS they state that: “YouPublish reserves the right to decide what should be allowed on the site, to remove any document..”

Backed by the Publishing World

Interestingly enough, YouPublish doesn’t appear to be backed by Silicon Valley money but rather by some pretty big names in the publishing world: Mark Victor Hansen (co-creator of Chicken Soup for the Soul), Roice Krueger (co-founder of Franklin Covey), and James Skinner (described as a “best-selling author and business thinker in Asia”).

YouPublish appears to be the work of people who have a lot of expertise in traditional publishing and would like to get in on the digital content train. Currently, they are selling tickets to a “YouPublish University” where, for US$ 995 they promise individual guidance to potential publishers who want to use the service to sell their work on the site.

So, while YouPublish and drop.io appear to be very similar services, they’re not: if you’re looking for an easy way to distribute and make a buck or two off of your project, YouPublish would be an easy way to sell your work. Drop.Io is better suited for private file sharing between individuals who just need remote access to information.

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Comments

Thank you so much for sharing your astute observations about this new content portal. Well, it has been about a month since your post but the purported search options and social networking features have not been further developed. At least the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, compiled by one of the creators of this portal made it clear that the stories had a common theme.

I don't think it's a loss because I fail to see the real value of the portal, which appears to be building a collection of self-help articles that are in plentiful supply on many blogs by bloggers or content portals such as about.com headed by experts who devote themselves to it full time – completely free of charge to readers.

If I were a writer/content producer who is certain that I have a vault of useful articles to share with others, which could perhaps be compiled into a book or short video, what's stopping me from starting a blog for free, build a good portfolio that publishers can view and let the quality speak for itself? Who in their right minds would delude themselves into thinking that consumers (like you and me) would pay for information by a random person with no brand equity?

Here’s what scares me the most: Are the creators targeting a group of users who believe in free lunches? I would rather go to BigThink.com for a variety of views from all walks of life. Otherwise, there are lots of specialist sites that encourage feedback and discussion to articles posted by enthusiasts for pet grooming, skydiving, or whatever topic that is featured on the website.

Lastly, I'm uninspired by the 50% commission that will be credited to the creators of the portal – apparently the key revenue generator for the business in addition to the pricey publishing course being offered. It's going against the grain of the Internet e-volution, which helps improve peoples lives by sharing information freely (just think of Google and Facebook). I have a good mind to listen to how the creators sell this idea in person to see if it will refute or reinforce my view that such a site simply does not add any perceivable value in widening the author's readership, hence building brand equity or improving the quality of information that can be found on the Internet.

Posted by: Saul on June 17, 2008 6:21 AM