Enterprise Nation

It was a laugh-out-loud moment (or - since we're in the Technology channel I feel comfortable saying this - a LOL moment), when I read the headline of weblog, TechCrunch last week: "Create your own YouTube," it read. "Pray you can make money."

The article announced the launch of StartYourTube.com, a service that allows you to set up your own branded video sharing website using its web-based tools. And its headline referred to the service's overly-optimistic hook: "YouTube sold for $1.6 billion. How much will you sell yours for?"

StartYourTube does exactly what it says on the tin (or on the Tube rather) - you visit its website, create your own 'tube', customise it with your own colours and graphics and invite friends to join and start sharing video content. You can even mask your Tube to your domain, so visitors can get to it from your website, e.g. www.myhomebusiness.com/tube. But StartYourTube hosts the videos on your behalf, so you don't have to worry about bandwith.

Finished Tubes look and feel just like YouTube, with video lists based on most recent, most viewed and featured videos. Your members can even vote and comment on content, which can also include photos, audio files and blogs.

What's interesting, especially to the entrepreneurial home business owner, is that publishers - owners of the Tubes - get to keep 100% of their ad revenues. Of the 11,000 that have already been set up it's the niche Tubes that are making money - snowboarding and anime sites, for example.

So, if your home business caters to a niche market you might want to consider setting up your own Tube, allowing your customers and potential customers to interact and share their passion and in turn grow your home business.

It's free, by the way, so you should check it out! Find out more on the link below. – San Sharma

• Yourtube

San Sharma is a creative thinker, blogger and designer, as well as a writer on popular culture, technology and business.

• www.sansharma.com