Metacafe is a privately held US company. Launched in 2003, it is an online video site with offices in California, Tel Aviv and New York. It is purely an entertainment site and not sharing or hosting site. They focus plainly on short form entertainment. Surfers can download ringtones, games and sound clips from this site. 

Features

On an average, the videos are normally 90 seconds long. The site does not have any personal videos, no news stories but they are purely entertaining videos which people can laugh at and feel entertained. These are user generated videos.

By clicking on the tab Studio, creators of the video can get all the information they require. The today tab will list all the videos which have been submitted that day.

Channels are personal pages of users. Using the channels tab, you can view all the registered user’s channels and even contact them. The channel allows other users to see your favorite and submitted videos. Reviewers are the first people to see any content on the site. They decide if the content is suitable for viewing by a large number of audiences or should it be filtered before going any further. Users can be a part of Metacafe reviewer committee.

Wikicafe is a feature which allows the community to edit videos in terms of tags, titles etc which allows better search results. There are community auditions, community rankings and community rewards given.

Metacafe producer rewards program awards video creators for their high-quality and creative work. There are some pre-requisites which have to be met before the video is considered eligible for this program. Some of these conditions can be that the video must be in English; it should not show any cruelty on animals, children; can be watched by 13 years and above children with no violent and erotic content and more such conditions. For the eligibility, the videos have to be 20 second long but not more than 8 minutes.

Metacafe studio gives all production tips and resources which video creators need. It gives advises on many topics like lighting, sound, editing, tools for special effects and much more.

They have a desktop application also with which surfers can download entertaining videos. Recently, Metacafe launched its music channel which features artists in all genres of music like pop, rock, hip-hop, country music, R&B, classics. Now the users can share and comments on their favorite music videos.

Tips and tricks

You must set the family filter after registering. By default, family filter is in an ON mode thus limits the content which can be viewed by everyone. Turning the filter OFF would mean items shown would be for adult audiences. Illegal, abusive, pornographic material is banned from the site. After each submission, a video footprint search is conducted to find and pick out any repeated or duplicated videos. After clearing this search, the video is posted on the site.

Newbie friendly rating

Language on their site is quite witty and not the boring with done-to-death kind of FAQ’s. This site gets the newbie rating of 9 out of 10.

Veoh.com is an internet TV service where users can watch and personalize the contents. It is based in San Diego and Los Angeles in United States. The company was founded by Ashton Lucy in 2003 but officially launched on 2007. It offers a large range of television content than YouTube, a rival, and here users can watch a thirty minute show. Big media companies are its major investors. From CBS, ESPN, NBC, Fox and MTV networks to YouTube and hulu clips, Veoh gives a free access to its viewers. Veoh has an audience of millions of people across many countries. Though recently Veoh blocked out many countries citing the reason that there were not many viewers there and they want to focus more on existing markets.

Features

Unlike other such sites, veoh shows the content in the original format and not the lower quality version.

Veoh Web Player beta is a free software application which facilitates viewers to watch videos. The users can browse through the Veoh and they can select videos, download them on their computer and then watch it later also. You can mark videos in your Favorites list and Veoh TV has your list of favorites. Veoh channels

Users have two viewing options available to them at Veoh.com. Either they can watch it on their Television by connecting the PC to the TV; or by Veoh TV Beta they can watch it on the website.

Veoh gives you the language and subtitle choice before you download the content. The content is again categorized into broad groups like news, music, and entertainment and so on.

Veoh recommendation system studies user behavior, and based on what viewers watch, rate and download, the system learns what their preferences are and shows up more such videos. Veoh is a good platform for publishers where they can upload videos for distribution on Veoh. Video is available on veoh.com. Publisher can customize the appearance, organize it into episodes and connect with a million of viewers. Veoh channels are just like TV channels but these channels are available to US audience only.

Veoh forum is a platform where the Veoh community can share and connect with each other. Users can also give their feedbacks about specific products and features.

Tips and tricks               

Veoh TV Beta is free software that allows you download videos at Veoh and other such video web sites. File quality will be compromised if you choose other methods of downloading. Veoh has set no limit on the size and resolution of the video that one can post. While naming the title of your video, if you are a publisher, think of an appealing name, one which can attract people. You should rate the content of your video and Veoh should know certain specifics about the video like whether it contains any objectionable scenes, violence. Do read there terms before posting and be careful about what kind of content is not allowed on their site.

Newbie friendly rating

Veoh has personalized the TV viewing experience and has given access to great content and user generated videos which are present on web. You just need a broadband connection. Veoh.com gets a newbie rating of 9.

Brazzersnetwork.com is a subscription porn site that offers users 22 porn sites for one membership price. It offers nearly 2,000 scenes from various porn movies. The site provides members with exclusive content not found anywhere else on the Internet. Memberships are typically $24.95 a month but are currently being offered for about $7.95. For a year, the site costs just under $90. The site claims to be the most frequently updated porn site in the world.

Features

The site is filled with links to various movie scenes. With a subscription, the user has access to all the scenes. If you are just browsing, you’ll get a picture gallery of the scene instead. Each thumbnail can be enlarged to a half-page shot with a click.

Once you’re a member, you can access each of the 22 affiliate sites, including MILFs like it Big, Real Wife Stories, Big Tits at School and SexPro Adventures.

If you don’t join, Brazzersnetwork is not going to offer you very much. Without a membership, the site is basically an advertisement for dozens of movie clips. You can surf through some pictures, but if you’re looking for full-on porn content, you won’t find any without breaking out your wallet.

Tips & Tricks

If you’re looking for amateur content, Brazzersnetwork is not for you. The site is 100 percent pornographic movie stars. You’ll get a full dose of surgically enhanced women and generously endowed men. Judging from the pictures of the movie clips, the site features the heavyweights of the porn world. If that type of porn is for you, you’ll probably find the membership price a bargain and the site a great find. The site seems to provide quality content which is exclusive to their site, and most buyers will probably find the subscription a worthwhile purchase.

At the very bottom of the homepage, you’ll find a “contact us” link that takes you to a page where you can call or email the webmasters with any questions you might have. News users considering a purchase might want to try that before making their transaction.  

Newbie Friendly Rating

Navigation capability on Brazzersnetwork.com is relatively easy. Unfortunately, there’s not much you can do with the site without paying at least $8. For that reason, it’s difficult to say the site is Newbie Friendly. We give Brazzersnetwrok.com a Newbie Friendly Rating of 4.

Wowhead.com is a site dedicated to enhancing the gaming experience of the popular game, World of Warcraft. The site provides players with various tools, such as gaming patches. Wowhead.com is optimized for the Firefox browser, but worked fine for us with Internet Explorer. The basic contents of site, all linked at the top of the homepage, are database, tools, forums and blogs. Wowhead.com is an easy site to navigate and finding the specific gaming information you’re seeking is elementary.

Features

The most prominent feature of Wowhead.com is the database index. Its link is located at the top left side of the homepage. From there, you can access links to various parts of World of Warcraft such as quests, spells, pets, objects, zones and factions.

The forums are huge, with dozens of individual forums discussing Warcraft and the gaming industry in general. A simple registration process gives the user full access to the forums where they can give and receive feedback from other gamers.

The database of maps provides hundreds of World of Warcraft screenshots of maps throughout the game’s many kingdoms. The link is found under the tools section of the navigation bar.

Tips & Tricks

The homepage has a search bar located right in the middle of the page. The search is exceptionally quick and is the easiest way to find exactly which World of Warcraft application you’re looking for.

Under the “more” tab, you can find the contests section, where users square off in games of Warcraft prowess. This appears to be one of the more popular features of the site.

The item comparison is an interesting feature that compares various components of the World of Warcraft game. It’s located under the “tools” tab on the homepage.

Newbie Friendly Rating

Wowhead is an easy site to use. The homepage is plain, with links to the site’s primary features prominently displayed in the center of the page. One click takes you to many of the site’s fun features.  Overall, we give Wowhead.com a Newbie Friendly Rating of 8.

Pichunter.com is a free porn site packed with explicit photos and short movies from all the popular pornographic genres. The site is especially simple to use. Once you load the homepage, hundreds of pictures are a click away. The site is well-organized and the new user will find navigation self-explanatory.

Features

Pichunter.com is organized by category. Along the left side of the homepage, the site has an alphabetized listing of the various categories of porn, from housewives to younger models to celebrity shots and fetishes.

The picture and movie quality is very good. Some of the pictures load on your monitor a little smaller that a typical porn site, but overall this is a small issue.

One drawback is that clicking on a picture brings up and entirely new page, making download times somewhat slow. Surfing through the site is hindered a bit by this, but the volume of material more that makes up for this shortcoming.

Once you select a category, the center of the page fills with preview boxes for each group of pictures or movies. The box indicates “vids” in the preview for a collection of videos. Otherwise, the collection contains pictures. Most collections range from ten to twenty-four pictures each.

Pichunter also contains an extensive community forum, a feature not commonly found on most porn sites. The forum is located just under the community tab on the top of the homepage. It contains another vast collection of pictures and videos submitted directly to the site by users. This material is completely uncut and some of the best content on the site. You will have to complete a simple registration process before using the forums as the attached pictures there cannot be accessed unless you log into the site.

Tips & Tricks

If you’re looking for a specific model, take a look at the model index tab at the top left of the homepage. The listings contain hundreds of popular pornographic models from across the world of porn.

Be sure to check out the “extras” section on the navigation bar on the homepage. You can find various bonus features, including some live webcams.

Newbie Friendly Rating

Pichunter.com is an exceedingly friendly site to use. It’s easy to understand and the new user can find a wealth of pornography within minutes. We give Pichunter.com a Newbie Friendly Rating of 9.

Gametrailers.com is an online gaming site operated by the Spike Entertainment Group, the creators of Spike TV and a subsidiary of MTV. It claims to be the leading internet broadcaster of video games and provides users with instant access to high resolution internet gaming.

The site is packed with information but is well organized and fairly easy to use. A simple registration process allows you to interact with other games and rate various gaming platforms.

Features

A navigation bar at the top of the homepage allows gamers to select which type of game they play – be it Nintendo, Playstation 2, Playstation 3 or PC. This is the easiest way to hone in on what you want as the homepage is overloaded with information and links.

Another easier way to use the site is to take advantage of the site’s search function. Gametrailers.com is packed with games and a quick search is one of the most effective ways to locate the game you want.

Download speeds are quick and the video and sound quality of the games is quite good. The easiest way to browse games is to use the “games” tab to the right of the search box. That brings up an easy to use blue checkbox where the user simply checks the gaming platforms and types of games they wish to look at. This particular feature is a welcome departure from the clutter scattered throughout most of the site.

Tips & Tricks

A box at the far right of the homepage contains quick links to the user forums and the latest gaming news. It’s a veritable smorgasbord of information and the beginner will want to make use of it.   

Newbie Friendly Rating

Gametrailers.com is not the easiest site to use, especially for a beginner. The site’s pages are packed with different sections and links to the point of being overloaded. The homepage is beyond distracting and simply chaotic. Thankfully, the search function is centrally-located and simple to use. It’s the saving grace, because otherwise the Newbie could become lost in a maze of colors and characters. We give Gametrailers.com a Newbie Friendly Rating of 4.

Pornotube.com is a video database of short pornographic videos. Gay and straight content is featured on the site and the interface is very user-friendly. The video and sound quality is good and the download times are exceptionally fast. The library of material at Pornotube is vast – if you have a particular genre of porn you’re seeking, you’ll probably find it at Pornotube.

As with most adult sites, the user must first verify their age and then select which general type of porn they’d like to view – gay, straight or all. Both processes are easy and you will be watching videos within a minute.

Features

The site has about everything you can imagine from the adult world. A search bar at the top of the homepage will bring up hundreds of videos within seconds. The site is loaded with content and it’s practically guaranteed you’ll find a video that matches what you’re looking for. The videos download fast and are of good, if not excellent, quality. The videos are typically short – usually between two and six minutes long. They get right to the action – if you’re looking for plot, head to your local video store. Pornotube’s videos get right to the sex acts from the beginning of the videos.

Pornotube also features a full line of sex toys. The link is located at the top of the homepage. The store contains toys from bondage tools, plugs and rings to oils and lubricants.

Adventurous users are able to upload their own adult content to the site as well. Before doing so, you’ll have to complete a simple registration process. Once you’ve registered, you can post content as well as rate all the content on the site and provide user feedback.

Tips & Tricks

The search bar at the top of the homepage is the quickest and easiest way to find the porn you’re looking for.

Porn-surfing parents may want to download the parent control toolbar located at the very bottom right of the homepage. The download will allow the adults in the house to lock the children out of sites like Pornotube.

Newbie Friendly Rating

Pornotube.com is a very easy site to use. Consider it an adult counterpart to video sites like YouTube. Dozens of video boxes on the homepage might intimidate the newbie at first, but it’s a feature you’ll quickly get used to. Overall, this is a fantastic site for the Newbie adult user. We give Pornotube.com a Newbie Friendly Rating of 9.

Real.com is the home of Real Player, one of the most popular multimedia players on the Web. Like the video and music player, the website is professionally designed and easy to operate. Real.com features links to movies, music, games as well as the latest free downloads for the Real Player.

Though much of the content on the site is free to use, the site vigorously promotes Super Pass, a subscription feature that provides access to games, movies and other multimedia. Additionally, the Rhapsody, a music application, is another subscription product featured on the homepage.

Features

The site features a wealth of multimedia options. First and foremost, you can check out the Real Player updates and make sure your PC is running the most recent Real Player. The download is free and finishes quickly.

Kids and the young-at-heart will want to click on the gaming software, Real Arcade, at the bottom right of the homepage. The download is free and a promotional offer gets you two free games as well. After that, a subscription is required to continue playing.

Unfortunately, there isn’t much – other than the player download – that’s free on Real.com. It’s basically a catalogue for the products they offer. If you’re looking for good multimedia it’s great, otherwise it’s a fairly boring site.

Tips & Tricks

The Rhapsody MP3 store is a must for any IPod fanatic. Download rates are reasonable and the sound quality is what you’d expect from Real – excellent.

If you aren’t really fond of the Real.com homepage – and we weren’t – check out the link to Real Guide at the top left of the page. This takes you to a second version of Real.com which is more appealing and contains the same features.

A must-see is the Real Networks Blog. The link to the blogs is at the top right of the homepage. The blogs highlight all the latest happenings at Real and excellent tips for enjoying your experiences with their products.

Newbie Friendly Rating

The site is easy to use, so it fits the primary criterion for being “Newbie Friendly.” What we didn’t enjoy was the sales pitch feel of the site. Next to nothing is given away at Real.com. Promotional trials of all the featured products are offered, but unless you have money on hand you want to spent, you won’t have much fun at Real.com. We’d give Real.com a Newbie Friendly Rating of 5.

MTV.com is a music fan’s paradise. The site contains loads of music news, videos, artist profiles, games, community forums and MP3 downloads. If it has happened in the rock world, you’ll find it at MTV.com. The site is a companion of the popular television station bearing the same name and also features full length episodes of some of the popular shows on the station.

Features

The site overloads the senses a bit as it is filled with information. The homepage is huge from top to bottom with links to the various components of the site. The top of the page has a quick links bar where you can go directly to videos, games or downloads. Videos play in MTV’s own media player, a nicely organized apparatus that is easy to use. As you might expect from an industry leader, the video quality is very good and the sound quality is downright spectacular. It truly is an enjoyable experience watching and listening to music on MTV.com.

The news section contains all the latest stories and gossip from around the music world. Users can even link directly to individual reporters to take a look at all their stories. Longtime MTV reporter Kurt Loder has a movie review column, located under the movies tab on the top of the homepage.

Another interesting feature is the music blogs. Users can access them from the drop-down menu under music at the navigation bar on the homepage. The Buzzworthy blog is loaded with pictures and interviews of rock stars as well as all the latest gossip.

Tips & Tricks

If you’re looking for a particular artist, use the alphabetized directory at the top left of the homepage. It can make finding exactly what you’re looking for much easier than sorting through the vast sea of information on the front page.

Check out the MTV online radio, located in the music tab on the homepage. Again, the sound quality is fantastic and the station is a great source of entertainment while you’re working at your desk.

Newbie Friendly Rating

As we mentioned, the site can be a bit congested. Additionally, each link takes the user to a new window which can be time-consuming. Pages load a bit slow at times as well. The redeeming qualities are the sheer magnitude of music information and the outstanding quality of the site’s multimedia. We recommend that the new user navigate the site by way of the task bar on the homepage and the artist directory at the top right. If you keep things simple, you’ll enjoy your stay at MTV.com. We give MTV.com a Newbie Friendly Rating of 6.