March 29, 2007

Scribd: The YouTube of Documents?

By Jason Sattler

Document Sharing Site Poised to Keep Your Printer Busy

Ever since YouTube sold to Google for $1.6 billion, every Web 2.0 entrepreneur dreams of becoming the next YouTube. In my opinion, only one site merits that title — Scribd.

Scribd could do for documents what YouTube did for online videos — namely making them extremely easy and fun to share.

So, why would anyone want to share their writing through Scribd instead of just publishing it on their own blog? Three reasons:

First, even though setting up your own blog is relatively easy, it still requires some technical knowledge — plus you may not have time to write regularly.

Second, even if you do have your own blog, chances are Scribd has a larger audience than you do. Thus, using Scribd can expose your best content to a large audience, and perhaps increase traffic to your blog.

Third, the many innovations built into Scribd's architecture eclipse even the best blog software. Read on to learn about these innovations.

Scridb automatically converts every uploaded document into three formats that you can download and print — PDF, Word, and plain text. Plus, it also converts every document into an MP3 file for those of you who prefer listening to reading. Still not good enough for you? It also creates a Flash version that behaves like paper in your Web browser. It all works seamlessly.

Scribd, like YouTube, depends on its users for content. With the large amount of public domain works available online and the growing legions of citizen authors, Scridb could become a priceless educational and knowledge-sharing tool. Currently, the focus veers towards the humorous and polemical. For example, Pompous MIT Admissions Letter With Awesome Response. However, one enterprising user named Wally is busy uploading technical manuals, including many for HP printers. While it's unclear if he has permission from HP to do so, it's a good idea — especially for older printers no longer supported.

My gut tells me that the days when you can go to Scribd to find a vast library of easy-to-print documents pertaining to practically any subject may not be too far off. Better stock up on paper and toner!

About Databazaar Blog
Virtually everyone who uses a computer uses a printer. But computers get all the glory. So we launched this blog to give printers their due. We hope you find our coverage enjoyable and useful, and encourage you to subscribe and participate.