Can my Business Use Vimeo?
Posted on Jun 15, 2011 in Video | 0 comments
The Vimeo Business Use Controversy
Vimeo states on their home page (when you are not logged in) that Vimeo is not for commercial use. What exactly this does and does not allow is unclear, however.
A vimeo staffer apparently stated that videos by a business are ok, as long as they don’t seem like commercials:
Commercial videos are fine, as long as they’re not being used to *actively* sell or promote a product or service.
On the other hand, if you try to contact Vimeo support and select “Commercial use on Vimeo,” then you see a pretty stark statement. The page asks you to answer four questions, the first of which is “Am I a business?” Then you are told “If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you cannot use Vimeo. Period.”
Conclusion: Don’t Use Vimeo for Your Business
You could still try it and see if your account gets banned or not. Some businesses may actually be able to get away with it for some amount of time. However, even if some staffers think business videos (that don’t look like commercials) are ok, there are instances where small businesses have had trouble with Vimeo:
Granted, those examples are from several years ago. Some businesses do make Vimeo work, but is it really worth the hassle and the risk?
My recommendation and personal opinion is to not bother with Vimeo. If you do, make sure it is not your primary source; if you choose to cross-post to Vimeo, that’s one thing, but if that is the only location where your videos are, you may be surprised one day to find them gone.