Video is the communication, marketing, and information distribution portal of today- you thought I was going to say the future didn’t you? The fact is that video is here now and every day the technology evolves and becomes more mainstream, are you ready for it? There was a time when cell phones were the new fangled gadgets, and now even your kids have them. The same will be true for video and live streaming services.

Here's a listof the top video hosting sites:

Video that is FREE

YouTube - These are the famous people- the kings of video content. Who made them king? You did (and millions of others). Post there and you're a part of something familiar. So- what's not to like? I don't like that YouTube splashes their logo on your videos. YouTube is a great supplementary marketing source for your business it's a bit of a circus so it can be easy to get lost in shuffle. They're big for a reason and the name of the game is title, content, and tags. The service is easy and free.

Daily Motion - France’s provider of online video content from both user-generated and media partnership sources. Basically this site is a much much smaller version of Youtube, like Youtubes 2nd cousin, but the cool thing about it is no company stamp and the video wall. Videowalls let you display a group of videos on your site with a slick interface. You can display up to 81 videos in a Videowall. The videowall has so many applications for blogs, social sites, websites, etc. you can use the wall to display marketing and advertising videos, company profiles, or just fun stuff. The wall is small like most widgets (but it can get rather large, up to 81 videos- wow) which means it can be displayed in a prominent location on your site, so people do not have search around to find your video content.

Vimeo - Free like YouTube but... have you seen YouTube videos on a full screen? Yikes. Sometimes it's a case of original quality. Upload a cell phone video and it's not going to look like a masterpiece... but with most services you're going to have a quality issue. Not with vimeo... they're the first to offer High Definition video streaming. Standard video (320 x 240) will never compete with 1280 x 720 resolution. (Math nerds... this is video that's a dozen times better than other sites.)

Shwup - This is a very simple picture and video sharing service. You can create albums for private viewing or send files by email.  Want to make a music video out of your pictures? You can do that here too... and it's easy. You'll look like a graduate of the latest film program without much work on your part. Give it a try- I think you'll be quite surprised.

Blip.tv -  Free hosting of your videos, RSS syndication built in (that's so you can share) and they'll let you make money on your content. Their your partner... you split the revenues 50/50. Welcome to the online television business.

Userplane - They're the new kids on the block, they're another free content platform. Upload as much as you want. Distribute your content easily. They'll even let you make money on the distribution. They also are keen on the social aspects of video allowing you to integrate a chat feature with the video. How's that for interactivity with your audience?

Kickapps - This is a video social network application. Rather than being a fish of any sized pond; with Kickapps- *you're* the pond. Do you have an affiliate of friends with whom you do business? Let each of have a separate channel on your network. Do you have different categories of content? Keep all related content in its own diverse zone. The possibilities are quite intriguing- this appears to be a way to grow your own scalable community.

Veoh - Wouldn't it be great is you could turn on the television and watch stuff that interests you? Veoh promises to be the video community that can read your mind. Tell Veoh what you like and, over time, it will deliver with increasing accuracy. That's a big promise. Are you up for the challenge? Create content of a specific nature and aficionados will be spoon fed a hearty diet of your yummy video treats.

Eyespot - Their system allows content providers, consumers and influence peddlers to converge. They do this by offering easy video creation software and a sharing platform. Post the video to your site or send it via email. Their videos work online, on your portable player and even on mobile phones. They're also keen on copyright protection- that's nice!

Eyejot - Sending video messages with Eyejot is as easy as sending email. There is no software to download or install. Just login to your account, record or upload your video, and send. The recipient gets a friendly email message telling them they have a new video message, and they can watch it with a single click. No registration required. This service is a nice starter service, messages are short and you can link videos to a webpage which is super cool, if you want customizable and longer durations with more server space there is a fee.

Qik.com - Qik enables you to stream live video directly from your cell phone. Just point your cell phone and stream video live to your your friends on Twitter, Facebook, Blogs, etc. OR use your cell phone like a camcorder and stream hours and hours of video without worrying about storage on your cell phone. This company is in their alpha release so registration is only through invitations. If you are interested, you can go to Qik.com and enter your phone number. They send you an SMS with a link to verify your request. Once you click the link from the SMS and confirm your request they will evaluate your request and get back to you.

Jingproject.com This is Camtasia’s free site which allows you to record screen captures, so you can show people how a computer or online task is done. Good starting off point, does not have all of the features of Camtasia but it will definitely get you on your way.

Now Video for a FEE (Free is nice but you get what you pay for and those options that cost give you benefits that you will not find from just one free service)

Helloworld.com it is a social networking site, that allows you to video chat with up to 4 people, embeded video email with ad banners, live stream (your own tv or webinar), podcast, video phone, and vlog. All your videos are stored on their servers so it doesn't take up any room on your hard drive. It also transcodes into just about any format with just a click and generates code to embed your video anywhere. You pay to be on this site $10 to $40 a month.

Firststream.com This is Helloworld's business site not free but will make you look like the corporate big boys at a fraction of the price.

Twistage - They promise to make video uploading and posting easy. Also they let you build your brand through custom themes. They aren't out to make your video a part of their service... instead your videos appear to be professional created by you on your site. It's as if you created your own station. It will look like you hired a crew and webhosting service.

 Ooyala - Their name means “cradle” in Telugu, (that's Southern Indian) and they are founded by some very smart programmers from Google ... heard of adsense? adwords? ... well they helped "invent that". They want your videos to show up when people search for things. In the old days (five minutes ago) your website or blog showed up when people searched for your keywords. Now... when you post videos that match certain keywords your videos could show up. They may be on to something.

Camtasia.com This is screen capture video software with picture in picture & power point capabilities...not free. High quality though and tons of add-on and editing features that you will not find elsewhere.

Visual Communicator This is video production software. You can do anything with this software, create backgrounds, insert clips, audio, virtual commentators, music, pictures. You can easily do virtual tours of properties with this software. It has a teleprompter to put a script on. Not free but really cool.

So now get out there put your cell phone, video camera, and/or webcam to use and draw in that new audience! This list will continue to evolve and we will keep you updated as best we can along the way.