After a recent flurry of posts either sent to the Siftoff or simply discarded, and the comments that I've read from the submitters of those videos, I realized something.



Despite sounding obvious to old-timers - those people who seem to stay up all night sifting, months on end - many new users don't understand what the term "self-link" means.



So I'm going to clarify that right now.



A self-link is any video that where:


1. you posted it to Google Video, You Tube, or any one of our other hosts,


2. you were operating the video camera,


3. you were involved in editing/compiling the footage,


4. you acted or performed in the video,


5. anything else happened which, in spirit, means that you're the creator of the content.



In a nutshell, "to self-link" means to post a video which is in some way 'yours'.



And "You" refers to both yourself and the person you share your videosift account with, in the case of couples or groups who sift together. Yes, I know of at least two such accounts.



I hope this clears things up - this'll probably end up migrating to the official posting guidelines document, but until then you can refer to this posting and treat it as a fair interpretation of Videosift rules.



I think that covers everything but if I missed anything I'm sure another wonderful Sifter will share points of clarification in the comments linked to this post. And as always, you're also welcome to ask questions if you need to clarify anything



As a an additional reminder, this is directed mainly at new visitors strolling in, you are also not allowed to create multiple accounts - only one account per person is allowed. This rule is strictly enforced for what I hope are obvious reasons.
<h4>Why have this rule in the first place?</h4>
In case you're wondering why we have these rules, they're to avoid self-promotion. If someone else likes your vid, then they post it. It's like a "first round" of sifting before we even get to the actual voting process.



By posting your own content, you're essentially skipping that step, since it stands to reason that you'll enjoy your own creation. It's also a control against deliberate viral marketing or astroturfing, which the community generally does not support.



Finally, don't forget that the Siftoff is running and you're more than welcome to enter your submission there.



Thanks for coming to videosift and enjoy your stay. As per the posting guidelines, if the Siftoff is not running, contact the admins and let them know about your video.