It’s no secret that video is an essential part of the social networking experience. While YouTube certainly set the early standard, other social networking websites have largely shifted away from YouTube embed codes in favor of their own branded video experiences. Their users are now sharing, syndicating, commenting.

Online video provides users a compelling way to share information and deepen engagement. When done correctly, this can be a valuable tool to for enhancing the social components of a network, which in turn reinforces a brand.

David Wadler, CEO and founder of online video solution platform Twistage, offers up 5 tips for social networking sites to successfully implement and maximize their online video offerings:

1) Make using online video effortless for users. The YouTube embed option is a nice complement, but cannot – and should not – replace allowing your users to publish their videos directly from your site. The easier it is for your users to add their videos, the more likely it is that they will do so. Allowing video publishing directly from your site has another benefit; those eyeballs that you risk losing when they click over to YouTube now remain on your site.

2) Offering video isn’t about size. All social networks, big and small, are getting bitten by the video bug. Twitter may only allow 140 characters and may be the simplest, shortest way to communicate via the internet, but even it has seen the value in video and other multimedia features (twiddeo, twitpic, etc.). Video is rapidly becoming an essential part of social networking from behemoths like Facebook and MySpace to niche communities like SoHorse. (And you can’t get much more niche than a community for French fans of equestrian!)

3) Offer the tools to share, interact and communicate. The key to any social network is that it is a community – a place to communicate rather than a place to post content without any interactivity. Consumers love to be engaged so allow them all the tools needed to actively comment, rate, favorite, reblog, repost and offer video responses. For example, BlackPlanet has successfully created a video community, integrating simple user upload and webcam capture and engaging users to comment, rate and share videos. The result: fully engaged users who actively communicate with one another and a higher level of user interactivity.

4) Give your users every opportunity to utilize video … and promote it. Sometimes a gentle nudge in the right direction is all something needs to get moving. Encourage users to take advantage of video options by making it clear that you offer them and advertising special promotions for users. KidzBop has built a robust network of young users in large part by creating video contests. Kids actively upload their videos, share it with their friends, vote on others’ videos, and share and participate in the promotion. These contests have been a critical part of the community’s growth and the incoming videos become part of an ever-growing content library available through the site.

5) Syndicate, syndicate, syndicate … and automate. Metcalfe’s law states that the value of a network is proportional to the square of the number of connected users of the system. With that in mind, allowing your users to push their content out to other social (ostensibly in your branded player) is a growth strategy that warrants serious consideration. Remember that the many active users of social networking tools don’t restrict themselves to just one service. One video upload can be pushed across myriad sites, engaging a broad swath of users while simultaneously exposing them to your brand.

Courtesy : David Wadler, CEO and Founder of Online Video Solution Platform Twistage.