Only a few short months ago, the instructional Web video site SuTree was still in beta; at the time, it hosted over 5,300 videos on topics ranging from rolling sushi to learning to knit. A lot has happened at SuTree since we last reviewed it. The service has come out of beta, beefed up its catalog to almost 12,000 videos, added hundreds of instructional video sources, signed up over 1,500 members to make videos for the service, added some social networking to the mix so members can interact, and overhauled the site to make searching for videos easier.
SuTree has come a long way in the past few months. The video catalog has exploded to nearly 12,000 videos from 260 sources in categories from computers, electronics, fashion and personal care, gaming, home and garden, and arts and crafts. If you need to know how to tie a Windsor knot, you can find a video that will show you. If you're looking for information on laser eye surgery, there's a video at SuTree that explains how it's done. You can find videos on dozens of topics at SuTree; some are instructional and will show you how to make something, others are informational and will teach you about something.
The sheer number of videos available at SuTree is the service's greatest strength. The videos are pulled from over 260 sources, including such sites as YouTube, Revver, YouDo, and VideoJug. SuTree's new Brain Games section adds to the educational mission by embedding Flash games--Block N' Roll and Wordo are two of them. SuTree members can add games and videos to their Favorites list to review later, rank them, comment on them, and share them with friends and other SuTree members.
The SuTree community has also grown since the service was in beta. SuTree members can re-post videos they've published on other video sites, and SuTree's staff and community work together to make sure that the videos posted on the site are informative and helpful, and are in the right categories. There are some mismatches, though--I found a video called "Preparing Chanukah Foods" in the Islam category--but with SuTree's video catalog getting larger and larger, the staff has more to sift through.
SuTree has tools for bloggers and video fans available for download. A handful of SuTree widgets can be added to personal blogs or Web sites; they list some of the most popular videos and allow users to search the SuTree catalog. And SuTree fans can download the SuTree toolbar and search for videos any time, from any site.
SuTree is a refreshing reminder that not all Web video sites are created equal. SuTree's mission to keep it informative, interesting, and fun sets it apart from the rest. The service has gotten a lot of attention lately, partially due to its new look and expanded catalog. And SuTree certainly lives up to the hype: If you're looking for a how-to of any type, you'll want to check here first.
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