Liz - Thanks.  I love this little tool.  I have used it to create mashup videos for use in connection with sales training.  I hope that the cautionary words made sense because no one likes to be on the end of a cease and desist letter claiming copyright infringement.

Debe - Thanks.  I find them usually when I am working on a project.  Recently, I have been assisting our WCR leaders with some presentations by including video clips where appropriate.

Debe - I would say I am a hard worker who tends to be myopic and works well under pressure.  If I was a great time manager, I would have had those presentations done weeks (not hours) in advance.  Luckily, they trusted me to get the job done - and they seemed to like the end results.

The Benjamins - There are many tools that do this type of task.  However, it was easy, quick and supports more than a single website.  Some only allowed YouTube downloads.  Thank goodness for virus software - because one of the site tried to download a virus to me - not nice.

Jon - Necessity is a great driver for me to find new tools.  I am always looking to add to our marketing and look for free, easy to use tools that I think our agents can use.  In this market, if I paid for every tool, I would quickly go broke.

Lloyd - Take a look at it.  In future posts, I will explain how you can convert to other video file formats, how to strip music, edit or clip the video, etc. so I hope you keep reading.

Florida Pines - The footnotes were necessary because I see two types of people - those who never use video of others and those who use video from others.  There is a right way and wrong way as to how to use video and other copyrighted materials.  Too often, people believe that because it is on the internet it is free to use for any purpose.  Similarly, others believe that they can use anything for personal use or for non-commercial use.  None of these beliefs are correct. 

Janice - I just find apps as I work on projects.  I believe in working smarter (not harder or longer) and have found a number of shortcuts.  I hope you pass this comment along - I listened to Matt Fetick at the Virtual REBar Camp and found his tech insights to be very helpful.  Looks like you have a great resource in your office.  If you could, please ask him this question - Did he use social media in his run for mayor?  If so, I would love to interview him.  Let me know.

Gita - Thanks for reading.  For all, I hope you read the "fair use" materials and get some good solid advice on how, when and to what extent to download and use internet videos.

Claude - I use a ton of different tools.  In this case, I was using the "Ask not what your country can do for you..." speech from President Kennedy and the "Summon new spirit of change..." speech from President Obama for a presentation and needed a tool to capture two short clips.  This tool was invaluable and helped me drive home the "spirit of volunteerism" message in the presentation.

Frank - Thanks for reading.  If you liked, I hope you subscribe as I try to rotate tech tips into my blogs.

Joyce - This is a dangerous tool in some ways.  In the hands of the knowledgeable, it is a great way to capture clips for use in training and education videos.  In the wrong hands, it is easy to step over the line and get sued for copyright infringement.  I almost didn't post it because of this reason.  However, I think there is a happy medium.  It is just about learning and following the rules to do it right.

Robert - Thanks.  I am glad to pass it on.  I learn more from ActiveRain than I could possibly ever share.

Melissa - I am using this write now almost exclusively for tributes and sales training materials.

Teri - I missed your posts when you took a brief sabatical from blogging.  Glad to see you back on Activerain.  I enjoy your post immensely.

Jenny - ActiveRain is a great place to see the world and learn new things.  It is really a great resource... Hope you enjoy the new tool.

Lani - I am a strong believe in creating your own original content.  However, there are times where you just need a historical clip or something to illustrate and drive home a point.  This tool has helped me develop more dynamic presentation by using some historical video.

James - Just keep it in the toolbox and know that you have something when you need it.

Derek - I hope it helps.  I have some reviews on some other video hosting and editing tools in the works for next year.

Terrie - I absolutely agree about the "know what you are doing" part of the post.  Other than clips clearly in the public domain and not subject to copyright protection, I use it mainly to download videos that others have already given me permission to use.

Stephanie - Thanks for reading.

Marc - It is an interesting tool - but one that should be carefully used.

Zeke - I don't have any thoughts because I don't regularly use Firefox.  You might try taking a look at MakeUseOf.com to find a recent review.

Tim - I am guessing you are right.  It is that reason that I put the cautionary info at the bottom of the post.  I believe it has legitimate uses.  I am using it primarily for education, training and presentations. 

Tigard - Thanks for reading.  I hope it helps.

Sharon - It is a nice tool that would work for educational presentations. 

Christine - Our guidelines are pretty simple - don't use for commercial purposes, clip and use only what you need, and don't republish to the internet.  We require agents to submit these items for review prior to use.  Yes, that is the lawyer in me.  As to why it is better, you can download the file, clip the specific scene, edit, and then include in presentation.  For presentations (even if you have internet access), it is cumbersome.  The other advantage is you can download, upload to ipod or handheld, and watch presentations even when you don't have internet access.

Guy - It is always good to have another tool for the tech toolbox.

Jeff - I suspect that you are correct.  It is definitely a tool that should be used carefully and only for defined purposes.  Just because a video is on the internet - doesn't mean that it is okay to use, download, or disseminate.

Meagan/Hanna - I hope it helps.  It is an interesting tool.

Russell - There are dozens of sites that can be used for screen capture, photo downloading, video downloading, and music downloading.  For example, I can right click and save most photos on the internet.  However, the fact that there is a tool that allows me to do it doesn't mean that I should do it.  The tool itself isn't illegal.  However, what is captured and how it is used may be enfringe upon the rights of the author or creator of the material - hence the cautionary tools at the bottom.  I would say that there is a "gray" area.  However, it doesn't imply that a particular use is legal or illegal.  It means that the "fair use" doctrine has a test for what enfringes upon a copyright and what is considered fair use and that the factors should be carefully reviewed and applied before a decision is made to download and use third party videos. 

The interesting question that remains unanswered isn't really whether downloading versus streaming versus watching is actionable.  According to industry experts, YouTube logs don't differentiate between watching, downloading, or embedding a video.  Some would take the position that copyrighted information is enfringed upon by simply viewing the videos online.  The problem is that YouTube contains both copyrighted and bootlegged materials.  For the average consumer, it is nearly impossilbe to determine what can be legally viewed.  For example, I can find multiple Bill Maher videos on YouTube.  Some are recorded illegally; others are uploaded by HBO and are legal to watch.  The problem is that the average consumer doesn't know what is and is not legally uploaded by the owner of the copyrighted material.  Technically, just viewing the illegally uploaded video on YouTube would violate the copyright owner's rights.   The interesting part of copyright law is that it is a strict liability offense.  That is, the end users knowledge of whether or not the material has been legally uploaded or not is irrelevant.  It the simple act of using the copyrighted material which creates the liability.  I don't practice in this area - but I do follow the tech policy blogs that discuss this issue.  It remains a hotly debated issue.

Cheryl - It is free.  There are other tools - this is just simply and easy to use.

Gary - I hope you like the tool.  It was pretty easy to use.

Betina - It is a nice tool that works for what I need it to do.