Streetwatch FAQ
What’s the point? And how’s this work?
We think BMX needs a platform that is not driven by a giant tech corporation. We hope Streetwatch can be that platform.
Right now, the platform is primarily embedded YouTube and Vimeo videos. We did this to build up a starting point for the platform, with as much public history as possible. But we hope as the platform grows, with approval from the creators, we can start backing these films up onto our own servers, so videos cannot be taken down or deleted by a corporation we have no control over.
Well, if you are going to embed my YouTube video for me for free, why pay for a subscription and upload twice?
We get it. We are new on the scene and still building an audience and trust with the BMX community. But as the platform grows, we hope the advantages of a BMX-controlled platform with extensive categories and tagging, a core BMX audience, our selling features, and our ease of use, become worth 5 bucks a month, and a second upload.
What’s up with the paid subscriptions? Shouldn’t anyone be able to upload for free?
Fortunately and unfortunately, we aren’t YouTube. We don’t have billions of dollars in advertiser money, and we don’t sell your data. Requiring a paid subscription for uploads also allows us to verify that these are real people joining and contributing to the platform. It automatically weeds out most bots and bad actors.
Server costs are real, and we still have full-time jobs outside of Streetwatch. Subscriptions make this thing possible. If you like what we are doing, subscribe to help us do more of it.
Why should I sell my video on Streetwatch? Is it safe?
Normally if you want to sell your BMX video, you have to find one of a few random platforms that will allow you to sell a digital download, and then you have to get the word out about it. At Streetwatch, our platform was built specifically for viewing BMX videos. Your new video will be visible instantly to the exact audience you are looking for, and that audience won’t have to jump through hoops to see it. Simply click and pay.
Streetwatch is powered by Stripe for all payments. Your information is securely and professionally handled by them. And sellers can create their own selling profile built with the same security. Plus, Streetwatch takes no cut of your sales. You only pay processing fees to Stripe.
What about music copyright?
This is the primary reason videos get removed from a platform. At Streetwatch, we do not actively scan content on upload. A user is uploading content at their own risk. If the owners of that music find your video on our site and reach out to Streetwatch with a DMCA claim, we will work with you to figure out the best solution, but we will not take action without your input.
What if I want to delete my content or profile?
You can cancel a subscription at anytime. But as an archive, our goal is to preserve as much BMX history as possible. So if you upload a video or photo, or have an archival profile in our system, we would like to keep it published so the community and future generations can enjoy it. If you’re on the site, you’re part of the story.
That said, sometimes there are other reasons you might want certain content taken down. If you need content taken down from the site, please reach out to us directly.