We all say this, and it feels like it should be true. And yet I am constantly making use of various "YouTube clones". Google Video. Vimeo. Fora.TV. Whatever TED is using. uStream. Omnisio. And that's just the ones I can remember from the last couple of weeks.

Of course, it's somewhat unfair to claim that all of these sites are "YouTube clones", because each one is different from YouTube in some subtle way (e.g. some of them emphasize livestreaming). Which is, of course, the point. No child is ever quite the same as the parent. That's how you can start out with jellyfish and end up with stockbrokers.

Are these sites "getting anywhere"? Who knows? I'm guessing that many of them aren't profitable, but how profitable is YouTube itself? What really matters is whether your site is useful enough, and inexpensive enough, to stay open. Amoebas don't have to be as large as elephants, as smart as dolphins, or as sturdy as trees in order to coexist with them -- they just need water, food, and a modest amount of heat.