When YouTube launched in 2005, success on the Web was measured largely by the number of users who visited a site. Now YouTube is trying a different strategy: letting users avoid visiting its site altogether.

This is the neat little intro that Alan Greenberg provides (as seen in Forbes) , leading into an article about how YouTube is releasing a set of free software tools that allow developers to create fully functional YouTube players on their own site. Pretty cool idea, and a particularly intriguing business strategy to watch – again. Google seems pretty good at this stuff, and the context provider position they are targeting makes such open strategies remarkably effective.

Not that it is a business strategy, of course. Oh no. The new software tools are focused on “user experience, not monetization.” Uh huh. I’m sure that that if YouTube screens start becoming nearly as ubiquitous as those Google AdSense boxes there will be no money that could be made from that. With advertising. Right.

It was also announced Tivo is going to allow people to access and upload YouTube Videos from their TVs, and Electronics Arts announced that people will be able to upload clips of the game characters to the web, among other things that are happening. Remember to keep in context of the point YouTube has already reached: estimates of 66 million viewers watching 2.6 BILLION videos monthly, accounting for almost 60% of the online video audience.

Now I’ve never been able to figure out how Google wasn’t able to build their own site that knocked YouTube off the map instead of buying them for billions (+ lawsuit risk), but the way this is all going seems much better and more promising than a few other high profile, heavily criticized acquisitions certain companies have made in recent years…