Brad Webb, vSocial's wunderkind CTO, and I were kicking around metaphors that frame the "WHY" behind the meteoric rise of our video clip sharing service, which has gone from zero to 26M monthly page views and 120K+ unique visitors a day in a little over two months.
Then Brad nailed it, asserting that a video clip sharing network is akin to the "virtual water cooler," a space where like minds can connect for short conversations driven by short bits of content in much the same way people gather around the water cooler where they work to talk about this program or that.
More on the virtual water cooler in a bit. First, a disclaimer. As an entrepreneur and investor, I really believe that my unfair advantage is predicated on being driven by a well-formed thesis that shapes operational strategy. As a result, "metaphorical framing" is not mere window dressing to me. Rather, it drives the way that I think about the "jobs" consumers "hire" our software for to facilitate a specific set of outcomes they aspire to while reconciling the real-world constraints that they face.
Along these lines, I would argue that video clip sharing represents a kind of "perfect storm," resulting from the right the macro trend meeting the right application model performing the right job in a manner that overcomes the key constraints to completing the job.
Okay, that is a mouthful, so let me explain each point. Point one is that the macro trend of user-generated content has created an environment where tens of millions of people have become content producers, mostly in the form of community pages and blogs. This, in turn, has given rise to an unlimited supply of this content to host video and music clips, which satisfies user demands for quick, easy and meaningful ways to customize these pages. The emergence of MySpace is the best known example of this trend in action, but there are literally hundreds of companies in the space.
Two is that video clip sharing is the right application model for today's multi-device, mobility driven world since the same clip can run without modification on a PC, a blog, within an iPod and a mobile telephony device. The fact that video content can move in such a friction free manner makes it trend towards viral-ness, which is a recipe for ubiquity.
Three is that given the above attributes, video clip sharing lends itself to both social networking and viral marketing jobs. The former becomes self evident after watching a few clips listed as "favorites" by a fellow video clip sharer. If their favorites sync up with yours, you pretty instantly feel a "like minds" affinity with the sharer. The opposite is also true. :-)
To frame this one, I was at a meeting last week at one of the top three online "gorillas," and one of the first things my counterpart stated was his enthusiasm to meet with me. Why? Because it was obvious from checking out my clips that we had the same sense of humor.
The viral marketing job-readiness of video clip sharing becomes clear when you consider how "long tail" producers, like local bands, are using vSocial to connect with and grow their audience. For example, one band, called Broadzilla, has generated 500K+ plays of their video in five weeks. Needless to say, that changes the equation in terms of marketing strategy for the little guy.
Finally, one of the constraints a video clip sharing network overcomes for its users is the "upload problem." In general, the upload problem speaks to the fact that there are far more people motivated to watch, talk about and share video content than are comfortable actually dealing with the complexities of creating, capturing and uploading it.
Because a video clip sharing network makes it easy for non-uploaders to work with all of the shared video content on the network – not just their own – the network is a hospitable place for uploaders and non-uploaders alike. This makes it very conducive to mavens, connectors and salespeople (as espoused in "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell) working their magic in spreading new ideas very rapidly.
Okay, so perfect storm, but what have we (vSocial) done right to ensure that the winds of this storm carry us aloft versus crashing us into the side of a building? Beyond ensuring that this stuff just works in a brain-dead, easy to use fashion, we have focused really hard on providing web based tools that enable our users to actually "do something" with their favorite clips.
This includes tools for blogging about videos and something called a video roll that enables consumers to "program" their favorite compilations within a mini player that can be embedded in a blog or community page, and clicking "play all videos" plays the whole reel. Think: video roll of clips on how the Iraq war went wrong, video roll of clips tagged "commercial" etc. I have provided an example below created using random videos from one of our users, Tay TV.
Which brings me back to where I started, the virtual water cooler. A service like vSocial provides both a staging ground for the video content and a systematic way of connecting the dots between remote users across the web. Then it makes these linkages actionable by enabling users to do things like add a rating or attach a contextual tag like "funny" to a clip. In addition, they can write a comment or respond to someone else’s comment, or blog about it using Blog It! Finally, they can grab the video for their own blog or community page, email it, or download into their iPod. Needless to say, all of these actions extend the reach of the content, and increase its relevance to the consumer.
One example of the water cooler in action is fans of Fox's Family Guy have uploaded and played one seemingly innocuous thirty second clip over 1.7M times in a month and a half. To me that is a jaw-dropping large number. Could Fox even buy that type of mindshare and attention with its target audience if it wanted to? How many viewers of the clip decided to TiVo the Family Guy as a result (I know that I did)?
And oh by the way, the most popular landing spot for such content? Fox's MySpace, which to me suggests that the net gain for savvy media players (like News Corporation, which owns Fox) is real.
After all, brand owners, be they content, product, service or distribution channel oriented, live in an age of where consumers are smart, connected, opinionated, and increasingly, there are systematic ways for them to broadcast and share their opinions with like minds. Smart media brands, for example, will see the virtual water cooler as a great way to build loyal audiences, and provide consumers access to the "kindling wood" needed to promote lots of conversations about their programs.
In its role as the virtual water cooler, video clip sharing networks is the next wave in conversational marketing, given its reach, relevance and ROI proposition in cultivating and converting a target audience into evangelical customers.
Isn't vSocial a lot more like a TV than a water cooler? Really, every user on vSocial basically has a TV-watching diary.
Lately, what I've been trying to use vSocial/youtube/Video.Google for is "in-yer-face" type moments after a big sporting event. After USC lost, I made sure a lot of my Trojan friends knew ESPN thought they were one of the greatest teams in history by providing them video clips of Mary May saying how great USC was. I guess that is sort of a water cooler type moment.
Seriously for a second, though. I am sure there is already a successful business person who has thought deeply on how to romanticize various aspects of what you are talking about with metaphors. I think Gerry McGovern has given some speeches on multimedia content on the web. For a first iteration, the water cooler isn't so bad and maybe through more iterations the water cooler will come together as a solid metaphor.
Also, on wanting more "evangelical customers," I knew J.C. was behind vSocial somehow. Who is the person whose job it is to bless all these water coolers? I guess that job won't be decided until 2.0 :)
Posted by: John "Z-Bo" Zabroski | January 19, 2006 at 01:38 PM
Hi John,
I think the virtual water cooler is essentially intended to capture the dual role of viewing and cultivating short conversations.
Watching TV is such a solitary process, whereas the sheer viralness of services like vSocial suggest a very social, infectious type of entity.
Who is JC?
Mark
Posted by: Mark Sigal | January 19, 2006 at 03:16 PM
JC is an abbreviation for Jesus Christ. You said "evangelical customers," ergo JC. :)
Watching TV is a solitary process, but so is watching a vSocial/Youtube/Video.Google clip. I only exit my state of solitude after the clip is finished playing. It just so happens that the clips being played are generally very short so my time spent in solitude is shorter.
On the other hand, I usually multi-task while watching TV (ironing my clothes while watching the Islanders game). Shorter clips prevent me from multi-tasking while watching video.
I am not saying "virtual water cooler" is a bad metaphor for an investment thesis, but it's important to test to see how well you can defend a metaphor you are writing about. It helps clear up the writing process for the next revision. Through the iteration process, you might discover a simple metaphor may not be the best interactive storytelling technique... and some heavy copywriting instead might be necessary.
When I try to think of why something is important in terms of technology: I read an article titled "The Relationship Revolution" over again (this article basically explains why the future was meant to evolve the way it did).
Then I read Jamie Zawinski's Feb 2005 thoughts on why Nat Friedman's Novell team should make Hula a "home edition" calendar program instead of a "enterprise edition" calendar program. http://www.jwz.org/doc/groupware.html (Hula has the potential to be a gmail killer if done right).
Posted by: John "Z-Bo" Zabroski | January 19, 2006 at 08:21 PM
Excellent post. You nailed a lot of the dynamics of all this. The potential mindshare gains are tremendous. The opportunities for independent artists are phenomenal right now, because large media companies don't have their footing yet in this new landscape.
I will take slight issue with the idea that watching video is solitary. Granted, it probably is solitary for most people, but people regularly call their buddies over to the screen to "check this out!" That's totally social. Sure, you can forward links, etc., but people like the camaraderie of watching something together.
Just don't let the boss catch you.
Posted by: Michael Martine | January 24, 2006 at 04:10 PM
Like I always say.. throw away your TV, because a mass global market for media is moving online, they want their entertainment/news presented to them in a new way. vSocial is probably the best thing to happen for media bloggers.
Posted by: Jeff | January 28, 2006 at 01:56 AM
How do sites like youtube and vsocial that are flooded with copyrighted content, deal with any possible ramnification from the networks? The legality behind all this content will undoubtedly raise some eyebrows as itunes commercializes much of the content and these services will undoubtedly face some backlash. b/c in the eyes of network execs, they are losing money from having these videos on youtube. Take away this copywritten material and youtube and all the similar sites are dead in the water (or at least their growth will dramatically decrease)... One good site with good content is archive.org and www.youare.tv
Posted by: esteban | January 28, 2006 at 09:16 PM
Sorry for the delayed responses to these comments.
Michael, thanks for your feedback. Part of my point is that via video clip sharing, watching video inherently becomes less solitary so I think that we are on the same page.
Jeff, as always, appreciate your engagement. I really believe that what you are doing with TayTV is a tiny fractal that will grow into a big mountain, and provide lots of others the pattern recognition needed to become self-programmers.
Esteban, all fair questions, and can only say that this market is emerging in real time. Netscape doesn't get broadly assailed for caching web page summaries, pictures and other sites online content since the value proposition is that those folks (on the whole) want to be found. Bloggers inherently "sample" commercial news sites and bloggers content in creating their posts, and no one screams. Again, to speak to the example of a user uploading a Family Guy clip, referenced in the blog, when I wrote the post on the 17th, the cited clip had been viewed 1.7M times. In the twelve days since, it has been viewed an ADDITIONAL 3 million times. That's a lot of target viewers of Family Guy talking about the show that otherwise might not.
Part of my thesis is that media can't "game" this stuff by doling out pre-defined bits in a walled garden on a metered basis if conversational marketing is their goal. They can provide the kindling wood and the match, but users have to do the lighting and provide the wind if it is too spread.
Still, the market is early and the rules are being defined. As amazing as it is to me the growth numbers, probably less than 3% even know that the space exists.
Posted by: Mark Sigal | January 30, 2006 at 11:28 AM
wunderkind.. i love that word..
Posted by: guile | February 01, 2006 at 06:32 PM
Really very well written.
BTW, the link you provide @ Om's blog is incorrect. It points to:
"videoclipsvir.html".
Regards,
Bandi
Posted by: Startups.in | May 12, 2006 at 07:46 PM
Thanks, Bandi. The link issue was a problem with the blogging software on Om's end. When I posted the comment it truncated the link. I re-posted the link in a follow on comment and think that it worked but forget now.
Mark
Posted by: Mark Sigal | May 19, 2006 at 04:54 PM