Seesmic Look

Let’s admit it: Twitter’s Search function leaves a lot to be desired. There’s a better way to feel the pulse of the Twitterverse and find tweets that match your interest: Seesmic Look. A free download that allows you to immerse yourself in the real-time web without having to log into Twitter, Look enables you to discover trends in real time and see who is commenting on them or view tweets by broad categories such as news, sports, entertainment, celebrities, music, politics, humor, culture, business and style. When you log into Look, you can save your favorite Twitter feeds as well as your saved searches.

Features:

• Inbox and social timeline
• Standard timeline view or playback mode
• Find accounts and tweets that match your interests
• Track work or phrase being said in real time
• Optimized for Windows 7

View Look videos to see various features in action.

Hulu Hops Onto Caption Search Technology

By Dave Fidlin

With the Internet maturing and online video become the norm - not a novelty item - enhancements are being created for streaming content. Caption searching, one of those enhancements, was added recently to the popular site Hulu. But a smattering of smaller companies had already been offering a similar service before Hulu added the feature to its site in late December.

Hulu Labs, the online video portal’s development arm, is running the feature in beta while engineers continue to work on perfecting the technology.

In a statement, Eugene Wei, Hulu’s vice president of product, says the feature will enable users to search for captions of thousands of videos across hundreds of shows. For now, Wei says users can access the feature through Hulu Labs’ website. Eventually, a feature tab will be included on all Hulu shows that have captions.

Wei points out how captions search might be beneficial to a viewer of an online video. Wei says he was watching an episode of “House” recently, and a joke between main character Dr. Foreman and Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin took place. Wei says he was in a quandary when he wanted to watch the episode a second time.

“I couldn’t remember which episode it was in, let alone which moment within the episode,” Wei says in the statement. “With the new caption search, I just type in ‘Mike Tomlin,’ and voila.”

Jason Blackwell, practice director with ABI Research, says features like Hulu’s caption search will be an asset to users with online content growing exponentially each year.

“It’s going to be important for all service providers,” Blackwell says. “I think (Hulu’s caption search) is an important step in what will become the future.”

Blackwell says ABI will soon begin to study features like caption search and examine specifically how it can be beneficial not only to online video, but other specialized services, such as pay TV and other cable and satellite services with a user interface.

While Hulu’s caption search is breaking new ground for the company, it is not a pioneer in the technology. Numerous smaller companies have offered similar services, some as long as five years.

One of those companies, Realtime Transcription Inc., offers a service called Transendia. Tanya Ward English, technology director for Realtime Transcription, says Transendia offers a video search based on the full text of a transcript, in addition to glossary tags for non-spoken information within a video.

Ward English says Transendia caters to a higher-end market. Many of the company’s clients do not want videos hosted on such public sites as YouTube. Instead, she says, those clients opt to use a customized player with full search and playing options from Transendia.

“One of the most useful and unique things about our technology, I think, is something upon which we have a patent pending,” Ward English says. “That’s the ability go pin-point search video or audio files directly from a text search engine like Google or Bing.”

Ward English, a self-described advocate for people with hearing loss, says caption search technology is especially beneficial for online users who have such a condition.

Blinkx, another smaller, specialized company, was launched in 2005 and went public two years later. Suranga Chandratillake, CEO and founder of Blinkx, says his company offers an advanced video search engine feature that gives online video users an opportunity to not only search for captions within a program, but to look for titles and episode names of particular programs.

“We can extract a lot of information from what’s going on inside a video,” Chandratillake says. “Our video search engine doesn’t just work on our own site. It can also get results from other sites like YouTube, or any other site with video out there.”

Chandratillake says Blinkx has been a popular service with advertisers, and revenue has doubled in the past three years.

More companies are sure to join Hulu, Realtime Transcription, Blinkx and others as the quest continues to make caption search technology an integral part of online video.

Making Money from Online Video

By Sarah Jaferi

Revenue sharing is nothing new in the business world; companies regularly work together and split up the profits. By comparison, revenue sharing online is somewhat new. It is also profoundly different because anybody who uses a computer can be directly connected to a company that splits profits with them. Websites such as Revver, Flixya, Metacafe and Atom Entertainment have all profited from this model by seeking out homemade video from amateur producers. But despite the outpouring of zeal, these sites may have to cope with an uncertain economic future.

Amateur video producers shoot video, edit and submit it to one of these websites, which by and large make money through advertising. Some ads are played instantly before or after the main clip, while others appear on the surrounding Web page. Payments to producers are unassuming - around $4 per thousand views or $1 per click or per view. Most videos get less than a thousand views. The profits are generally small, but the possibility of generating the atypical true “hit” with one million or more views keeps producers coming back.

Angela Gyetvan, vice president of marketing and content for Revver, says her company’s ease of use, combined with its being first to market, has led to a “phenomenal” response from video producers over the past year. “All of a sudden, they are able to derive compensation and exposure for their creativity in a way that wasn’t available before,” she says. Revver was first to introduce a revenue-sharing model for videos when it was founded in 2005, making it an elder in the young industry. The company makes most of its money from still images displayed after the video plays, although it also has video commercials that run before the clip and are suggestive of traditional television ads.

Revver prides itself on openness and places no restrictions on whom it will pay for content, outside of banning copyrighted or obscene content. By contrast, Metacafe and even video website giant YouTube only offer revenue sharing to a small percentage of the most popular producers.

In addition to being open to all types of producers, Revver, Flixya and Atom Entertainment also make possible content sharing, one of the cornerstones of Web 2.0 culture. They do this by providing tools to embed videos in other websites, such as MySpace. So while a video may appear anywhere on the Internet, it is still branded and monetized by the hosting website. Using these tools, the best of these videos are virally propagated by passionate fans, and the advertising dollars keep rolling in.

Panda Smash, based in Los Angeles, is an example of a video production group that capitalizes on the medium’s tendency to be virally propagated by fans with comical and flippant skits. The company’s most popular production was a real-life version of the game “Mario Kart,” in which actors mimic the Nintendo mainstay by racing around in go-carts. Panda Smash co-founder Sam Greenspan reported that this video was uploaded to a variety of websites, such as Funnyordie. Greenspan and his colleagues were thrilled with the video’s popularity but soon realized that not only were they not seeing any income, but they were losing money because they were paying to host the video. In response, they moved most of their videos to the website Revver.

Greenspan and his team view Revver as the ideal platform for their operation because, besides producing a steady filter of income from revenue sharing, they don’t have to pay for Web hosting. Another bonus is a heightened image. “We really wanted to avoid being ‘YouTube guys,’” Greenspan says, because Panda Smash’s employees see the website as synonymous with amateurish and low-quality content. As professionals, their primary purpose is to attract leads to other gigs in the film and entertainment industries.

It seems as though revenue sharing pays off, but business professionals, are more cynical about the long-term possibilities of revenue sharing. They allude to hurdles including low profits, poor quality-control standards and technological challenges. Advertisers may be hesitant to place their ad online if it might appear alongside a video of a guy lighting his farts on fire. Additionally, there is at present no practical way to rapidly and exactly spot the source of duplicate or copyrighted videos. Therefore, advertising rates for this new entertainment medium trail behind those for television and radio.

Companies such as Revver are skirmishing these problems with people power: they’re having an employee view each submitted video before it is put online. This is a costly and time-intensive process that YouTube and other non-revenue-sharing video sites prefer to skip, but some see it as essential to keeping advertising rates and video quality as high as possible.

Revver’s Gyetvan defends the seemingly antiquated practice of individual content review. “We will never rely on a fully automated process … partially because the automation isn’t 100 percent, and I’m not convinced it ever would be,” she says. Despite the slow speed, personalized approval allows Revver to better connect content with the right kind of advertisers in order to earn the highest payout. “We actually really like some of the benefits of having human review applied to content,” Gyetvan says.

Gyetvan feels that the marketplace for online video will shortly experience an evolution, leading to standards in advertising and compensation programs. “The audience is arriving now, so it’s just a matter of time before it feels like a mature and well-populated market. We’re pretty assured of that fact at this point.”

TV Goes Live On Verizon Wireless

By Rebecca Henely

As the fourth generation of mobile communication networks looms on the horizon, Verizon Wireless hopes to bring faster, more reliable live TV to its products. To do this the company has enlisted the services of digital service provider MobiTV, which was a featured developer for Verizon Wireless at the International Consumer Electronics Showcase in early January.

“We are excited to be working with MobiTV as we dive even further into the applications world out there and expand what people can do on their phones,” says Debi Lewis, spokesperson for Verizon Wireless.

Lewis says Verizon Wireless hopes to start offering its 4G network in various U.S. markets later in 2010, and has many companies working on hardware and software for the new network, of which MobiTV is only one.

This will be the first time Verizon Wireless and MobiTV have worked together. MobiTV was part of a developer’s conference with Verizon last summer, and the partnership between the companies officially started at the International CES, Lewis says.

Jacquie Robison, senior director of consumer marketing and public relations at MobiTV, says MobiTV has previously worked with phone companies Sprint and AT&T, as well as numerous others, so this new initiative will not be exclusive. Nevertheless, MobiTV is excited about the partnership. “As a carrier Verizon has a fantastic record of service. They have a deep listing of phones for the consumer,” Robison says.

Lewis called MobiTV a great provider and packager of live TV on mobile devices, which is important to Verizon Wireless because as mobile devices move into the next generation, video has the potential to be delivered with faster download times and more efficiently. Cost will also be less. “A lot of the [technology] challenges we see in existing networks are starting to melt away,” Lewis says.

Robison says more consumers want live TV on their phones. “We know there’s a high demand for entertainment, news and politics,” she says.

As an example, Robison cites MobiTV’s work with other mobile services, in which the company recently delivered the broadcast of President Barack Obama’s 2010 State of the Union address from networks that aired the speech live to mobile devices. Minutes used during that time period went up by 1,544 percent. “That’s the sort of experience we’re looking to deliver to Verizon,” Robison says.

“There’s a demand for that kind of content,” Lewis says, “and the better experience we can provide on the phone, the more people are going to be inclined to participate.”

Robison says the current plan is to offer live television made for mobile devices and video on demand from more than 40 different channels for Verizon Wireless devices. There are no concrete plans for other applications for the devices, but Robison says both companies will be on the look out for opportunities based on user needs. She cites MobiTV’s recent work leveraging capabilities from most recent iPhone upgrades for consumers to make purchases within applications.

“There are a whole host of services that are available and are a part of the consideration set,” Robison says.

Regarding any capacity or bandwith issues, Lewis says there may be some “bumps in the road” as Verizon Wireless moves from 3G to 4G, but the company has moved from analog to digital to 3G and anticipates the move to the next generation will go well.

“[Verizon Wireless has] been in the business of building and maintaining wireless networks for a long time,” she says.

WebMetro

• Location: Los Angeles, Calif.
• Number of employees: 45
• Notable Clients: American Management Association, Great Expectations, Merrick Group, Murad, Tourism Authority of Thailand, University of Redlands
• URL: www.webmetro.com

Based in Los Angeles, Calif., WebMetro is an interactive marketing firm committed to helping online advertisers maximize their ROI and expand their reach. A leader in the industry, the company specializes exclusively in Internet marketing, showcasing a suite of solutions that cover everything from e-commerce integration to video advertising. Covered extensively by traditional media outlets such as BusinessWeek and Los Angeles Times, WebMetro is widely recognized as one of the premiere providers of search engine marketing services.

Contel Bradford of DMB recently chatted with Michael Behrens, WebMetro vice president of eMarketing, to learn more about this dynamic marketing firm and get some expert insight on the state of the industry.

Can you share some of the success WebMetro has enjoyed in the area of SEM and Internet marketing in general?
Most recently, MarketingSherpa published a case study about how we helped a client drive branded conversions from non-branded keywords and tail terms. By properly assigning credit instead of using last click attribution, our client in this case was able to reduce its cost-per-acquisition over 25% while increasing sales by over 15%.

It really comes down to proper attribution and understanding which elements in any campaign or marketing mix assist or contribute to a sale or lead. This enables a brand to gain insight into what drives conversions and appreciate what weight should be allocated to various media.

Another area where we’ve helped our clients enjoy success is from contextual advertising in the content networks. For some time, advertisers treated and managed contextual campaigns just like search. In addition, many advertisers feel they’ve been burned by the content networks in years past. However, the content networks have made dramatic improvements over the last couple of years providing significant transparency and control and contextual campaigns should be managed and optimized differently than search campaigns.

As you’ve probably guessed, DMB is a firm believer in social media. What makes social media marketing such a powerful tool for businesses looking to increase their bottom line?
There are a couple ways we divide social media marketing. One arena is social media advertising, such as advertising in Facebook. Despite reports of this type of activity being largely ineffective, we have been able to make it work successfully as a form of direct response for some of our clients. A key factor in this revolves around understanding a brand’s audience, where the audience is, what the audience is doing at those online locations, and the strengths/limitations of the advertising platform.

Another aspect of social marketing is social interaction via the networks or platforms like Facebook and Twitter. Once again, depending on a brand’s audience, the level of engagement varies. It is important to recognize these are, as you said, in fact tools. They are mechanisms that can be leveraged to support a brand’s overarching marketing strategy. The reach provided by social marketing can be exponential, as demonstrated by Twitter and user retweets.

Standardization, or the lack thereof, is one of the most hotly debated topics in the world of online video advertising. What, if any, impact has this had on your online video marketing solutions?
The focus of our online video marketing is content used to increase conversions. It’s not the viral or guerilla tactics we stress. We concentrate on how video on a website can turn the visitor into a customer while improving ROI. That may mean using video to condense the learning curve of a product that has a higher perceived risk or a brand that is not as well-known. It can mean using video to engage a visitor, drawing the visitor to complete a call-to-action.

It’s all about online video for the direct marketer. It’s about using video to lower CPA, increase conversions, and ultimately improve ROI.

The importance of a sound marketing strategy is clearer than ever today. Please explain how you have emphasized this importance in your offerings such as website design and ecommerce development.
When developing a website a company needs to fully appreciate the obligations the website has to the marketing strategy. Those obligations have grown tremendously over the past few years. A website is not only here to support your online marketing efforts, but to support all of your marketing efforts, including traditional advertising, promotions and CRM.  Appreciating the multi channel engagements we have with our customers, and the role digital plays in the mix, is a critical and essential step, before ever embarking on a Web design project.

In your opinion, what digital marketing trends should we keep an eye on in 2010?
For years, we have all been hearing that brands need to take mobile more seriously, to be prepared for the mobile revolution. I think it is safe to say that it is here, and mobile needs to be integrated more diligently into the mix. So being abreast of the key mobile trends, from usage to purchase behavior, to search volume, will be crucial for marketers in 2010. Budgets will need to shift, and in this economy shifting too early or too late can be devastating.

WatchNBuy.com to White-Label its Interactive Video Commerce Player

By: itvt.com

Interactive video commerce company, WatchNBuy.com, announced Wednesday that it is offering its interactive video player on a white-label basis to other Web site operators.

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