Seesmic, the Twitter of video, draws high-profile investors
Seesmic, yet another video-sharing site that encourages quick, conversational clips that can be recorded and replied to, has unveiled the names of some high-profile backers. But it is being slammed by critics (here and here, for example).
Seesmic has been dubbed the “Twitter of video,” for its short snippets of video about what people are thinking or doing at any given time. Users record and post short videos of themselves talking about whatever is on their mind. Others can just skim videos, or reply to the messages they see, creating back-and-forth conversations.
A fairly predictable slate of flaws, centered more around the use of video than the site itself, typically come up when Seesmic is panned. Unscripted recordings can be quite boring, and while short messages work with text (as Twitter has shown), videos aren’t as easily consumable. Other companies have tried, and failed, to do so-called “video mail” before. It’s a simple idea, and so if it were viable, it may have already existed.
There’s one flaw in continuing to use these arguments to invalidate Seesmic: The service seems to be catching on with its initial base of users. On our own test, a short, silly recording elicited a half-dozen replies from around the world within an hour. The 1,500 alpha-test users pump out a steady stream of videos, which Seesmic edits to produce a daily show. (Although posting is limited to a small group, anyone can watch videos, by going here.)
With that in mind, we think it’s worth talking about how Seesmic could develop — and start to make money — when it opens fully.
Since it seems that people are actually interested in recording themselves, the question is how to channel their energies. Seesmic’s basic concept is creating a structured format for videos — because they’re short, they’re digestible, and users have an idea of what to record. However, as more people pile on, the stream of new “conversations” will become daunting and confusing to newcomers.
One way Seesmic is already addressing the problem is by employing video editors to pick through the day’s videos and splice together the best parts. These “shows” can end up being pretty interesting, if sometimes also odd and amateurish.
In the future, founder Loic le Meur told us, there will be tagged “trees” with different conversational branches. Seesmic would shuffle new videos into certain categories so that, for example, if you were into knitting, you could quickly find your way to videos of people talking about knitting, or actually knitting on camera. (Hey, if that’s your thing, we won’t judge you.)
And because users quickly accumulate a group of friends once they’re online, more features will go in to help channel your attention, like a daily, automatic “show” consisting of all your closest friend’s video updates for the day. Other, very popular videos by users that you don’t know will come to light separately through the daily Seesmic shows, or as the central starting point for conversational branches.
However, all the new features Seesmic adds ultimately come from user requests, according to Le Meur, making it a completely user-driven site.
To monetize, the site has several ideas, including a Flick-like subscription model with additional features, sponsorships, and charging for mobile versions that send videos to your phone. However, like a number of other services (including Twitter), Seesmic is most interested in building a firm user base first.
The investor list is mostly comprised of high-profile angel investors. Among them are VC Jeff Clavier, former AOL CEO Steve Case, LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman and TechCrunch maestro Mike Arrington (who has also given it plenty of coverage).
The broad sampling shows that many investors continue to pine after video. Conway, for example, has sprayed money at video companies, saying he still believes video represents a strong trend.
The remainder of the investor list is: Jeff Pulver of Pulver.com, Martin Varsavsky of FON, Michael Parekh, Ariel Poler, Dan Gillmor, Steve Garfield, and Mark Pincus. The company, based in San Francisco, launched about four months ago.
Source: VentureBeat