Monday, July 10, 2006

Sheraton Launches User Generated Content

The hotel brand Sheraton, which is part of my beloved Starwood program, is launching UGC on their new site. This is what the news item said about it:

Sheraton Hotels & Resorts has launched a new company Web site, the first in the hotel industry to feature user-generated content. Sheraton.com will allow visitors to share stories, tips and photos about their travels for other users to view, in addition to more traditional features such as booking rooms and searching for the best rates.

Everyone's getting into the game, aren't they!

Saturday, July 08, 2006

Magnify Networks

These guys enable you to create a site or set of pages that syndicates and filters user generated videos based on the topics you are looking for and the keywords you enter. Its great and you should definitely check it out...

www.magnifynetworks.com

Check out the one i just created last night!

http://allthingselvis.magnifynetworks.com

Friday, July 07, 2006

UGC Real World Mapping Technologies

These are two sites/products that enable you to create real world maps via the web and mobile technology. Users mapping the world is very cool as well and has some excellent applications:

Flagr at www.flagr.com
Wayfaring at www.wayfaring.com

Both work off of Google Maps technology (double true).

Rabble.com - more UGC Mobile Broadcasting

This is a hot category right now. Allowing people to broadcast content from their phone to the web. Saw it a few months back with the Juicecaster (www.juicecaster.com) and now its here with Rabble (www.rabble.com).

All very cool technologies, all very interesting, but no proven business model as of yet. Its only a matter of time before someone figures out what to do with these things.

Tuesday, June 27, 2006

Guba Does Deal with Warner Bros.

These guys are new, but the site is very clean and cool and will probbaly succeed...

http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9588_22-6088265.html

The Gold Rush is on, so they say below...

Just in case you didn't notice, this business is certainly taking off...

http://www.tvweek.com/article.cms?articleId=30078

Talk Shoe... user generated talk shows

http://www.econtentmag.com/Articles/ArticleReader.aspx?ArticleID=16828

TalkShoe connects people of common interests using simultaneous live voice conferencing and chat. Example uses of TalkShoe include sports discussion groups, political debates, small business meetings, friends and family chats, book clubs, hobbyists' meetings, and education, and training. In addition, up to 1,000 people can talk and/or listen to a live Talkcast, and unlimited people can download the recorded podcasts. By producing Talkcasts, hosts can make money. Hosts are paid for each person that joins, listens to, downloads, or podcasts their Talkcast. Money is earned from text and banner advertising (i.e. Google AdSense), audio ad insertion, and video ads. In addition, hosts can choose to charge a fee for their Talkcasts.

Wednesday, June 21, 2006

I've Been Quiet, but User Generated Hasn't

First off IPG launches a new unit...
http://publications.mediapost.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Articles.san&s=44783&Nid=21156&p=308442

Oh, and they also invested in Facebook for $10million.

Sunday, June 04, 2006

The DaVinci Code has some competition...

This is certainly lower budget, but i think the movie could rival DaVinci for depth of character development. Check it out...

http://www.thenormanrockwellcode.com/the_movie.htm

Tuesday, May 23, 2006

The Death of YouTube? Or Not.

http://mashable.com/2006/05/18/yahoo-developing-a-youtube-rival/

Yahoo developing a rival to YouTube.

User-generated content starts to take hold in advertising

http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/05/11/business/ads.php


User-generated content starts to take hold in advertising

By Julie Bosman The New York TimesTHURSDAY, MAY 11, 2006

It all happens in 24 seconds. A silver Sony stereo rapidly deconstructs, then reassembles into the shape of a flat- screen television. The television then converts into a DVD player. The DVD player to digital camera. The camera to portable PlayStation.

The animated spot is the latest television commercial for Sony Electronics, but its creator is not a technology wizard at either of Sony's two advertising agencies.

The commercial is the work of Tyson Ibele, a 19-year-old from Minneapolis who won a contest on a cable network, Current TV, for its first viewer-created ad message.

User-generated content, best known for fueling the popularity of Web sites like YouTube and MySpace, is rapidly taking hold in advertising.

Dozens of entries were submitted for the Current TV contest, and Ibele's commercial will run for the next one to two months on the network. In the coming weeks, more user-generated ads for companies like L'Oréal and Toyota Motor will follow the Sony commercial.

"User-generated content is sort of the word of the day," said Anne Zehren, president of sales and marketing for Current, which was started in August. "And I think smart marketers will start harnessing that."

Current relies on user-generated content for roughly one-third of its programming, from fashion features to foreign documentaries. The network operates under the theory that its programming will be more relevant if its audience, primarily 18 to 34 years old, has a voice in creating it. If people are interested, there is less of a risk that they will tune out in favor of other entertainment like the Internet and video games.

Comedy Central Test Pilots

Comedy Central Plans Contest Centered on User-Generated Video

Comedy Central has announced plans for a contest revolving around user-generated video. Dubbed "Comedy Central's Test Pilots" and scheduled to run between May 22nd and August 24th, the contest will seek to find "the next big broadband show," by inviting viewers to submit one- to five-minute pilots to comedycentral.com. The winner will receive a development deal to produce a series, based on his or her pilot, on Comedy Central's recently launched. broadband TV channel, MotherLoad. Comedy Central says that any format is eligible for the contest, including live action, animation, sketch-comedy or hidden-camera shows. The broadcaster is partnering with IFILM on the contest, taking advantage of the latter's user-generated content submission platform, which will be made accessible on Comedy Central's Web site.