Q&A: OK Go’s Lead Singer Tells Us Secrets of the Band’s Geeky Videos – You can’t make ‘viral’ videos, but these guys come as close as it gets to tapping into content that will become viral…
So the numbers above show that there is avid consumer interest for broadcasts that happen over the net, in realtime and streamed. But what of Interactive Video Conferencing? Though the events above offer social media integration they aren’t ‘true’ interactive video conferencing events. To date, most of these livestream broadcasts allow people to chat with one another about the event as it’s happening or to pose questions that a moderator will ask the subject of the livestream itself. But is this true ‘interactivity’? I would argue a definitive no.
Skype and live 1-to-1 video conferencing systems offer interaction between connected hosts in a live, connected video feed. So there’s already an inherent difference between the current examples of ‘livestreams’ and the systems in place for ‘video conferences’. Conferences being the keyword that implies basic live video interaction between stream members. But, apart from making headlines on Techcrunch or Mashable, most videoconferencing and livestreaming hasn’t achieved a level of critical mass adoption yet.
Twitter was the catalyst to help microblogging explode onto the scene and even went so far as to create an ecosystem around it – url shorteners, service clients (Tweetdeck, Seesmic) and so on. Similar patterns are emerging with the recent massive growth Chatroulette is experiencing. Part of this is due to curiosity (like every new trend) but I would wager that Chatroulette itself has just become the catalyst for interactive video conferencing and will accelerate adoption of video conferencing by the masses.
Here in no particular order are a few stats on the webcam and videoconferencing ecosystem:
Markets for webcams at $1.8 billion in 2008 are anticipated to reach $3.2 billion by 2015. You can see by this stat alone that by 2015, most new computers should be webcam ready or have an integrated webcam installed.
As of March 2009, 40% of video uploads on Facebook were via webcam. I would guesstimate that by now this number is in the 55-65% range as webcam usage has most likely continued to gain traction on the Facebook platform.
Gartner predicts that 200 million people will pay for desktop videoconferencing by 2015. I’m not sure how pay is being defined since it will be extremely hard to change current consumer mindset as Skype and like services are either ad-supported or free to use for video conferencing.
Note: Chatroulette is a new video chat service that can be very NSFW (Not Safe For Work). It is suggested you read here before going to the site so you know what to expect.
So these are ‘official stats’ but what of Chatroulette? Since the service has only been out a few months, there’s not much in way of official stats but here’s what I’ve been able to dig up or have seen after using the service:
Traffic has almost doubled in a week from 20,000 concurrent users on 2/13 to almost 40,000 on 2/20
Approximately 75% of users seem to fall into the 18-24 age group.
Though there is still quite a bit of obscene content, it seems to have diminished ratio wise with the larger traffic numbers. Maybe more ‘normal’ people are starting to use the service
An ecosystem around Chatroulette is already developing. The 1st out of the gate – software that allows you to modify your live video stream. Manycam is one such system which allows for Augmented Reality-like features such as applying animations to your face through facial tracking.
The most important observation – clones of the service are already appearing in record time – Redditroulette, Tinychat and others.
So what Chatroulette has shown is that there is definitely consumer interest in and a market for interactive video conferencing – especially with the Gen Y demographic. This is not surprising as both Gen Y and Gen Z are demographic sets that will be growing up with these types of interactive systems in place (similar to initial text based chat systems that were in place for Gen X.)
Furthermore, Chatroulette has shown that a simple UI and Flash based video conferencing system can work – efficiently and effectively. This probably isn’t good news for startups and tech companies that have been trying to sell 5-6 figure teleconferencing platforms and systems to businesses. Expect to start seeing ‘generated backlash’ against the Flash-based technology even though the genie is already out of the bottle.
Finally, this recent surge in traffic with Chatroulette shows that desktop based video conferencing only has room for growth. As adoption grows, we’ll also see more advanced uses of video conferencing which include more advanced interactivity. This is the main reason we developed ZugSTAR technology to allow Augmented Reality based interactivity between video streams.
In summary, it remains to be seen if Chatroulette itself is a fad or the next Twitter. However, what is has shown is that interactive video conferencing is here to stay and is positioning itself to be the de facto method of communication very soon.
Any comments, hit me up on Twitter @kobrakai or leave comments below.
Disclaimer: The Chatroulette site below can be EXTREMELY NSFW so I purposely didn’t link to the site until the end. I strongly suggest people read what the site is about before randomly visiting unprepared.Even after reading about it and going in aware of the content, I was still quite shocked at what I came across at times…and I’m not easily shocked…
I had heard about Chatroulette a few weeks ago but never had a chance to check it out until this weekend. And I don’t think I’ll ever forget the experience. I had thought that Ustream and Justin.tv played loose and fast with online video and webcam ‘community rules’ but nothing quite tops Chatroulette’s unfiltered and uncensored chaos. So, if you’re into the randomness of personal webcam videos from people around the globe, then you’ll probably enjoy the surreal experience that is Chatroulette.
In brief, Chatroulette randomly connects people’s webcams from all over the world. So it’s kind of like a modernized version of speed-dating/meetings with integrated chat. As you connect to another person, either they (or you) can click next to be randomly connected to someone else. And that’s where things can tend to veer into something out of a Tarantino film (think Pulp Fiction.) The site also says it’s screening obscene and pornographic content but there’s quite a bit on there…almost 1 out of every 10 random cams by my count.
Sometimes wacky and more often disturbing , Chatroulette’s appeal comes from the quick connection via video to anybody worldwide. My 1st experience with Chatroulette went something like this:
Connect to someone from Korea. Exchange ‘Hi’s” then moved on…
Connect to somebody who appeared to be from the Middle East…that person clicked ‘next’ before I could type anything…
Connect to somebody holding a Kermit the Frog puppet with Jergen’s Lotion. You can figure out the rest. A quick “NEXT’ on my part…
Connect to somebody dressed in a Cat outfit. Too weird for me…NEXT!
(Image courtesy of Buzzfeed as I was too shocked at the time to take a screengrab. I guess I’m also not the only one that’s come across this ‘cat person’ who I’m assuming is Chatroulette’s first “celebrity”. If you want to see some more images of Chatroulette, you can visit Buzzfeed which has some of the better ones – though some are slightly NSFW.)
Webcam usage is growing with Gen X and Gen Y so it’s only a matter of time until webcam chatting or videoconferencing becomes the defacto method of communication for these generations – I’d argue it’s already here. Also, from a technical perspective, this site is very well done as everything functions in a Flash interface so no need for any plug-ins or software downloads (Yay!) The webcam feeds switch out almost instantaneously with little to no loadtimes in between. Even more amazing considering it was created by a teen from Russia (see below..)
Now with all that said, Chatroulette is a great experiment and idea with worldwide social connections via webcam. I found it oddly appealing that every click of the NEXT button could lead me to someone from any corner of the globe. However, the site does need to put better safeguards in place to deliver a cleaner experience. The majority of the sites users seem to be college aged kids (18-24) but with no age screening and quite a bit of objectionable content, control measures need to be put in place sooner rather than later.
For more on Chatroulette there’s a good overview of the site from Fast Company, an interview with the 17 year old creator in the NY Times and a very detailed article on a writer’s experience with Chatroulette from NYMag.
If you are brave enough to jump right into Chatroulette let me know what you think in the comments below or on Twitter @Kobrakai. Keep in mind again that this site can be EXTREMELY NSFW so you have been warned…
UPDATE!!!
It turns out I’m not the only one to come across Kermit the Frog either on Chatroulette as this image is making the rounds now…
I used to hate Macs. A work experience with a G3, that seemed to crash every ten minutes, turned me off to anything Apple for years. Everything changed, though, when I got my first Intel based Mac in late 2008. The user interface was flawless, the UNIX shell made it a cinch to do back-end tasks, and I never had to worry about the issues that plagued that old G3. I haven’t bought a PC since (at least not without immediately wiping the hard drive with Linux) and I’m known around work as a hardcore Apple fanboy, but that might be changing really soon.
The vast majority of applications I write are for Flash (written in Flex). I love the ease of Flash development and rarely have any issues with programs I write for it. That’s why I’m particularly troubled with, what seems to be, Steve Jobs’ fevered desire to destroy the platform. If you don’t know what I’m referring to, Jobs reportedly told a group of Apple employees that Adobe, the developers of Flash, are “lazy” and that the platform is “buggy.”
I call shenanigans.
There’s a common myth about Flash circulated by developers not familiar with the platform (also known as “my platform is better than your platform” developers). They say that Flash causes most browser crashes when, in fact, it’s not Flash itself causing most of those crashes, but bad Flash coding by inexperienced developers. To put that into perspective, I’ll pose a rhetorical question. When an iPhone developer makes an app that crashes constantly or leaks so much memory that you have to restart the device, does anyone say that Apple should dump Objective C and Cocoa?
Since making the move to Flex, a while back, I haven’t gotten word of a single one of my applications ever causing a browser to crash. This is after extensive use of these applications, not only by the public, but also by a quality assurance department as well. Flash is a very stable platform when used correctly.
The iPad and Flash
Adobe has had a fully working version of Flash ready for all major mobile devices for a little while now. Other mobile operating systems, like Android and Windows Mobile, are going to use it, so why not iPhone or iPad? Steve Jobs, among others, would have you believe that it’s because the platform isn’t good enough for their devices, but that’s just a cheap cover-up. The real reason is that it would take a massive chunk out of App Store profits.
If you own an iPhone or iPod Touch then you know that the majority of apps for those devices are – and I don’t say this lightly – complete crap. The App Store is overrun with weekend projects by novice developers and rip-off products by companies re-skinning the same worthless app to get more 99-cent sales, and Apple is making a killing off of the suckers that buy them. Don’t believe me? Look at these screen caps from the App Store for latest releases in the Entertainment and Lifestyle categories, taken while I was writing this.
If Flash were allowed on these devices, almost all of those developers would opt to release their apps as “iPhone ready Flash,” raking in all the revenue from dozens of ads for enlargement pills and naked video chat, which they would surely cover the page in. If Apple allowed Flash on iPad and iPhone, App Store profits would drop by a double-digit percentage practically overnight.
Why HTML5 won’t be a Flash killer
Because of this, Apple is publicly throwing their hat in the ring for HTML5, all while completely ignoring some of the glaring problems that come with it. Mind you, HTML5 is a good advancement for the web, but it’s anything but a Flash killer, and here’s why:
1. Video codecs aren’t free. The reason that Flash works with all sorts of video codecs is because Adobe paid for them. When that responsibility is moved to the browser, problems ensue, because not every browser supports all those codecs. Mozilla has chosen Ogg, Apple is with h.264, since that’s what iTunes runs off of, and while Google is also currently with h.264, word is that they might be about to opt for a codec they just gained ownership of. This means that not all HTML5 video players will work in all HTML5 capable browsers. This is a huge headache for developers, since cross-browser is the name of the internet game.
2. HTML5 can’t make the level of games that Flash can, or at least not with anything near the same ease of development. Casual Flash gaming is a huge moneymaker, and no one is ready to drop it anytime soon. Just for fun, ask just about any Flash game developer what he would think about dumping ActionScript to write a game in JavaScript and enjoy watching his head explode.
3. Whatever HTML5 will do, Flash can already do it and then some. As time goes on, and more functionality becomes available with HTML5, Adobe will, through their normal development cycle, give Flash more and more features that HTML5 won’t be able to compete with. Two years from now, it might be that video players and simple rich internet applications are best done in HTML5, but, in order to do the latest things available, you’ll still need Flash.
4. Flash has a dedicated user base. 99% of computers in the modernized world have Flash installed. Safari and Chrome, which make up about 14% of total browser penetration, are the only browsers capable of running YouTube’s HTML5 video player. Things might change for HTML5 penetration, but not soon.
The future of my Apple fanboy status
I’m struggling to remain an Apple fanboy, with their ridiculous practices regarding Flash and closed development. The truth is, while I’m not happy with the direction their mobile division is going, I love OSX to death. I guess, as a developer, I still admire the hard working people at Apple who, behind the scenes, actually do all the heavy lifting that results in great products.
On the other hand, Steve Jobs is starting to look less like an innovator to me and more like the delusional cult leader that so many Windows fanboys characterize him as – blindly saying that technologies that don’t conform to his wishes are buggy and that their developers are lazy. I can’t help but think, at least for a while, that I won’t be drinking his special brand of Kool-Aid.
Oh, and he also reportedly trashed Google because they’re making competitive products. When the Google Tablet mockup shows multitasking and multi-touch, the Chrome OS has open development, and the device will almost assuredly run Flash, it feels to me like nothing more than sour grapes.
ZugSTAR Combines The Interactivity Of Augmented Reality With The Immediacy Of Live Video Conferencing
For all press inquiries, please contact: press(at)zugara(dot)com
February 4, 2010, Los Angeles – Today Zugara is introducing “ZugSTAR” (Zugara STreaming Augmented Reality), a technology that allows people in different locations to have shared Augmented Reality experiences from within their video feeds. Picture a web based video conferencing system similar to Skype*, but with the added functionality of being able to see one another’s “augmented” experience in real time. With ZugSTAR, Augmented Reality becomes a technology that facilitates collaboration, and physical distance becomes less of a barrier.
As a proof of concept, Zugara has already integrated this prototype within their Webcam Social Shopper to create a more engaging, and social, online retail experience. Whether its two lifelong friends attending different Universities, or a mother in NY who wants some quality time with her daughter in Dallas, online shopping can now be a more emotionally satisfying experience. And with the effectiveness of traditional forms of advertising in steep decline, what brand wouldn’t want to facilitate that type of branded experience for their consumers?
The video below demonstrates both the Webcam Social Shopper integration, and a few potential use cases that are currently in development:
“While integrating ZugSTAR into the Webcam Social Shopper is a natural extension of the tech, it’s certainly not the full extent of our vision.” said Matt Szymczyk, CEO, Zugara. “Gartner predicts that by 2015 200 million people will be paying for desktop video conferencing. Now, I don’t want to sound hyperbolic, but this tech has the potential to impact virtually every single industry. Anywhere distance is a barrier to real-time collaboration, ZugSTAR has the potential to provide a tremendous amount of value.”
To illustrate Matt’s point, here are a few potential use cases for ZugSTAR:
EDUCATION (DISTANCE LEARNING): A science teacher can field questions and twist and turn a DNA helix as he/she explains their answers.
MEDICINE: 3D models of an fMRI will allow a Dr. to either consult with other Dr.’s, or explain the test’s results directly to a patient.
PUBLISHING: Augmented Reality Pop-Up Books can enable a parent that’s on the road to help their child to learn how to read.
PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT: A 3D model (e.g. of a shoe or a building being developed) can be shared, and discussed, with colleagues, clients, vendors, and partners.
CASUAL GAMING: Augmented Reality based casual games can now be multiplayer.
So, what do you think? What other industries can this technology impact? We’d love to get your thoughts in the comments below.
About Zugara’s Proprietary Augmented Reality Technologies
The Webcam Social Shopper
For more information on the Webcam Social Shopper, click here.
Cannonballz, A Casual Game Using ZugMO Motion Capture Technology
Zugara, a member of the Augmented Reality Industry guiding “AR Consortium”, is an interactive marketing company focused on emerging media and technology. Zugara’s main areas of expertise include interactive video, social media, mobile marketing and website / application development. In addition to the strategic marketing based services we provide for our clients, Zugara also creates proprietary Augmented Reality technologies and products, including The Webcam Social Shopper, and a web based motion capture interface, ZugMO. Founded in 2001, and based in Los Angeles, Zugara is currently in the process of expanding and opening a second office in New York.
www.zugara.com
www.zugarastudios.com
Copyright 2010 ZugSTAR Technology
Copyright 2009 ZugMO Technology
Copyright 2009 Zugara Inc.
Patent Pending
*Skype is not affiliated in any way with ZugSTAR, and was just used to give readers a frame of reference.
iSites Will Let Publishers Build Apps For iPhone And Android….we have tried the service and already have a live app in the store. Look for full review sometime in the next week..
We Are Organized Chaos (WAOC) is Zugara’s (www.zugara.com) interactive marketing and advertising blog where we’ll be featuring some great projects and discussing upcoming trends in the digital world. Work — good and bad — will be critiqued. Hope you’ll enjoy reading our insights and thoughts on interactive.
