Apr 23 07
Kyte.tv is sign of the future
By Scott Sigler
The name of the game is executive communication - letting your people know what’s going on, in real-time, no matter where they are in the world. Online video is a key step in this direction, but what’s next?
What’s next are services like Kyte.tv. The service offered by Kite.tv, in its current form, has little use for internal communications and partner communications. It’s another one of those crazy “social media” technologies that doesn’t really apply just yet. What matters is the potential of a system like this.
Kite.tv lets you collect online video and make your own channel. No big deal, that’s offered by dozens of sites, including YouTube and Podshow. What’s unique is that Kite.tv allows remote content gathering via cell phone, using your cellphone to upload that content to the channel, then allow people subscribed to your channel to download that same content via - you guessed it - cell phone.
You don’t have to use cell phones (and in fact, if you do, the quality is atrocious right now). You can shoot video by any means and upload it to your channel.
With a system like this, you’re talking about near real-time communication from multiple leaders in an organization, and with the personal connection of a human face and a human voice. Potential uses:
- CEO or high-level leader communication, “from the top,” conveying real-time news with the face and voice of the leadership
- Reports from individual offices or plants back to the channel
- Instant viewing of new products, customer sites, customizations, etc.
- Crisis communication from the top, and/or from the site facing the crisis
- Channels for each division, or sub-group, allowing you to narrow the conversation yet still drive culture
- Produce higher-quality video in a studio, but get it out instantly to staff in the field
The cost of producing content continues to drop. Now it’s only as much as the next smartphone. The world shrinks a little more.
As I mentioned, the quality isn’t that great right now, but recent history has shown us that won’t last for long. And, most important, they don’t have the content locked down - so what you upload is available to the world. Increase the quality, lock down the content, train your leaders to be communicators, and soon we’ll see the next revolution for internal communicaitons.
The question I have relates to the development of this kind of business. Is technology like this doomed to be swallowed up by larger conglomerates; and if that happens does it adversely effect a movement towards the type of business applications that you’re talking about?
It seems like they’ve re-invented the wheel (OK, maybe with a different set of spokes and a few extra gears) with the hope of getting bought out by a big player.
The New York Times mentioned Kyte earlier this week. Surprisingly, the readers comments were overwhelmingly negative.
http://mike-mcgrath.wordpress.com/2007/05/02/hollywood/
I’m a little skeptical of this too. It’s no longer the Field of Dreams environment of “if you build it, they will come.” The potential of Kyte.tv sounds great, but it’d be interesting to see if users will really take to it.
Hi Jim. Photos i received. Thanks