I’ve become a bit of a SXSW regular and honestly it is the one conference every year that I never miss.

I always arrive in Austin with an open mind to all my current clients and also looking for tools and people that I can get involved in future initiatives. As a consultant I want to be up to date on the latest technologies and also who are the active members of the community in case they are a fit for a project at some point.     

This year because of my work with Overlay.TV I had video on the brain and kept a very keen eye on what was going on.

I’m happy to report that video is alive and well and there were just as many video cameras as there was catchy tagline t-shirts and backpacks. If you are not creating video at this point, you are behind the curve and it is time to start working it into your marketing mix if you want to be successful.

I asked a variety of attendees why they thought video was so important to businesses and what they thought the future of video was. Click on the icons in the video to connect with any of the speakers.

So, what were some of the video trends that I noticed while there?

1.  The days of lugging a massive camera around are no more. I saw more micro HD cameras and video capable DSLR cameras than anything else.
2. Companies are continuing to embrace the power of video. Watch any of the daily recap videos from Chevrolet or the great SXSW:By the Numbers video from CNN as shining examples.
3. Everyone still has a craving to learn how to make their videos better. If there was any doubt, all you had to do is look at sessions led by Steve Garfield or The Bui Brothers to see that video education is important.
4. People are not as hesitant about being asked to be on video as they use to be. We as a society are much more comfortable with video cameras being everywhere and talking to one isn’t as unique of an experience as it use to be.
5. At large events like this, setting up a stationary studio or similar location for people to create video makes a lot of sense. The Live from AOL Studio and the Samsung Blogger Lounge were both examples that jumped out at me.

I did not discover any breakout technologies that will change the landscape in video which was a bit disappointing. Sure, there were more camera rigs, green screen solutions and streaming companies peddling their wares, but nothing jumped out at me and made me say wow.

I left Austin full of breakfast tacos and inspiration to create more video. Every where I looked someone had a camera and a microphone. It is a critical piece of the marketing mix for every company and I want to see people use it more and use it better.

Were you at SXSW? Did you see something that I missed? Let me know in the comments.

Aliza Sherman · Ann Handley · Becky Johns · Brad Powell · Emily Cavalier · Interactive Video · Jeff Sass · Joe Chernov · Julien Smith · Steve Grafield · Tamsen McMahon · Tim Washer

It’s been a few months since we launched Overlay.TV for Retail, and we’ve undergone some major changes since then.  Obviously, our goal is make shopping within video the norm – it is, after all, what we do.  But in talking to clients, analysts and media about our retail product, the opportunity for it to change the way we shop – even in some small way – is very real.

That’s why we’re very excited to announce the roll-out we’ve been hard at work on since the summer – Zappos.com.  For us, Zappos is a dream client – one with a huge fan base, and one that understands the role of new media channels and user-generated content in marketing.

Zappos is rolling out the video eCommerce integration in two phases, starting with “engagement pages” for specific brands like Nike (http://www.zappos.com/nike), and eventually incorporating video into every aspect of the site, allowing users to see the product from all angles and outside of a simple catalogue image.

It’s early days for video eCommerce, but you can expect to see some big things coming over the horizon.  Together with Zappos.com, we look forward to bringling online retail into the video age. 

Rob

Read full Press Release: http://www.overlay.tv/press_release.html

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What a beautiful day! Sun is shining, the air is crisp and Overlay.TV has been named one on of the top 20 innovative technology companies in Canada by the Canadian Innovation Exchange (CIX). Each year CIX picks 20 Canadian owned and operated companies that have demonstrated, among other things, their ability to be innovative technology leaders in a competitive market.

Thanks to CIX for the honour and congratulations to everyone on the list including our Tech Capital portfolio partners PostRank and Metranome.

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Overlay.TV is expanding and so is our team. We are currently looking for a talented Flash developer with experience developing interactive user interfaces using object-oriented ActionScript. The ideal candidate has experience creating or using UI frameworks, delivering video using Flash, working with the camera and mic, publishing live video to media servers, integrating with web services, working with CDN’s, handling cross-domain issues and using various skinning techniques.

A solid grasp of object-oriented programming, unit testing, debuggers, source control systems, build management, HTTP and web development, code profiling and performance tuning is expected.

The candidate will be passionate about creating robust designs that perform well, look great and are easy to use. He or she should also be comfortable working in a small team, collaborating and presenting ideas.

Required Skills

Flash AS3

AJAX, JSON, XHTML, JavaScript

XML, Regular expressions, text manipulation

Photoshop, Illustrator

Desired Skills

Flash Media Server or Red5

Experience specifically building AS3 video players

Adobe Flex

Ruby-on-Rails

Contact Information:

 If you think this sounds like the perfect job for you please contact us at careers@overlay.tv.

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In my last post I mentioned that I would be sharing some examples of companies and organizations that have integrated the Overlay.TV for Retail platform into their websites. Despite what its name implies, our retail platform has many functions that go beyond just allowing users to shop through video, it can also provide them with an opportunity to share and even give through video. Sounds like a lot of work but it's actually quite simple.

Case in point: Our friends at United Way Ottawa, United Way Toronto and the Government of Canada Workplace Charitable Campaign (GCWCC) have all implemented a version of the Overlay.TV Community Recorder, whereby their users and staff can record or upload videos of themselves sharing ideas and stories about helping the community. You don't need to be a computer whiz or filmmaker to use the recorder either. All you need is a web cam or video camera to get started. Giving doesn't have to be just about a monetary donation, it can also be about communities coming together to share their collective experiences about how we can make our workplaces, cities, environments and the world better and cleaner and about teaching others to be more tolerant of our differences. Simple.

United Way Ottawa

Have a story or an idea you would like to share? Check out the links below to record your own video and to find out what other people in your community are doing to give back. Feel free to share your video, or any other video you find inspirational, either by email or to Twitter and Facebook by using the share tabs located below the player.

United Way Ottawa

United Way Toronto

GCWCC

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Time for an update on what's been going on at Overlay.TV. A few months ago we launched a new platform called Overlay.TV for Retail. At the time, the focus on our site was split between user-generated content and our new eCommerce video platform, but it became clear in the months that followed that interest in the UGC side was dwindling and that our energies would be better spent if we concentrated solely on our retail platform. It wasn't an easy decision to make as we had some very loyal users, but we felt that the new platform needed all of our love and attention, especially in these early stages, in order to deliver the best possible product  to all of our clients. Check out the revamped site to see how our focus has changed and to find out more about Overlay.TV for Retail.

So, with our sites set on making Overlay.TV for Retail the most widely used eCommerce video platform, we thought it was time to have a coming out out party of sorts, and what better place to do that than in Las Vegas! Myself and some of the gang from Overlay.TV traveled to Vegas for the Shop.org Annual Summit 2009 at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino where we set up shop in a 10x20 booth.

The Summit was 3 days of non-stop meet and greets. Not only were we able to introduce ourselves to loads of people from all over the world, but we were also given the opportunity to see what's new in the world of online retail. What we heard a lot was that online retailers are looking for new ways to integrate video, product and user-generated,  into their sites to better engage existing customers and entice new ones. It's not just about pushing products and shopping, but about building a community of like minded consumers and giving them the ability to share their experiences with others. If you you missed the Summit, check out the Shop.org Blog for recaps on the show and keynote speakers. Thanks to the Shop.org crew for putting together a fabulous trade show. We couldn't have asked for a better coming out party.

Stay tuned, because over the next coming weeks and months I'll be posting stories and examples of how our clients are successfully integrating the Overlay.TV for Retail onto their sites.

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Overlay.TV is pleased to announce today the launch of its latest platform, Overlay.TV for Retail. Overlay.TV for Retail is an all-in-one eCommerce video solution with all the tools a business needs to provide its customers with an interactive shopping experience combined with outstanding customer care, in one easy-to-use environment. Our new platform seamlessly integrates into existing websites and offers custom branded players that allow customers to click and shop directly from your inventory catalog right in the video.

Example of Overlay.TV for Retail Authoring Tool

Example of the Overlay.TV for Retail Player Website Integration

We have created a demo website, www.flixtore.com, that showcases our tool and how it can be used to engage consumers and enhance their shopping experience with clickable video. For more information download our White Paper for Retail or contact us at retail@overlay.tv. Read full press release here.

Stay tuned! We have a major retailer signed that will be launching this summer!

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Backbone Magazine, a Canadian IT magazine that itself has had remarkable growth and staying power, establishing itself as a trusted source of IT information in the frosty nether regions has recently published its second annual Top 25 Up and Comers, a list that recognizes the leaders of tomorrow within the Canadian ICT industry. To make the list, companies had to be established no earlier than 2005 and were selected for their innovation, uniqueness and long-term potential.

The list is from Canadian ICT companies appearing on the 2009 Branham300 Edition and their combined force surpassed $70 billion in revenue for the first time in Branham300 history! Overcoming increasing economic pressures, these Canadian companies experienced a whopping 18 per cent growth - collectively generating $75.97 billion in revenue.

The envelope(s) please...(in alphabetical order, not ranked): (more...)

backbone · branham 300 · canada · ict · new technology · revenue · top 25 · up and comers

You can now (finally!) share your Overlays directly to your Facebook account. Well, technically you could always "share" any Overlay on Facebook, but it was just the URL that linked to our site. Now you can share the working player right in Facebook and it do from the player itself. All you have to do is click on the SHARE tab of any Overlay you like and then click on the SHARE TO FACEBOOK link located inside the share window.

You'll be prompted to sign into Facebook and once you do so the Overlay player will appear on your profile page, sans carousel, and in the feeds of any friends that follow you.  See Jane. See Jane's shared Overlay.

The Overlay player in Facebook works like it normally would with all its functionality including, clickable hotspots. You can even start the creation process right in Facebook. It's not perfect yet, but were still working on ways to make the integration better so that you can have the best Overlay experience on Facebook, and anywhere else for that matter. Stay tuned!

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As Shannon had posted last week, the gang here at Overlay.TV is headed off to SXSW in Austin, Texas today. Shannon also encouraged y'all (Texas style!) to drop by our Platinum Booth during Interactive for a visit, and that we'll have tons of freebies and give-aways and, on the final day, the best thing of all - FREE BEER! What Shannon forgot to mention was that if you do swing by our booth (located at station 317/416 by the way ) you'll also have the opportunity to get laid ... *ahem* I mean get Overlayed. What does this mean exactly? Well I think that y'all will just have to c'mon down to our booth and find out for yourselves We'll be posting more once were down Austin way, so stay tuned for updates. Soon you’ll be able to tell all your friends - I GOT OVERLAYED @ SXSW!
For now, please sit back and enjoy the Overlay below:

beer · I Got Overlayed @ SXSW · Interactive · overlays · SXSW