[English] 12seconds.tv

[stephen at melbpc.org.au]

The Twittering class moves on

Asher Moses The Age February 27, 2009 - 11:48AM

http://www.theage.com.au/news/technology/web/the-twittering-class-moves-
on/2009/02/27/1235237890574.html


In a sign of our times, a video version of Twitter that allows anyone to 
share moments of their lives in short, 12 second video clips is gaining 
traction among the geek crowd.

The site, http://12seconds.tv  lends weight to the increasingly common 
view that we are the most narcissistic age ever. 

What's more, the plethora of information available on the web has trained 
us to seek instant gratification, dipping in and out of sites within 
seconds if the content doesn't immediately grab our attention.

And 12seconds founder Sol Lipman is more than happy to ride the wave of 
what former Microsoft researcher Linda Stone dubbed "continuous partial 
attention".

"Twitter is leading a revolution in how people communicate with each 
other and I think we're riding that wave right now," said Lipman, who 
argues that anything more than 12 seconds is usually boring.

"We're all about status updates and we're all about sharing short bursts 
of video moments ... you don't need to watch a 10 minute video of your 
friends at the bar - broadcasting 12 seconds is plenty."

Lipman would not say how many users the site had but said the number of 
members was doubling every month for the last three months.

Users simply record a 12 second video using their PC webcam or mobile 
phone and send it straight to the site via email or MMS. The site takes 
care of the rest and can automatically publish a link to the video on the 
user's Facebook page, Twitter account or blog.

Most recent phones are supported - even the iPhone, which is not capable 
of taking video. A free 12seconds iPhone App available on Apple's iTunes 
App Store lets people take three photographs and record a short audio 
clip, which is then processed into a pseudo-video.

"For the [video] creator, with 12seconds, you don't really have to think 
about 'Is this video too long, is it too short, do I add music, how do I 
edit it?' - it's so easy to create video, and that I think is our core 
value proposition," said Lipman.

People have shared anything from concert clips to Barack Obama's 
inauguration. A hotel and restaurant in New York uses the site every 
morning to show prospective diners their lunch special, while another 
user takes care of the wine pairing based on the special. 

http://12seconds.tv/channel/rogersmithhotel

12seconds doesn't yet have the celebrity following of Twitter but rapper 
Soulja Boy has published two clips, while Grammy nominated singer-
songwriter Imogen Heap uses it to give fans a visceral glimpse into her 
normal life. 

http://12seconds.tv/channel/souljaboytellem
http://12seconds.tv/channel/imogenheap

Lipman started the site last year with two buddies, Jacob Knobel and 
David Beach, who works in a senior position at Yahoo in the US. Lipman 
and Knobel have other jobs too as - like many web startups, particularly 
in this economic climate - 12seconds has yet to find a business model.

"We're launching our revenue model in about one month," Lipman said.

This week, Britain's Times Online made waves by publishing a feature on 
Twitter quoting a clinical psychologist who said that "Twittering stems 
from a lack of identity".

In the same story, a cognitive neuropsychologist said: "Using Twitter 
suggests a level of insecurity whereby, unless people recognise you, you 
cease to exist. It may stave off insecurity in the short term, but it 
won't cure it."

Lipman said those comments may be true but at the end of the day people's 
attraction to sharing the minute details of their lives on services like 
Facebook, Twitter and 12seconds stemmed from a desire to connect with 
people and build a community - whether it's online or offline.

"To some extent we're all lonely people and I think that this is just 
another avenue for people to connect."


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