Do you ever wish you could comment on videos? I don't mean criticizing a YouTube video out loud to yourself. Nor do I mean commenting on one to your spouse who is trying to work uninterrupted on his or her laptop across from you. The only way to read or write public comments is to leave the video screen, scroll down, and post them below. That is, until now.
Vusay (pronounced view-say) is the first social platform that allows viewers to add their thoughts and comments at specific video moments immediately. No more leaving the screen, burying your comments, or lacking connection to fellow online video viewers. Literally, you don't have to just watch your favorite video-you can Vusay it.
It certainly makes good business sense. Today, 1.1 billion people watch more than 6 billion hours of video each month on YouTube alone, with online video users expected to increase globally to 1.5 billion by 2016.
"I looked at the huge popularity of vloggers, some of whom have become major celebrities simply by filming themselves doing everyday things," said Brown, who co-launched Vusay this year with Stephen Hebson and Taro Gold. "Then I thought, we've got to make videos truly interactive and give viewers a voice. With reports from Accenture, Nielsen, and more concluding that consumers crave more video content online, I was sure the time was right for this idea."
Vusay's free embedded technology integrates with any device, vusay.com, or any website with digital content. Then you can immediately add your thoughts and comments at specific video moments you connect with. Share them on Facebook and Twitter if you choose. Vusay's sidebar shows the real-time comments flowing at the precise moments you post them in videos.
"Vusay is about people connecting with other people, through videos, on the topics that matter to them," said Brown, whose start as a game developer influenced his founding of Vusay, as well as other tech startups.
To please the advertising professionals, Vusay offers a revenue model through native and display advertising proprietary ad engines. Media partners can also add "buy now" links in Vusay messages that help drive sales. Each individual Vusay user, or Vusayer, sees ads that are custom built to their interests.
"We are in discussion with companies including entertainment giants, universities, charities, publishers of sports, how-to content, politics, pop-culture, and more," Brown said. "We look forward to adding major business partners that will implement Vusay into their websites and other screens. And we will soon introduce the revenue strategies I mentioned into our technology, including native and display ad solutions and in-video commerce opportunities, which, of course, include revenue sharing with our partners.
In addition, Brown said they look forward to expanding Vusay for education, implementing Vusay technology in many college campuses across the nation in 2015 and beyond.
"Today's college students are extremely tech savvy, and technology has taken education by storm with explosive growth in online classes over the last decade," he said. "Lesson plans haven't quite kept pace, so there is still no easy way for professors and students to communicate interactively, particularly with online lecture videos. Vusay can take distance learning to the next level, helping to clearly annotate lectures, lessons, and lesson plans quickly and in real time. It's a great way for professors and students to communicate more effectively."
Watch this video to see how the platform works and, of course, Vusay it: