93South - Thoughts on New England Web 2.0

It’s been a busy year so far…and it’s only April.  Most companies would be focusing just on one product or website but I’ve been working hard on the launch of two new websites.  One is a social network site for viral video fans the other is a music video site that is more like watching TV than watching online video - keep reading for the details. 

I would like to say that I will return to writing about local Boston web 2.0 companies on a regular basis (for example, check out spotstory.com) soon.  However, these websites are just the tip of the iceberg (see the news for a taste of other releases to come).  It will be a busy worklife for some time to come.  Here are the the two new sites.

SceneMaker.net - Social Video Tagging…As If 3 Minutes Is Not Short Enough!

SceneMaker.net is a social network of viral video fans where users share just the good scenes from an a video posted on YouTube, Metacafe and others.  The site is a way for users to bookmark specific moments in online video and email, post or IM just that scene around. 

Here is an example from one user who bookmarked each trick from a BMX video posted on Metacafe.  A good example of a 2 -3 minute video broken down into 17 smaller segments or “scenes.”

American Idol fan?  You should check out the associated SceneMaker blog that I setup to drive traffic into the SceneMaker site.  The blog is quickly growing into one of the top AI sites on the web - one post grabbed over 2,000 comments in one week (it also was the subject of a FOX25 news segment last Tuesday as well).  It’s no wonder why American Idol scenes are one of the most popular videos to tag on the site. 

Here is another example of what you can do with the site - one of the last episodes broken down by performance.   Each scene that users bookmark gets a unique URL and embed code - for example, check out Simon’s comments on this seasons “star” - Sanjaya.

Pretty cool, right?  Visit SceneMaker.net and Setup Your Profile.

GotuitMusic.com - Free Online Music Videos

Like music videos?  At the sametime, I was also working hard on delivering a flash-based music video site featuring videos from Universal Music Group, EMI, KOCH and a host of independent record labels.  The site has a massive R&B, Hip Hop and Alternative collection of videos from artists like Akon, MIMS, Fergie and other top music artists.

The site is only the first step to an upcoming version that will change how music videos are watched web-wide but I do love the current version of the site for one reason - it is just so simple.  It’s just music videos, that’s it…delivered through a playlist model similar to your iPod.  There is something to be said about a site that is essentially 2 pages!

The site is completely built in flash with several hundred available “continuous playlists” - just click on a music video and sit back and relax.  Several of the playlists are 4 HOURS long - check out the Rap/Hip-Hop Master Mix.

Thoughts? Comments Below!