I Joost don't get it

I've been writing this post in my head for some time now and it's high time I post it. There is a lot of hype around the new video service Joost. The problem is, after using it pretty extensively, I don't get the hype. I can't stomach the kool aid. The product has a contemporary, web2ish look about it, it has some good content in the channels, but some things aren't sitting right with me. Let me explain.

First and foremost, can anybody tell me why the service is delivered through a standalone application. This drives me insane. The technology driving the web has evolved enough that making people download another application to watch the content seems absurd. The chances of me installing the application are pretty good, but like many, many other apps I will soon forget about it. My web browser is becoming my hub for content. If you're not delivering through the browser you're losing me as a customer. Lots of companies are delivering through the brower. YouTube or course, Jalipo and blip just to name a couple, but Joost lacks the social networking options those sites have.

Second, the content is good, but I can get most of it on time-shifted TV through Tivo or through other video sharing sites or by going direct to the provider. Joost is signing deals with those content providers, but I think they're trying to position themselves as the cable company when they're really just a MTV. They're aggregating other produced content, but unlike MTV they're not adding new value. The content providers see Joost as another distribution point in their digital strategy, but it's not the only player. Where is the user generated content? Users are creating high quality content that, for the moment, seems to be locked out of Joost's model.

Third, the quality of the video in Joost is not that great. It's certainly not TV quality and is right on par with YouTube (see my first question). They're alleging themselves the new TV for the web. Why are they recreating the TV? This is the Internet. The TV model has issues. Issues which could be solved with some new thinking. This is just a re-package of what we've seen to date. Yes it looks shiny, but like many things web2.0 looks can be deceiving. My big question is how will I get Joost to the TV when I want it?

Finally, Joost is relying on a passé advertising models which users may be less inclined to accept. Paul McEnany and I seem to have BSP on this one. Technology allows for innovation. Innovation in content and delivery. It allows ad networks to get creative and add real value to their clients. So what is Joost doing? They're pre-rolling 15 and 30 second spots in front of video clips. Didn't they get the memo about the death of the 30 second spot?

We're still early in Joost's history and there is certainly room to improve. Room I hope they take advantage of before somebody else knocks them out. Don't take my word for it though, see for yourself. I still have four tokens that will go to the first four people to email me. What are your thoughts? Anybody have another opinion?

[Update: All of the tokens are gone. People are definitely interested. I'll be anxious to see their take.]

Technorati Tags:
marketing, video, innovation, interactive marketing, social networks, YouTube, technology, Joost, Paul McEnany

Comments

[pifi]

Can you send me an invitation?

[Daniel]

yeah,
I was also kinda dissapointed with joost.
It would be alot nicer if I did not have to download their program and also I agree with you about the quality.

BTW: Thanks for the invite

[Matt Dickman]

Pifi -- Sorry, I ran out of invites. If I get more you'll be first on my list. I promise.

Daniel -- No problem on the invite. I am sure they have a reason for making it stand alone...I just don't know what it is. There isn't anything there you couldn't do through a browser. Plus, like you reiterated, the quality is so-so. Thanks for your comment.

[Paul McEnany]

I'm right there with you, Matt. I still think there is enormous potential in Joost, even if just as a change agent, but they've seemed to be just a step slow so far.

I hope they don't bend over backwards for the advertisers, but make the advertisers bend over backwards for them, then maybe we'll get some real innovation...

[Matt Dickman]

Paul -- Thanks for the comment. You're right they could be a real change agent in the world of online video moving into the living room or they could be another victim of their own hype. Time will tell. I'd sure like to see them step it up a notch.

[Alex]

Joost is a standalone application to facilitate P2P sharing which is their core transmission network. A browser can't facilitate this as it's essentially a dumb application. Jalipo streams content through the browser interface via video streaming servers using Flash Media Server and the Flash plugin loaded in the browser. Services like Jalipo will reach a ceiling with users and video streaming loads as traffic will bottleneck. What is clever about Joost is that it uses the breadth of the network of users to disperse it's bandwidth requirements and maintain service quality.

[Matt Dickman]

Hey Alex -- I was being a little facetious on this post. I am aware of the platform and the architecture of Joost, I'm just disappointed with the way it's working out. Next generation operating systems will support P2P sharing over standardized protocols that could make this very possible through a browser.

Overall I see where they're trying to go and I know P2P should make the experience better, but right now Joost is horribly slow and I've seen better quality content in other sources through Flash video. only time will tell how this works out. They certainly have a head start, but there are lots of people breathing down their neck.