Howdy folks! In the last couple weeks, we’ve been hard at work on some fancy features which we can finally share with you guys. Here’s the scoop!:
1. Go Live Button
After hearing tons of feedback from our broadcasters for an ‘easy way to go live’, we’ve prioritized it high and just released it! Chances are you’ve noticed the new “Go Live” button on the top-right corner of your VOKLE webpage. Upon clicking, a pop-up will appear letting you create an event for a specific Lineup, or allowing you to create a new one. This feature will help you quickly create an event on-the-fly without dealing with Scheduling anything!
2. Staff Picks Leaderboard
We’re all super excited about this. As VOKLE continues growing, it’s become essential to promote our best content to our Frontpage. What you’ll notice is essentially a Leaderboard of our Staff Picks which is sorted in Most Viewed. Not only is this an awesome way to promote our best broadcasters, but also a way for you to grow your audience! Keep in mind, this updates every 2 weeks!
3. Consolidated Commenting
We’ve also implemented a little change to Commenting. So right now, people can comment on Lineup pages, and Event pages. We’ve brought both systems together so that you can now comment only on people’s Lineup page (think of it as a ‘Channel Shoutbox’). This will give commenting much greater focus!
There ya go people, what are your thoughts? As always, keep the suggestions and feedback coming via the comments!
On March 26-27th, YouTubers across the country united in Orlando for Playlist Live. Many Youtube Partners, including Freddie Wong, SwiftKarateChop and Mike Lombardo swung by the VOKLE booth and partook in nerf-gun knock-outs of Ustream (Uncool and Unoriginal VOKLE competitor).
Watch the Youtubers take down their target, plus a couple other playful Playlist moments:
Last week, VOKLE helped break a world record raise money for a vital cause. Over the period of 24 hours, Twestival held a continuous broadcast that covered charity events held in over 150 cities across the world. The event shattered the world record for the most charities supported through one live broadcast, and brought focus to local causes while raising funds for Save the Children’s Japan mission.
You can also check out the Twestival website, and find out how to donate some much-needed aid to Japan. Over the last three years Twestival has raised over a million dollars in charitable funding, and VOKLE is proud we could help connect such worthy causes across the world.
Today actress Marlo Thomas scheduled an interview with celebrity rehab doctor and Loveline host Dr. Drew, for her webseries “Mondays with Marlo.” However, Marlo needed to be in New York, while Dr. Drew was working with patients in Southern California.
So this morning Marlo directed audience questions to Dr. Drew from the comfort of her Manhattan office, and Dr. Drew discussed everything from substance addiction to teenage sexuality without having to leave the rehab center. VOKLE to the rescue!
A couple weeks back, we had the great pleasure of having James Andrew stop by VOKLE HQ. For the uninitiated, James is a social media expert, former music producer and the Founder and CEO ofSocialPeople. We shared laughs and of course, he went ahead and signed our rainbow chalkboard of fame before leaving. Take a look below!
We’ve released the new promotion suite to help you promote your live events to your friends on facebook, colleagues on twitter, and even your VOKLE followers! As always we’d love to hear your feedback, so take off your earbuds and give us a shout! ;P
Promoting Your Event
You’ll first notice the new icon in your event planner. Give it a click and then you will see a couple options appear below!
Simply click which ever ones you’d like to send a message on and it will open up a simple default message which you can customize accordingly!
Once you’ve finished up with one or all of the different ways to promote your event simply click the “Promote!” icon and you’re done!
Give it a shot on your next event and please let us know what you think!
Today we delivered the custom build-a-bear to Cameron, our slogan contest winner. It was created in her likeness by our very own Miss Frankenstein, Jacquie. The bear was a cross between a frog and a pig. Fully clothed in disco attire, with a Snookie wig….and she was beautiful. Watch us surprise Cameron with her beautiful stuffed creation above!
Jacquie and Cameron with their love child (below)…and you can check out more photos here!
In our last meeting, the VOKLE team brought up a quintessential question for any start-up: “Why do we do this?” This notion may seem a little trite, but as a new member of the VOKLE team it’s very significant to me.
During my first day at VOKLE Robert and I discussed the protests in Egypt, which resonated with us as members of a free broadcast website. Since nationwide internet connection was severed by the Egyptian government, the protestor’s fervor was echoed in online communities around the world. Bloggers were up in arms, and social news sites like Digg and Reddit furiously upvoted articles promoting awareness about what was happening on the ground floor. The concern was clear: without internet access, how can the truth be told?
Broadcasts by President Hosni Murabak and resistance leader Mohamed Elbaradei were plentiful, yet people were thirsty for more images and stories from the ground.The online community desperately shared brief, torturous snapshots of what was happening in Cairo. Videos cropped up on Youtube of surrendering protestors being shot point-blank. Images were released of Christian protestors protecting Muslim citizens as they prayed amidst the violence. The city became an enigma. What was really going on in there?
So I wonder: What if VOKLE could have coordinated a live event with an Egyptian protestor? Or a politician? What if we had not only heard protestors talk, but we could ask them questions and interact with them face-to-face? What if ordinary citizens had been able to ask Mubarak pointed questions in real time, is it possible he’d have stepped down sooner? Of course, these inquiries are moot at this point, but it’s where my mind wanders when I think about the future of VOKLE.
I lived in Thailand during the red-shirt protests, and before the violence erupted I spend a lot of time talking to Thai citizens about politics. Meanwhile, the larger media outlets were promulgating stories that failed to tap into such a localized perspective, and my friends in America were unable to understand the complexity of motivations behind the rebellion. What if I’d facilitated a medium through which Americans could engage in a dialogue with a Thai protestor?
Thailand, Ecuador, Egypt… there will always be uprisings, and something as circuitous as the internet has the potential to confuse and diffuse the issue. Then again, only the internet’s countless channels of communication have the capacity cover all of the intricate inner workings of the rise and resolution of a rebellion. This, in my opinion, is where we fit in.
Now I turn my questions to you: What do you think about the relationship between online media and nations facing political turmoil? Do you see the technologies of the last decade (like public live streaming and other social media) as a contributors or solutions to the problems of the world? How, in an age of digital and political chaos, can we use technology to help people?
We’re huge fans of empowering anyone to embed VOKLE onto their websites, whether it be a single event, or an ongoing series (which we call a Lineup). Just last week, Jewelmint used both their Lineup embed code AND the individual event embed code. This allowed Kate Bosworth and Cher Coulter to promote their new jewelry line through an ‘e-junket’ streamed live across three separate fashion blogs.
Each fashion blogger promoted a unique 30-minute interview on her website, and had exclusive access to Kate Bosworth and Cher Coulter. Jewelmint shared the full series with their community by simply placing the Lineup code on their website. The three back-to-back interviews with Kate and Cher have opened new doors for virtual tours across multiple blogs, without the Hosts ever leaving their seat! First jewelry, next….space!
Check out some of the other photos taken from the scene, along with the event (below)
The time is upon us to finally announce the VOKLE slogan contest winner! There were tons of clever and inspired submissions, but the winner of the highly-coveted Build-a-Bear is Cameron Kashani (a.k.a “camsy”), for her simple slogan that speaks volumes: “Unmute yourself”
Huge congrats to Cameron for coming up with a fantastic slogan, you’ll be receiving a customized Build-A-Bear created by our very own @Jacquiengineer!
In her own words, Jacquie promises to deliver a “…BUILD-A-BEAR MODELED AFTER OUR ILLUSTRIOUS WINNER…” She noted: “…Since we’re fresh out of teddy bears up in hurr, I’ll most likely have to fetch my supplies by climbing up into one of those skankoid stuffed animal machines with the mechanical claws, presumably leaving tens and tens of sobbing toddlers in my wake when they see that I’ve pilfered the most bad ass toys in the history of the universe…”
There were many great slogans, and here are some that deserve an honorable mention.
Ed Baker: “Social video, social internet.”
Julia Taylor: “Break the silence.”
Kelly: “This is what Al Gore had in mind when he invented the internet.”
We have something special for everyone who participated in the contest, stay tuned next week for details!
