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MySpace Launches Streaming Video for Mobile Posted: 02 Dec 2008 09:40 PM PST Tonight MySpace is announcing the global launch of streaming video for mobile. In partnership with RipCode, a provider of video infrastructure solutions, MySpace will give access to their already insanely popular MySpace Video site. MySpace is the first social platform to launch a video streaming service but I’d guess that we’ll see other platforms follow suit very soon. MySpace has been consistently innovating on their video offering, providing users with HD video earlier this year. The service will be rolled out on streaming-enabled mobile devices including the BlackBerry Bold, Palm Centro, Motoroal Q9, Nokia N95, and many more. While the company hasn’t highlighted any iPhone capabilities, I’d assume that they will soon follow suit with a more robust iPhone offering. We’ve covered a number of MySpace developments recently as the company continues to expand their open platform solutions, video solutions, their advertising platform, and many other services. It’s clear that MySpace is working quickly to roll out as many new features as possible to prevent users from shifting over to Facebook. While that trend may be inevitable, the company is working hard to retain users through constant innovation. Only recently did we begin to see frequent iterations from the company which was once known for constant downtime. Those memories are a thing of the past though and now users can look forward to accessing MySpace’s video library via their mobile devices.

Flip.com is the Latest to Deadpool Posted: 02 Dec 2008 01:30 PM PST Flip.com, the social network where teen girls can create online “flip books”, is being shut down by parent company Conde Naste, according to a recent Gawker report. Launched well over a year ago during the gilded age of old media building a plethora of social networks for the purpose of gaining traffic and eyeballs, Flip.com seemed doomed from the beginning. A large focus on branded content for teen girls to use in their custom flip book designs coupled with a more-or-less walled garden approach to media sharing were just a couple of the reasons that could be attributed to Flip.com’s downfall. Then again, spending from old and new media companies alike is being curbed to a sharp degree, and staff is being trimmed along side features, portals, networks and services that just aren’t delivering. As we saw yesterday with the acquisition and subsequent shutting down of microblogging service Pownce, the doomed era has arrived for web startups. The conjectured weeding out process seems to be getting into full swing, and it’s taking no prisoners. What’s really concerning about the closing of Flip.com is the effect it will have on proposed advertising methods where brands are seeking more “organic” and integrated methods of reaching their target demographics. It looks like Flip.com’s methods failed. But Flip.com users hopefully won’t be too broken up about it. An email sent out to Flip.com users encourage them to print any flip books they’d like to save, and a good portion of the features found on Flip.com have been replicated to some degree by other media-sharing and scrap-booking services such as RockYou.

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