Here is the video they created, comment now so we can meet our ROI goals. :)

See below for ALL embedded players on one page of insanity! :)

It all started with an empty coffee pot. In 1991 researchers working at Cambridge University would visit the communal coffee pot only to find it empty. Caffeine-fueled geeks working late into the night pointed a camera at the machine and wrote some code to capture the images and distribute it on the network.
The “webcam” was born. Jump ahead 18 years. Now, live video online is as integral to our lives as caffeine. We watch presidential inaugurations live on Ustream; CNN pulls in live “iReport” video feeds from viewers; live video conferencing and chat is part of our work life; and software and devices have made it easy for anyone to broadcast video on the internet. We have gone from looking at a coffee cup in England to watching 190 minutes of online video a month, according to Nielsen. Online video is here to stay, and more and more of it is live.

But how do we choose the right tool? Whether you’re a corporation looking for an enterprise-level solution or a college kid who wants to chat with your buddies, there are a bunch of different platforms to choose from. After researching a slew of different websites, I selected 11 live video services to compare and contrast.

The Rules
Traditionally, live webcasts for broad audiences have been planned far in advance and require specialized equipment and personnel, and Streaming Media covers that realm regularly. But the latest trend in live streaming is toward increased speed from concept to delivery; it’s consumer-driven, and it requires only the most basic equipment. Now, even larger organizations are moving toward this model. So my criteria for selecting the sites reviewed here were simple:

1. It must be able to live stream video from a webcam.
2. It must be able to record while streaming.
3. It must be able to embed the recorded video into another site.

The Equipment
The equipment I used is slightly more powerful than what’s become standard fare for an average internet user, but not by much. My laptop is a MacBook Pro 2.53GHz Intel Core 2 Duo with 4GB of RAM and the built-in iSight Camera. I used an Audio-Technica AT3035 microphone with an ART USB Dual Pre USB Preamp and a basic set of headphones for the audio portion. For the browser, I used the latest version of Firefox.

I recorded all videos under the same conditions and attempted to use a similar script but with the site names changed to protect the innocent.

Grab a cup of coffee and let the comparisons begin.

Eleven services met my criteria:

• blogTV
• Justin.tv
• Kyte
• LiveCast
• Livestream
• make.tv
• Stickam
• Twitcam
• ubroadcast
• Ustream
• Yaika

I tested multiple video recording/sharing sites that did not fit the specific criteria for this article, but I wanted to include the list so you can check them out on your own:

flixwagon.com
qik.com
livevideo.com
veetle.com
twitvid.com
12seconds.tv
glomera.com
mobatalk.com
yfrog.com

Click here to compare the 11 embedded players all on one page!

Click here for the full size comparison chart.

Click here for the original article published on Streaming Media.com and in Streaming Media magazine.

It’s all about people.

I know it’s hard to remember this when we have flitted about like moths over the years from Friendster to MySpace to Facebook to LinkedIn to Twitter to whatever is next. We can be easily blinded by the shiny trinkets of the latest technology and think that it will solve our problems. Relationships are the only thing that will last.

I have been reminded of this recently and it took me back to a cartoon from my friend Hugh Macleod over at GapingVoid.com.

There is no quick fix or overnight success formula for trust. It takes time and sweat, two things which seem lacking in our instant gratification world. So remember this, technology is just another tool to help you build trust.

Take a second today to thank someone who trusts you. It was not easy to get there.

Update
I can’t talk about trust without mentioning Chris Brogan and Trust Agents. Community of Trust Agents on Facebook link. Thanks Brandon

Check out Bristol Motor Speedway here.

Join us on Facebook and Twitter. We are breaking a Guinness world record this year for the largest group karaoke song.

See some great photos from our previous shoots. Racing thinkjose on flickr.

I remember the day my dad bought a Fisher Stereo System with a CD player. Listening to Compact Discs (I realize calling them by their full name makes me sound like a cranky grandpa) was like hearing music for the first time. It was so clear you could see through it and I would crank that knob to eleven and fill the house with Brubeck & Desmond, Edvard Grieg, and Stephane Grappelli. (I would sneak in my DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince album occasionally) But one of my favorite CD’s was by Bobby McFerrin. I had never heard anything like that, a man who could make his mouth & body sound like an orchestra. I was blown away.

It’s hard to find things that gather our full attention and really “blow us away” but I had another one of those moments today when I watched this video. Almost 25 years later Bobby McFerrin has surprised me again. I give presentations all the time but I forget how simple and powerful true interaction with the audience can be.

World Science Festival 2009: Bobby McFerrin Demonstrates the Power of the Pentatonic Scale from World Science Festival on Vimeo.

Thanks to my dad for forcing me to listen to great music, even when I didn’t want it. JoeCastillo.com
Thanks to BoingBoing for the link.
And thanks to my crappy record player & the Salvation Army for introducing me to great music I never would have heard if I had a tape deck & more money.

Update: Not crazy about the auto play. Sorry about that. I have removed the embed of the player. You can click here to watch it. http://twitcam.com/4fe

I also rant about a good niche business idea around 3rd party delivery. Taking national ideas to a regional and local level with help from the web is super hot!

Check out my top ten reasons why I think you should probably wait and see on the Blu-Ray disc format.

Although I will admit the Dark Knight on Blu-Ray is pretty sweet. And everybody looks better in HD…

Ok maybe not everybody.

Well done and welcome to a small group of folks who actually understand how to use social media.

Thanks to Brad for sharing.