Should really have hung in there for six months more, but running out of cash. Traffic was increasing well, but not nearly as much as expected.

Plus, I hadn’t realised how much TVNZ was involved with youtube and of course the way to get on TV is sadly to have a fight uploaded or some other inappropriate material. Not the best way to be famous, but probably one of the only to make real media headlines.

Won’t go into a full post mortem (ie should’ve had a custom builit site/more $ etc) but a special thanks for all the e-mails, and to all those who uploaded videos and for the support and ideas I received.

I still love making video.

Cheers

Shannon

Hi Nick and DPF and others,

Yes, kiwitube allows user-generated video (like youtube) and people can advertise houses for sale (for free) and other items using video to a NZ audience.

Thanks Nick for creating some debate. Yes, as you say, kiwitube will take time to get traction, and it’s about people using it and of course contributing to it. (Please contribute!) But if one looks closely kiwitube like the youtube model, it is not just about people ripping stuff from the NZ mainstream media.

Kiwitube’s video sharing format is much broader than that, and it is particularly focused on:

1) NZ user-generated content and also on

2) video content that promotes NZ music, community groups, NZ business and tourism to a NZ and also an international audience. Having channels focused on all the tourist attractions in each of the major tourist areas is an invaluable resource for local and international visitors to find out what’s happening in NZ.

kiwitube can be successful because it takes a much broader view of what a video sharing site is. (i.e. not just copying content from NZ TV.) But please disagree below if you have another view!

One of the objectives is to provide for original content at whatever level produced by New Zealanders. (And of course overseas original content as well is welcome as well.)

kiwitube video sharing service will mean that for example during next years election, NZ’ers will have a focused video forum for commenting on the political issues that arise. Just as kiwiblog allows for, but in the video format.

It will also be a focused venue for political parties to make some of their key statements and replies to the issues discussed. They won’t need to go to a big overseas company to carry out and fulfill this video sharing need.

This can be especially useful for smaller parties and interest groups who want their message to be seen by a NZ audience. kiwitube will focus such video all in one place.

Bandwidth: Thanks for your comment Whaleoil about bandwidth. Not sure where you are, but some places experience slower downloads but not to do with our bandwidth. My own experience at many Internet café’s in Auckland and other reports from users in Auckland all report excellent download speeds. But for some users youtube could be faster than us I know. (We have a big server and huge bandwidth available. Not that it couldn’t be bigger!) But other parts of NZ and even Auckland still have problems. The pipes and peak user times are far more of an issue than anything to do with bandwidth

Any reports on download speeds? Any believers or skeptics on the kiwitube NZ user-generated video model promoting all things NZ? Thanks for the space to discuss. I look forward to your critical comment and support for this NZ venture.

Cheers
Shannon B
kiwitube director/founder.