The U.S. Department of State has launched a worldwide competition aimed at “enhancing the global dialogue on democracy”. The launch is timed to coincide with the United Nations’ first International Day of Democracy, September 15, 2008. With the contest, the Department of State is making a big Web 2.0 leap, complete with a YouTube channel and […]

HBO wants you to try “Hooking Up” on the web.  It’s announced a new web video show, Hooking UP, that will feature microcelebrities Jessica Rose (lonelygirl15) and video bloggers sxePhil (Philip DeFranco) and KevJumba (Kevin Wu). HBO hopes that, by using faces familiar to Internet viewers, they’ll be hooking up with the Internet video audience.  “I think […]

  More people are watching video online than ever, with the percent of the total U.S. Internet audience viewing online video now topping 75%.  What’s this mean to you? In  a few years, your television will be more like your computer than a traditional television.  comScore today released July 2008 data from the comScore Video Metrix […]

Apple’s Let’s Rock event today offered anticipated updates to the iTunes and Apple’s iPod lines, but failed to do two things that many were hoping for: eliminate concerns over Steve Jobs’ health and offer “one more thing” – an unexpected introduction with some “wow”.  Jobs noted wryly that “The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated,” […]

Ashton Kutcher introduced his web startup, Blah Girls, at the TechCrunch50 today.  As NewTeeVee’s Liz Gannes puts it, “Not only is this one a celebrity-driven startup, but it’s about celebrities. It’s an animated web video show with interactive elements.” It’s also dead on arrival.  Everybody seems to be so wowed by the Ashton Kutcher angle […]

Video sharing site Dailymotion has announced a partnership with the One Laptop Per Child Foundation to let OLPC XO computer users share videos online. Beneath its toylike exterior, the XO is an advanced device with a rotating screen, dual laptop-tablet modes, a regular color display for photos and videos and a high-contrast black-and-white mode for […]

Viddler has launched 15s, a site that lets you create short webcam videos and post them to Twitter.  In other words, it’s a 12seconds-killer, with 25% more video hosting power. We can see where this is heading – a short video arms race….. Here’s an example, via a naked Gary Vaynerchuck:

In July, we reported on the open-source movie community A Swarm of Angels – a group that hopes to update “the current filmmaking models of Hollywood and independent film to create cult cinema for the digital age.” They’ve announced what they are calling the world’s “first open source film trailer,” for The Unfold, a sci-fi thriller being made […]

TubeMogul has announced a new service, TubeMogul Marketplace, that is designed to hook up video producers with advertisers: We just launched “TubeMogul Marketplace,” a “dating” site aimed at connecting online video producers with advertisers, investors and others looking for opportunities in new media. The site features searchable profiles of Web shows, including each show’s cross-site […]

Video blogger Brigitte Dale, above, has announced that she’s moving to ABC Family. Dale’s video blog, which covers news, pop culture and twenty-something issues, will be featured on ABCFamily.com starting this month. Ms. Dale will continue to write, produce and edit the video blog, which will be produced in partnership with Stage 9 Digital Media. […]