Ustream, Sheen Streams, We All Stream Together Posted on March 11, 2011 Post a comment

Ustream has been long undervalued by marketers, broadcasters and viewers alike. 4 years old this month, Ustream positions itself as a place where “anyone with an internet connection and a camera can start engaging with their family, friends or fans anytime, anywhere.” I’m not sure that’s the most thought-provoking explanation, but all is not lost. In their mission statement we find some true value: “Ustream’s mission is to bring people together around shared interests for amazing live, interactive experiences that build and maintain relationships.”

The name itself can’t help but evoke thoughts of YouTube, but even with the socially shortened ‘You’ in Ustream, I would argue the stream is far more powerful to YOU, than just posting to the tube.

Example du jour: As we all know by now, Charlie Sheen is on a binge to expose his new found…uhm…energy. Besides his record-breaking entry onto Twitter, he also began broadcasting on Ustream last weekend.

Marketing stunt? Drug-induced ramblings? Who cares? Sheen has proven there are others who share in his interests, which is a key part of the Ustream mission statement. Bottom line, Sheen needed a new outlet, and it appears he is ‘winning’ out of the gate with his streams. Each of his archived videos has since rolled in over a million views as well, so if you haven’t heard any new lingo this week then you must be really, really busy or something. Pretty sure no one lives under a rock these days…

While I believe Ustream will prove a great outlet for Sheen, my point here is a bit more about the why and how. Plus, there is much more to Ustream’s mission and positioning than just “bringing people together around shared interests.” We see that quality in any number of social spaces on the web already.

There is, of course, the cost: Free. This is the most direct characteristic that makes Ustream valuable. For marketers reading stories like this one, you don’t have to front the money for your own cable show for a significant audience anymore. You can get your live content in front of millions of viewers with just “an internet connection and a camera.” Luckily there isn’t a high expectation of production value at this point either, so bring a budget to the table and you can wow everyone.

Next, the “interactive experience” is, in my opinion, the most valuable part of the Ustream package. Not everyone can be at a bar to watch the game with friends every night, but with Ustream, you can rant and rave about whatever show you’re watching in a live chat window that is paired with each Ustream broadcast. It’s like the broadcast is a modern forum thread, and the comments are the responses, or vice verse. Many Ustream broadcasters use live feedback from their audience to incorporate new ideas into their shows as their broadcasting.

Then, once you have engaged the crowd, Ustream makes it easy to “build and maintain relationships.” Sheen’s own channel on Ustream is called Sheen’s Korner and it’s a far cry from Two and Half Men. But with the channel available to viewers at all times, now fans (and foes) don’t have to venture far to get their fill of Charlie. On top of that, Ustream makes it easy for viewers to participate and share with other social media platforms during a broadcast. This goes a long way to broaden burgeoning relationships with your viewers. Sheen has been broadcasting with very little regularity, which I would argue is his schedule, but he’s learned how he can generate an audience at the flip of a switch from those new relationships. That switch for Sheen is the social media carrier pigeon of Twitter. See this example.

In sum, can’t we give this live interactive streaming some real grit, already? I mean seriously people. It not only puts you in control of the podium, but it stimulates participation in real time to grow relationships all over the web’s socialscape. Turns out, Charlie was right about one thing: Winning. Winning. Winning.