We’ve been quite busy here in Santa Monica. Here are a few highlights from the last couple of months…

1) Userplane Feeds are introduced - Our initial Feeds API, Truveo Video Search allows you to embed advanced video search results on your site - which can be integrated with advertising and Userplane Money to generate additional revenue.

2) FREE Webrecorder is pushed out - Our record and share app - used for video profiles, posting a/v comments on profile pages, video blogs, and more - can now be installed with no monthly fees, supported by ads.

3) Userplane’s Facebook App - We join FB’s social graph with our very own chat app, which allows users to chat and instant message their Facebook friends using Userplane’s feature-rich tools.

4) Userplane Embraces Google’s OpenSocial - Our new APIs will allow OpenSocial application developers to integrate Userplane apps, such as Webchat, Webmessenger and Webrecorder, within their applications.

6) Our dev team diligently works on new version of Userplane Directory - about to launch! More details to follow shortly…

Userplane will be a sponsor and exhibitor at the 5^th annual Social Networking Conference, taking place in Miami, January 31 - February 1, 2008.

Scheduled topics are: new technologies, revenue models for social networking, mobile, venture capital, social networking and online personals marketing, social networking software, online personals software, global business strategies, partnerships, legal issues and payments. Historically, the Miami event has been the most significant and the largest. Converging at the Miami event are senior executives in the social networking and social media industry from several continents, including growth markets such as China and Europe.

While the Social Networking Conference is taking place at the Miami Beach Convention Center , the Internet Dating Confernce will also be taking place down the hall. Registration to the Social Networking Conference also gets you complimentary admission to the dating conference.

Let us know if you plan on attending and would like to meet up! For more information on the event, please visit their website: www.SocialNetworkingConference.com

Userplane has many exciting events that we will be sponsoring or attending. Here is our upcoming schedule:

iDate
Barcelona
October 1-2, 2007
http://www.idate2007.com/innerpage-barcelona.php

The Future of Web Apps (FOWA)
London
October 3-5, 2007
http://www.futureofwebappps.com

CommunityNext: Platforms
Sunnyvale
October 5-6, 2007
http://www.communitynext.com/

Web 2.0 Summit
San Francisco
October 17-19, 2007
http://www.web2summit.com/

If you plan on attending any of these events, we’d like to hear from you. Send us an email: busdev@userplane – we hope to see you at some of these shows!

The Userplane staff will be attending the Facebook Developer Garage tomorrow night in Los Angeles.

The last Facebook Developer Garage in LA, held at the Mahalo office, was very informative. Attendees listened to presentations ranging from “How to Market your Facebook App” to “Best ways to Monetize a Facebook App”. We even recorded the Facebook Professor, Meagan Marks, presenting developer tip and tricks (we’ll post the video later this week).

About tomorrow’s event:

Red Bull headquarters in Santa Monica will serve as the meeting grounds for the first Los Angeles Facebook Developer Garage. If you’re interested in sharing your newest application, looking for people to help you polish up an exisiting application or just want to meet with some very like minded Facebookers, this first installment will give you the opportunity to talk Platform with people from the Los Angeles area.

This is a perfect place to ask questions, share ideas and do a little partying Red Bull style. Come and meet with the current Platform developers and pick their brains about how to make your very own app climb the download charts.

So come enjoy some good tunes, good food, good people, and good times over a cold can at Red Bull’s North American Headquarters.

Schedule (All times are displayed in PST - “Red Bull Time” meaning flexible)

7:30-9:00: Cocktails
9-10:00: Featured App Presentations
10-11:00: 5 Minutes of Fame (Application/Idea Presentations)
11-?: Halo2 tourney in Room8… let us know you are interested.

All of “5 Minutes of Fame” prezo slots will be assigned in the traditional Bar Camp manner - first come first serve.

Attending iDate SF allowed me to witness innovative ideas from successful social networks striving to go mobile. Listening to key speakers, panels and exhibitors including representatives such as Mark Brooks, Bebo, Dogster, Nokia, etc. worked up an appetite where Mark Lesnick prepared an amazing luncheon and mixer. Thank you everyone for a great time. We at Userplane look forward to iDate Barcelona and 2008 events.

Janet Hyunh
Userplane Account Manager

Tonight was another well executed and informative mixer event held by the paidContent team. The ContentNext Digital Media mixer was held at the Writers Guild Theater in Beverly Hills and featured a great panel of speakers. The style was open and free flowing as topics ranged from Myspace vs. Facebook to the potential digital media impact of Joost.

Panel Speakers:
– Deanna Brown, President, Interactive, Scripps Networks
– Greg Clayman, SVP of Mobile, MTV Networks
– Mitch Lasky, General Partner, Benchmark Capital
– Ross Levinsohn, former president, Fox Interactive
– Brian Weinstein, CAA

An interesting discussion was based on what were the “it” web companies of the past few years ( Myspace - 2005, YouTube - 2006, Facebook - 2007) and what would be next… Emergence of the killer mobile media app? Joost?

Ross Levinsohn, the man behind the News Corp acquisition of Myspace, thinks that the power of super niche content and social networks could be disrupter in 2008.

An example niche site would be Dogster, a social network where dog lover’s can create profiles of their pets. With their super targeted content, sites like Dogster are successfully taking a small portion of traffic and advertising away from the larger web publishers. One cannot make the claim that Dogster alone is a disrupter, but thousands on niche content and social networks can be very powerful.

What services on the web will benefit from the rapid growth of smaller niche content and community websites? Advertising companies? Widget providers? Social network platforms like KickApps or Ning?

I think the application providers that help power these micro-sites will play a very major role in the growth of this content of the web. In fact, Userplane has been a important cog in the rise of small targeted communities by providing tools that help sites further engage their audience and monetize their traffic. Over 5000 sites add our products monthly!

Personally, I am excited to see what will be the next big “buzz word” in 2008. Facebook may be it in 2007, but will 2008 be the year of micro communities?

Userplane will have a booth at the iDate / Mobile Social Networking conference in San Francisco - please let us know if you are attending!

AOL added an easy to use video blogging feature to AOL Journals using Userplane’s Webrecorder product.

The Userplane Webrecorder enables bloggers to record posts via their webcam. The feature requires no special plugins and the webcam is instantly recognized. Possible use cases for bloggers include daily video blog recaps, blog announcements, or even full post video recordings.

How to Video Blog on AOL:

1. Setup an AOL Journals Account

• Go to AOL’s People Connection
• Click on the “Blogs” tab
• Click on “Create a Blog”
• Enter AOL screen name or sign up an account (free)

2. Create a Journal

• Select Journal/Blog type - Public or Private
• Enter a name a description for your Journal
• Select a category for you Journal (ex. Technology)
• Choose Simple or Custom setup (custom will allow you to the blog layout, colors, features and more)
• note: video blogging is available on both “simple” and “custom” journals

3. Create a video blog post

• Click on “Add Entry”
• Enter blog post “subject” (title)
• Click on “add video” or click camera icon
• Select “Record” on left side of video screen
• Allow camera detection

The Userplane Webrecorder application will appear once the camera is detected. Make sure to allow web cam connection. Once your camera is active use the simple recording function buttons to record, stop, play or cancel your video.

You can save a recording that you like by pressing “save” button located underneath “new recording (red)”. This will dock your recent video. Now you can “Add Video” or record another video to take the place of the original.

Once the blogger has successfully added the video a camera icon will appear in the blog post. To polish off the post text can be added before or after the video clip. The completed video blog post must be saved and then will be published.

Example Post - Click Here

How to video blog screencast:

How To Video Blog