TechCrunch and others are reporting that our long-time partner, leading digital memory site Shutterfly, is in the process of acquiring slick photo start-up ThisLife, a service I blogged about extensively a few weeks back. The rumored price tag is $25 million.
If these reports are true, then forgive me as I pat myself on the back for not being surprised at all about this result. Why?
Because, as I previously wrote -- in fact this was the last line of that earlier blog -- "perhaps ThisLife's founders are betting that sufficient market traction will make the already-established online photo services of the world stand up and take notice -- and ultimately acquire them."
Well that, in fact, apparently is happening now with Shutterfly (a company that would be the most obvious choice right now from my perspective). Why? Because ThisLife is the perfect complement to Shutterfly's existing industry-leading service (of which I have been a customer for over 10 years now -- and over 33,000 pics later). How do I know that number? Because ThisLife absorbed all of those images from my Shutterfly account when I first signed up for the service. The two services already were effectively joined at the hip ...
(NOTE -- my company, Sorenson Media, is the full end-to-end video service provider for Shutterfly -- a company I respect deeply both as a partner, and as a long-time customer).
Tampilkan postingan dengan label ThisLife. Tampilkan semua postingan
Tampilkan postingan dengan label ThisLife. Tampilkan semua postingan
Jumat, 04 Januari 2013
Selasa, 11 Desember 2012
Evergram -- A "MUST SEE" Future Messaging Platform
It's the holidays -- maybe that's why I'm nostalgic. Yesterday, I wrote about a great new "must check out" online photo archiving service called "ThisLife." Today, it's all about "Evergram"-- which first and foremost is a "future messaging" platform -- a service that enables users to create messages easily now for future delivery later. Think about the nostalgic possibilities there. Weddings. Birthdays. Here is Evergram -- in Evergram's own words ... actually, video ...
I recently sat down with Evergram's founder, CEO and serial entrepreneur Duncan Seay to learn more. Duncan, a great guy by the way (the kind of passionate person you want behind any venture), told me that he was inspired to build Evergram as a result of a brush with his own mortality. You see, Duncan was diagnosed with cancer in 2010 -- at a time when his son was just 11 -- and Duncan thought about the need to create memories that last for family member (and the lack of easy-to-use and reliable services to create and make those lasting memories readily available).
So, while Evergram today is, in Duncan's words, "a group video messaging platform with collaborative social giving," Evergram ultimately is focused on being THE "future messaging company" -- focusing its service on much more distant-future message delivery. As one example, I could record a message today for my now 13 year-old daughter that will be automatically delivered to her only years from now on the date of her wedding (by tapping into relevant databases). Or, if I had serious health issues, I could record all kinds of messages now for future delivery on events I may or may not see well off in the distance (again, by tapping into relevant databases).
Duncan believes this "future messaging" market ultimately will easily run into the billions of dollars.
Is he a starry-eyed dreamer? Perhaps, but isn't that what any entrepreneur worth their salt should be? Isn't that what the good folks behind ThisLife are?
Building that dream -- achieving "success" -- are massive challenges. But, having a foundation of passion is a great way to start. Without it, you are dead in the water.
Duncan has it. Evergram has it. ThisLife has it.
That alone makes them worth checking out. Hey, TechCrunch just recently did (that's how I discovered Evergram). And, they too were smitten.
I recently sat down with Evergram's founder, CEO and serial entrepreneur Duncan Seay to learn more. Duncan, a great guy by the way (the kind of passionate person you want behind any venture), told me that he was inspired to build Evergram as a result of a brush with his own mortality. You see, Duncan was diagnosed with cancer in 2010 -- at a time when his son was just 11 -- and Duncan thought about the need to create memories that last for family member (and the lack of easy-to-use and reliable services to create and make those lasting memories readily available).
So, while Evergram today is, in Duncan's words, "a group video messaging platform with collaborative social giving," Evergram ultimately is focused on being THE "future messaging company" -- focusing its service on much more distant-future message delivery. As one example, I could record a message today for my now 13 year-old daughter that will be automatically delivered to her only years from now on the date of her wedding (by tapping into relevant databases). Or, if I had serious health issues, I could record all kinds of messages now for future delivery on events I may or may not see well off in the distance (again, by tapping into relevant databases).
Duncan believes this "future messaging" market ultimately will easily run into the billions of dollars.
Is he a starry-eyed dreamer? Perhaps, but isn't that what any entrepreneur worth their salt should be? Isn't that what the good folks behind ThisLife are?
Building that dream -- achieving "success" -- are massive challenges. But, having a foundation of passion is a great way to start. Without it, you are dead in the water.
Duncan has it. Evergram has it. ThisLife has it.
That alone makes them worth checking out. Hey, TechCrunch just recently did (that's how I discovered Evergram). And, they too were smitten.
Senin, 10 Desember 2012
ThisLife Online Photo Service Powerfully Showcases Your Life
ThisLife is a new online photo storage, management and sharing service.
But, does the world really need another?
Listen, I am a long-time user of Shutterfly -- THE leading online photo/video/memory sharing service in the U.S. Have been for over 10 years. And, I take a lot of pictures ... and buy a lot of photo books.
Yet, I recently learned about ThisLife in TechCrunch, so I decided to give it a spin.
Here's the deal -- it works as advertised ... beautifully. It doesn't replace my Shutterfly account, which will always be my "go to" service and vault. But, it complements it nicely.
First, ThisLife is drop-dead easy -- very few whistles and bells. The service definitely follows the mantra "less is more." And, it works.
Unlike most other online photo services, ThisLife is primarily about storing and private viewing/sharing of your stored memories -- it isn't focused on public sharing. I like that. ThisLife is great for your family and friend memories. ThisLife makes uploading your still images drop-dead easy. You can simply connect to your existing online photo accounts on other sites -- including Shutterfly and Facebook -- and, voila, ThisLife takes over from there. In a matter of perhaps 30 minutes, ThisLife had absorbed all of my 32,000+ still images from Shutterfly (which go back to 2002). Yes, all 32,000 of them! And, while ThisLife was feeding off my Shutterfly account in the background, I was able to view those that had already been uploaded. Seamless. Fun. Impactful.
Once your memories are uploaded, you immediately see them presented altogether in a time-line of your life (that you slide from old to new with a horizontal "slider"). It is an impactful and poignant way to view your life's memories -- life as it has evolved over time. I immediately showed my wife and my two kids -- we shared the ThisLife experience -- and we were mesmerized for quite a while. It was fun to re-live those memories ... and to do it so easily.
While I would add (and have suggested) a few features to ThisLife -- including the ability to create slideshows and view ThisLife on my television via AirPlay -- why quibble? This is ThisLife's MVP -- and it is solid. I will use it. (FYI -- ThisLife's customer service expert, Nicole, was expeditious, enthusiastic and thorough when responding to my suggestions; and indicated that AirPlay "is definitely on our radar"; she also indicated, interestingly, that they intend to add physical publishing options a la Shutterfly (books, etc.)).
But, while I like it (a lot), ThisLife, through no fault of its own, will never be my primary online storage vault for My Life memories. Too much risk involved, because what happens if that nascent service simply never makes it and fades away? Then, as goes the company/service, so go your life memories. And, this is no idle risk. Many similar life-time memory services have gone the way of the dodo bird -- including some, like FlipShare (remember the Flip cam?), operated by 800 pound gorillas (Cisco in the FlipShare case). Who would have thought that one would become extinct, essentially abandoning its customers?
Of course, no service -- not even one operated by a long-established company like Shutterfly -- can guarantee perpetuity. But, I place my bet on a long-established company like Shutterfly over a start-up like ThisLife. So, that means that ThisLife will always be an added flavor for my memories -- a special sauce, if you will.
Can ThisLife build a long-term viable, compelling, monetizable stand-alone business facing this kind of reality (and an extremely crowded and "noisy" market where it is difficult to rise above the din)?
I certainly hope so. But, the odds are long.
Still, it doesn't mean they shouldn't try. And, you can sense the passion behind ThisLife.
In any event, perhaps ThisLife's founders are betting that sufficient market traction will make the already-established online photo services of the world stand up and take notice -- and ultimately acquire them.
But, does the world really need another?
Listen, I am a long-time user of Shutterfly -- THE leading online photo/video/memory sharing service in the U.S. Have been for over 10 years. And, I take a lot of pictures ... and buy a lot of photo books.
Yet, I recently learned about ThisLife in TechCrunch, so I decided to give it a spin.
Here's the deal -- it works as advertised ... beautifully. It doesn't replace my Shutterfly account, which will always be my "go to" service and vault. But, it complements it nicely.
First, ThisLife is drop-dead easy -- very few whistles and bells. The service definitely follows the mantra "less is more." And, it works.
Unlike most other online photo services, ThisLife is primarily about storing and private viewing/sharing of your stored memories -- it isn't focused on public sharing. I like that. ThisLife is great for your family and friend memories. ThisLife makes uploading your still images drop-dead easy. You can simply connect to your existing online photo accounts on other sites -- including Shutterfly and Facebook -- and, voila, ThisLife takes over from there. In a matter of perhaps 30 minutes, ThisLife had absorbed all of my 32,000+ still images from Shutterfly (which go back to 2002). Yes, all 32,000 of them! And, while ThisLife was feeding off my Shutterfly account in the background, I was able to view those that had already been uploaded. Seamless. Fun. Impactful.
Once your memories are uploaded, you immediately see them presented altogether in a time-line of your life (that you slide from old to new with a horizontal "slider"). It is an impactful and poignant way to view your life's memories -- life as it has evolved over time. I immediately showed my wife and my two kids -- we shared the ThisLife experience -- and we were mesmerized for quite a while. It was fun to re-live those memories ... and to do it so easily.
While I would add (and have suggested) a few features to ThisLife -- including the ability to create slideshows and view ThisLife on my television via AirPlay -- why quibble? This is ThisLife's MVP -- and it is solid. I will use it. (FYI -- ThisLife's customer service expert, Nicole, was expeditious, enthusiastic and thorough when responding to my suggestions; and indicated that AirPlay "is definitely on our radar"; she also indicated, interestingly, that they intend to add physical publishing options a la Shutterfly (books, etc.)).
But, while I like it (a lot), ThisLife, through no fault of its own, will never be my primary online storage vault for My Life memories. Too much risk involved, because what happens if that nascent service simply never makes it and fades away? Then, as goes the company/service, so go your life memories. And, this is no idle risk. Many similar life-time memory services have gone the way of the dodo bird -- including some, like FlipShare (remember the Flip cam?), operated by 800 pound gorillas (Cisco in the FlipShare case). Who would have thought that one would become extinct, essentially abandoning its customers?
Of course, no service -- not even one operated by a long-established company like Shutterfly -- can guarantee perpetuity. But, I place my bet on a long-established company like Shutterfly over a start-up like ThisLife. So, that means that ThisLife will always be an added flavor for my memories -- a special sauce, if you will.
Can ThisLife build a long-term viable, compelling, monetizable stand-alone business facing this kind of reality (and an extremely crowded and "noisy" market where it is difficult to rise above the din)?
I certainly hope so. But, the odds are long.
Still, it doesn't mean they shouldn't try. And, you can sense the passion behind ThisLife.
In any event, perhaps ThisLife's founders are betting that sufficient market traction will make the already-established online photo services of the world stand up and take notice -- and ultimately acquire them.
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