Instant Video from your Phone to the 'Net

Over the past few days, I’ve recruited a few millennials to the “dark side” (aka to join Twitter) after explaining what the “point” of it really is.

I’m a little proud of this accomplishment, but it led me to write about the “next thing” that will become mainstream… now that random banks in Nebraska, a cat, and even a talking book have appeared on Twitter… I’d say it’s time to delve into something new.

Most of us have access to a video camera and microphone (especially if you have a mac… and many netbooks now have cameras embedded in them too)… so you might be thinking Skype (obvi).. but what about a video chat conference that integrates chat in a web interface, while also maintaining anonymity? Answer: TinyChat. (ps I fell in love with this web app during a mashable live chat during the facebook username golive).

IMO, tinychat could have some awesome uses – BUT moderation will be key, as even the mashable chat had a few spammers.

If chats aren’t your thing (and you don’t have a flipcam, but you do have one of these camera phones), you can set up a (free) livestream from your phone to the ‘net with Qik. Mrs.Kutcher is a fan… and so is carnival cruise lines? You can also integrate Qik with your twitter and facebook accounts.

For a more intense session of live streaming, you can use LiveStream (which also integrates with Qik believe it or not), which allows you, the camera holder, to both a virtual television studio and embeddable video player, offering users the opportunity to produce and broadcast Web video in the manner of a television network. Users can stream live video or broadcast pre-recorded video in their channels, utilizing multiple cameras and on-screen graphics. (via wikipedia)

There seem to be a variety of options for on-demand live video broadcasting, and I’ve only highlighted a few here…