Why It's Worth Watching WorldNet

AT&T WorldNet designed and launched its video e-mail service in just four months. The debut featured a web cam promo, a gold medallist, and 60 minutes of free service. Tune in to this channel to see how it all came together.

by Alex Goldman ISP-Planet Associate Editor [June 15, 2001]

AT&T WorldNet launched its video e-mail service on last week. The service utilizes technology from Talkway Communications to make video e-mails as small as regular e-mails.

Here's how the video e-mail is shrunk—a user creates a video e-mail with a web cam, then ends the content to a server destination, where it is stored. The e-mail simply contains a link to the content, which the viewer clicks on to take a look-see.

Talkway Communications' PERSONAL TALK technology features a Java-based 240kb plug-in recorder with simple controls—such as start, stop, and record.

Ed Plaskon, product director for WorldNet, said the company did a lot of market research with its members and we know that e-mail is the one Internet application almost everyone uses.

"People are attaching photos from their weekend day trips to, say, a beach house. One of their suggestions to us was that we enable a video attachment," Plaskon said. "But the files are so large that we didn't think that would be a good user experience, so we began investigating alternatives."

Streaming smiles
Soon the WorldNet team came across the concept of streaming the video gradually rather than sending it all at once. "It's like greeting cards," Plaskon said, "once people used to send the entire card by e-mail, but now they just send links to content stored on a server."

WorldNet investigated the alternatives, and decided to work with Talkway Communications in February of 2001. "They appeared to be in a very good position from a technical point of view, and they were willing to work with us in an aggressive time frame," said Plaskon.

How aggressive? The service was on the drawing board in February and on the market in June, making the transition in less than four months, "before people started spending a great deal of time outdoors—what we call the 'summer lull'" noted Plaskon.

"Video e-mail has true viral marketing potential. I tried it out myself. I sent some video e-mails to friends, and started getting phone calls asking how I'd done it," said Plaskon.

When asked if he had any other tricks up his sleeve, Plaskon said, "I have nothing to share with you now." Ah, but stay tuned.

— End

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