A new site called Sketchcast launched moments ago – it’s a tool for bloggers and others to create a presentation to express an idea using a sketchpad and (optionally) a †sound recording, and then embed it into a website. Sketchcasts can also be subscribed in iTunes and RSS readers via a feed.
The video below shows an overview of what it is, using the tool itself.
The idea for the product first came from Richard Ziade in a July blog post where he proposed the term and the general need for such a tool. Ziade isn’t associated with the new company around the tool, but they give him credit for inventing the idea. They also say he gave them his full permission to take the idea and run with it. Which is exactly what they did.
This is a good idea, though I can’t see people going through the website and viewing sketchcasts the way they do with youtube videos. Which puts a little crunch on the monetization value.
Certainly a useful tool in specific situations. I assume their business model is to try and get acquired by a blogging platform who would integrate it as an integral feature – there’s no way for the company to generate worthwhile revenue otherwise. Is this a ‘quick flip lottery’ business model?
great & simple idea. I’ll use it.
I would use it – Import an image and sketch on it – Even better !?
A very similar similar idea was launched by a Scandinavian university quite a few years ago, called ‘Explanograms’ (admittedly not so sticky pre-podcast-age name).
http://explanogram.it.uu.se/
While the involved tech was not as simple (Java, Anoto), the whole process was more advanced (write with pen on paper, upload with your mobile etc.).
Good Demo Explanogram at http://explanog...iko&sound=1
This is an interesting tool, but it’s use could be far more widespread than just blogging. I would find an online white-board incredibly useful (and I’ve often longed for one) when I’m in working groups/discussions/negotiations with people in various locations. Does an online white board already exist? If not, a real-time Sketchcast would do the trick.
Hey… bad link on the pic
it took me to http://www.scetchcast DOT jpg
Hmmm. Seems to me that the idea is predicated on a problem that doesn’t necessarily exist. Who takes 10 – 15 minutes to read a blog post? Personally, I read the sketchcast post in 10 – 15 seconds; sitting there trying to absorb the sketchcast video took way longer, and delivered less information that the simple, succinct text above it.
A few months back I wrote a post that applies here, summarizing my feelings on video:
// START
Its one part learning theory, one part reading mechanics, and one part personal preference. What prompted this thinking was the Gabe Riviera (TechMeme guy) Interview by 1938 Media. I’m sure its full of interesting, useful insights – but what has prevented me from watching it is the fact that I’m busy like crazy, and video is just unparseable.
Here’s the mini-Google theory: A text blog post I can skim and pick out the parts that are interesting to me for a more detailed read – essentially my brain functions as a mini-Google, crawling the post, getting a superficial understanding of its contents, assigning a PageRank to each paragraph and subsection, identifying relationships between them, and flagging certain parts (or the whole thing) for further review.
With video and voice, this is impossible: there’s no way to crawl at high speed, get the gestalt, and the dive deeper – its an all or nothing, real-time proposition that to me makes sponging and organizaing massive amounts of information (the joy of the internet!) slow and cumbersome. So I don’t bother.
// END
Read the whole thing here: http://rwurl.com/minigoogle
Anyway – sketchcasting is no doubt an interesting niche application. But personally (no ill will intended here), I hope it doesn’t catch on and replace straight text blogging.
@Joaquin: You could try http://www.scriblink.com for example?
@Alvaro: Thanx i have been looking for something like that forever! Sorry for off-topic but this is so great
@Alvaro: Thank you, I’ll check it out.
Certainly a useful tools, but I guess it only appeals to tech-savvy bloggers. It reminds me of the imacros social scripting tool, which allows you embed Javascript macros in your blog. Some will love & use it, but too complicated for “the rest”.
Sketching via mouse kinda sucks, we need pen love.. do it old school, sketch, capture, import, effect, render and upload to tube like service…
http://www.yout...h?v=QZCwOeEXjTE
The tools is great, but Hua…need more bandwith here.
Sketching with a pen (Wacom or something similar) is really cool on sketchcast! The good in this experience is that you don’t have to bring many tools to do the job: you can mix audio and drawing right there.. and the output is fast-loading.
See Academy123.com and their products at NutshellMathPlus.com, Discovery Channel’s Cosmeo.com, AOL Step By Step Math, and NutshellMath.com.
They have been doing this for four years. They were acquired by Discovery Channel in March 2006.
They recruited, hired, and trained 400 teachers with Tablet PC’s to create about 100,000 mini videos – one explanation to every problem in every math textbook in the country.
this is perfect if you have a tablet PC, I love the idea very much, he explained his idea in like 2 minutes!! imagine if he blogged this the old school way.
cool tool, I’ll use it. I think the company really shouldn’t focus on just blogging.
I’d also say it is a great compliment to the essay style blog post, NOT a replacement for it.
Great work…
Awesome tool!
That’s way cool. I made a little travel introduction to Colombia here, in just a few minutes, and I think the medium kinda lends itself to intros for travelers: http://poorbuth...visit-colombia/
Cool demo.
http://vidsonly.blogspot.com
so its http://artpad.art.com/ but with sound
Fantastic tool! Being able to insert an image would make it even better…
To Joaquin (Comment #6)…
Many of the online collaboration companies provide online real-time white-boards. WebEx, of course, is the biggest player. Other smaller ones include Yugma (cheap, and way-more-than-good-enough-for-most-uses).
great idea.. but seems like an obvious idea, and a bit of a stretch to attribute it to someone so recently in history
a copy of Slidecast by Slide share .
Sketchcast.com is down now, has been for months…