GloobTV is now out of beta and promising to offer their users “only the best new videos”. These select videos will be chosen by their editors, with users invited to contribute in a variety of other ways.

Users can add comments, pictures and video responses. According to the site’s about page Gloob’s editors job will be relieving users from having to wade through “crap” videos.

According to Gloob, the San Francisco based media company differentiates itself by utilizing the human element in filtering video for users. Gloob’s team of 25 reporters review videos around the clock and recommend between 20 and 30 new videos per day.

Online video has a problem; the sea of new and already submitted video clips has become a daunting data base to index and search. Each entity has to have a system in place to categorize and present new video to the user. 

GloobTV’s interesting “human filter” approach is an attempt to narrow user choice and save time and frustration. At best a system of rating, categorizing and to some extent suggestion as in the Veoh system provides high quality data to be “surfed” in search of preferences. 

The worst services simply crawl and gather video based on tags and then categorize them accordingly. Gloob’s system has some advantages and disadvantages that are almost immediately obvious.

Less is More?

Funneling thousands of videos through 25 people in 24 hours does not represent a filter. The math does not make sense in the first place. If there are 2500 new videos (likely many more) submitted each day to the various sites, then each one of these people would have to review 100 videos in 8 hours? 

I expect what these people have to do is “find” good videos rather than filter all video - some great video will get missed. Whatever the numbers, the “editors” are only submitting 30 new videos per day total? 

The second problem for a system like this is that the recommendations are subjective. At the end of the day what Gloob is telling the user is: “watch these few videos because we say so.” This would be acceptable if the videos were extraordinary, but they are not and cannot be for every visitor. 

Human suggestion is intuitive and exacting at times, but it fluctuates wildly at others. Web 2.0 operates on the wisdom of the crowds and this is why Veoh and others have ratings.

Gloob claims that their editors/reporters have experience in entertainment, the arts, media and news journalism. Expert recommendations would certainly amplify the site’s recommendation matrix, but still the numbers do not match up. 

I do not see 25 Gene Shalits mulling over 100 video clips at Gloob, or am I being cruel? The only efficient way these editors could screen videos would be to recommend the recommendations of other sites  expect. 

Pros

GloobTV is a very nice looking site and the idea of better filtering of video is a valid one. The video presented is of good quality and the extended descriptions are creative and often cute. 

The service is easy to join and to utilize as either a member or visitor. People who like “grabbing” a few videos at lunch or break will find this site to be a quick and simple diversion.

Cons

GloobTV is one of the most limited video sites I have tested. 25 people simply cannot screen video for millions of people. Well, they can “select” some and present them - but then the subjective nature of the selection comes into play. 

From what I see Gloob has repetitions across all categories (this would be natural in some cases) and their claim of “instant garbage free video” in my objective opinion is questionable. I hate to say bad things, and more often than not simply do not review sites with abounding issues.

Conclusion

I hope GloobTV can set in place a system where their editors can more effectively sort and scrutinize video. My advice to any video start up is to get the system right and make their insertion at the right time. 

So many sites either wait too long to insert their innovation or simply do not have any innovation to present. Video is a very crowded venue and anyone with aspirations there should have it right. 

GloobTV is not even close. This is like asking a million people to like the 25 cucumbers at the grocery store, what do they do when the cucumbers are gone? 

The key to online video filtering is indexing and search capability and Veoh and others are working on this every day. Combined with a human element, technology will allow the “individual” user to filter their preferences. 

The bottom line for Gloob and future video startups is: “Don’t come late to a gunfight with a pop gun - the only people left are gunfighters!“

Phil Butler is a contributing author discussing the social networking world, his work can be found on Profy.com

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