We Want Media

Monday's episode of Rocketboom was a feature devoted to TVTonic an attempt to merge television and video blogs into the internet channel. TVTonic aggregates video blogs then adds commercials and provides a TV-like interface for navigation.

My issue with TVTonic is its lack of compatibility, which brings flashbacks of being Mac user in the mid-90s. Rocketboom can manage to export its product in seven different formats; the line between formats gets blurrier every day. It's no longer practical to make internet content available in only one format any more.

Speaking of Rocketboom, Amanda Congdon continually talks about how she hopes to create a network of original content videoblogs. TVTonic is a poor execution of this concept and I only hope that Amanda and her crew will do better work. They understand the need for nearly universal compatibility and really creative content. In the future, a network of original programming will succeed a mere aggregator of content.