Around the TV, across the miles

Digital Planet
Alka Marwaha
BBC World Service

People watch television in less conventional ways than a decade ago

Watching TV is increasingly being integrated with social networking, allowing people to watch videos and chat about them together regardless of their geographic location.

There are a number of websites that allow you to do this but View2gether is one of the more established so-called social viewing platforms.

The site uses streaming technology to enable viewers to watch videos but it is the social element that makes it novel.

"What social viewing really does in this context is it allows people to watch videos together from any number of sources, to chat about them and to search for other videos that they may be interested in," Richard Klagsbrun, the company's Senior Vice President told the BBC World Service's Digital Planet programme.

It allows the integration of content from other video sharing sites such as YouTube, DailyMotion and MySpace and allows people to comment on them in a more conversational way.

"It really does allow people to create a new sense of community," added Mr Klagsbrun.

Interaction

The website is combining watching television with social networking

Users of the site can create and participate within lounges, which are created every time a user selects a video, and are usually based on a central topic.

Within the virtual lounge viewers can find others who are watching the same thing and strike up a conversation.

"For example if you are interested in UFOs and you want to watch videos about that online - you may not know anyone who shares this interest but if you go online people can watch them together," said Mr Klagsbrun.

The system operates in real time and viewers communicate on what they are watching via the site.

"Everyone who is in a video lounge will be seeing the exact same thing," said Mr Klagsburn.

"If there's something on the screen that you want to discuss or go into any detail about, you can communicate that way with each other," he added.

The site also allows users to participate in what videos are played by voting on whether they like or dislike a pick or if they want to skip a video altogether.

"You can also add them to a list of videos that everyone gets a say in and it becomes a very participatory experience where everyone is watching the same thing at the same time," said Mr Klagsburn.

A unique reward system also grants more video selections to users whose picks garner the most positive response from the viewers.

Changing habits

The site allows people who are physically apart to feel close, said Mr Klagsburn.

"People have friends and family all over the world and this site gives them the opportunity to get together in a way that no other media does right now," said Mr Klagsburn.

The website also has educational value, he thinks.

Celebrity gossip tends to lend itself to less serious comments Richard Klagsbrun

"We've had educators contact us who have said that this is an ideal way of teaching a class as sometimes students don't have an opportunity to physically be there," said Mr Klagsburn.

"A lecturer could actually show his students a video and get comments that way," he added.

The type of comments and conversation depend on the nature of what is being watched.

"For example, celebrity gossip tends to lend itself to less serious comments," said Mr Klagsburn.

However, conversations tend to be a bit more sensible if the topic is related to news or science.

Digital Planet is broadcast on BBC World Service on Tuesday at 1232 GMT and repeated at 1632 GMT, 2032 GMT and on Wednesday at 0032 GMT.

You can listen online or download the podcast.