Have you created a UNC VoiceThread account yet? VoiceThread is a web-based application that “allows users to post media files and then invite others to provide comments in writing, with voice or with video.” ITS Teaching and Learning has partnered with the VoiceThread folks to roll out a UNC VoiceThread pilot.

Andrew Synowiez, a co-founder, graduated from UNC in 2005 with a BS in Computer Science and lives in downtown Durham. Andrew has also spent time at NPR, published photos in Sports Illustrated and USA Today, and digs heliotropism. Andrew took some time away from building a company and studying the diurnal motion of plant parts to answer a few of my questions…

What is your role at VoiceThread?

Something akin to a Chief Aesthetics Officer. I’m responsible for the look and feel (design) of essentially everything people can see and interact with on VoiceThread.

How many active VoiceThread accounts?

Around 100,000 users.

You’re not positioning VoiceThread as a “Web 2.0” application. How come?

Because we fundamentally don’t understand most “Web 2.0” business models which often seem to be based on fantastical exit strategies and market delusions about “new realities.” You should build what you understand and so we’re building VoiceThread’s business like you would a paint store, a restaurant, or even a print magazine. Online business can look and behave so very different from off-line ones, but great businesses are more alike than different. We imagine being a part of our customers lives 5 years from now and work back from there.

Can you speak a little to your business model? How is the business making money?

We’re a young business, and even as we pursue particular markets like education – which is really where we are making our money – we are keeping our eyes and ears open to other potential revenue sources. We’ve really built a platform, not just a tool, and so we imagine the possibility of providing a useful service for markets we’ve not yet begun to explore, e.g. the employment, dating, travel, or customer service markets.

VoiceThread seems particularly useful for educators? What are some other fields and disciplines that are responding well?

We think we could also provide a powerful tool for social marketing. We’ve recently partnered with the Ladies’ Professional Golf Association (LPGA) on a question/response forum that allows fans to ask their favorite players questions and receive responses directly within a VoiceThread. We’re also working with a New York City based hotel chain on replacing their paper hotel guest book with a VoiceThread. We believe there are plenty more examples to come, particularly in the ways in which VoiceThread can greatly enhance business communication and productivity through its asynchronous design.

Why did you decide to build the app in Flash as opposed to a more Ajax-oriented approach?

We just see Flash as a very powerful and flexible framework to work within. It is particularly well suited for media recording and playback – as we allow recording through microphones and web cams within the same player that shows all types of media, including images, documents, and videos. The original VoiceThread was Ajax and Flash based, but we spent a lot of time making HTML and JavaScript do what Flash does inherently (and with very little cross-browser incompatibilities). The 99% penetration of Flash Player 7+ also helped.

What advice do you have for other Carolina entrepreneurs?

Look at many options, consider all scenarios, and gain as much perspective as you can. Implement, stay humble, and hope you get lucky.

 

Cross-posted on ITS Web Services