One month ago, we kicked off a contest to give away an “App Dream Package” to a lucky entrepreneur looking to maximize online video courtesy of Widget Realm. Why? Practicing what we preach. Here on RISE I often talk about the benefits of online video and creating awesome video content. But for you to show your talent you need the right tools. So we teamed up with Widget Realm who is the leader in creating some amazing tools for content creators. The winner receives: -A Desktop App (a downloadable video player for your audience to put on their Desktop) -A TV App (in partnership with Yahoo! Connected TV which takes your online content and streams to a variety of TV’s from Samsung, Sony, Vizio and more) -Mobile Video Apps: (iPhone, Blackberry, Android) -Content Configuration And Management -Video Encoding …bottom line a HECK of a deal. We had an overflow of entries and pitches sorted by Brian Powell, founder of Widget Realm and the winner (after much deliberation is): SocializeYourCause.org submitted by David Wells. Brian selected Socialize Your Cause due to their amazing vision and bright future. For those curious, here was the “pitch” sent in by David: I was excited to hear about this contest. I recently started a collaborative blog (http://www.socializeyourcause.org) focused on educating non-profit organizations on how to better leverage social media to further their cause. Since launching last month, We have seen an enormous amount of traffic and feedback from the non-profit sector! We cover a variety… Read More

Apps are all the rage nowadays: There are apps for, well, pretty much everything: -Apps for your phone. -Apps for your TV. -Apps for your car (Ford). -Apps for your toilet (maybe not…but you get the point). Apps are amazing business tools ESPECIALLY if you are creating video: 1. Your own app takes your content and gets it onto multiple platforms. The potential for more eyeballs is always a good thing. 2. TV apps essentially mean you can have your own international TV content overnight through Yahoo!’s Connected TV Platform (currently comes installed in Sony, Vizio, LG and Samsung TV’s). Here is a clip on TV apps and some thoughts on why tweeting from your TV and TV apps is a game-changer. 3. Apps go way beyond just the iPhone. Droid, Blackberry and even desktop apps on your computer are becoming more & more popular. 4. Apps are becoming more video friendly with the potential to get your videos watched by more and more people. 5. Apps are normally expensive and complicated to make…until now. You Can Win A VIDEO App Dream Package Our sponsor and friend Widget Realm is kicking off their new app offerings. And guess who benefits? All of us. Why? Because they are giving one lucky member of The Rise To The Top community the following: -Custom-Made Mobile Apps (iPhone, Blackberry AND Droid) -A Custom-Made Desktop App (Your customers/clients/fans/community can download it right onto their computer) -A Custom-Made TV App (YES! Your video content will available… Read More

Yahoo! has been making waves lately with the changing of upper management and dealing cards with Microsoft, but their biggest play may be Yahoo! TV Widgets also known as Yahoo! Connected TV. I think it is a fundamental  game-changer for the future of television and content. Also, it will be something that content-producing AND consuming entrepreneurs are going to want to keep an eye on. There have been many ill-fated attempts to bring the Internet TV. These have failed for numerous reasons including bad partnerships, poor distribution and most importantly crappy user-interfaces that felt like a browser on your TV. In nutshell, Yahoo TV Widgets allows you to connect your TV to WiFi and bring up customizable widgets on your screen such as Twitter (Tweet from your TV!), Netflix, Flikr and original programming. Original programming is more interactive than regular TV and always on demand. The Rise To The Top is fortunate to be launching worldwide on Yahoo! TV widgets this fall (as well as ABC and many other sources) but this is something I’m excited about not just for the wonderful opportunity we have been presented with but how it will effect you as the entrepreneur, content-provider or simply consumer. Yahoo is definitely onto something with their new offering and here is why: 1. Strong Partnerships: Yahoo! TV Widgets was formed jointly with Intel. This means that the technology is actually in TV’s from LG, Vizio, Sony and Samsung and they are all on board with it. When you… Read More