Lycos Mix is a new tool whereby multiple users can share video clips from various sources across the web and bring them together in one playlist. Playlists consist of similar topics, enabling communities to grow and share common interests.
Lycos MIX allows users to respond to a video with another video; this will gradually build up into a collection of videos with a common theme. What differentiates Lycos Mix from existing video sites is that the video experience is placed in the hands of the user - that is, the user has full control when creating a playlist of favourite video clips, as well as the ability to chat in a shared online environment.
Brian Kalinowski, chief operating officer for Lycos, commented:
"Lycos MIX continues the evolution of community and video with a true Web 2.0 collaborative, contributory and interactive social viewing experience. Unlike social networking sites, each MIX is a collection of video clips where users socialize around content, not individual people or profiles, creating combinations of lasting content to share with others. With Lycos MIX, users can create an amalgamation of video content where others participate by viewing, commenting and adding more clips."
Lycos Mix is an extension of Lycos' "watch and chat" technology, launched in November 2006. Lycos Cinema was the first social network platform that allowed users to watch videos and chat about their content at the same time. However, Lycos Mix now enables users to take video clips from other top video sites and add them to the MIX, so users can chat, interact and socialise simultaneously.
Lycos MIXES can be created for free, and users can choose whether they want their MIX to be public (i.e. available for anyone to view and add to) or private, where they'll have full control of what is added to it. There is also a 'moderate MIX' where anyone can submit videos to a playlist. This, however, has to be approved by the owner before it's officially added. Users can create as many MIXES as they like and add as many video clips as they wish. They can also email the MIXES to friends and invite them to participate.
In addition, Lycos MIX incorporates some useful functions such as their "MIX It" bookmark feature, which enables users to quickly and easily add videos from other sites without cutting and pasting URLs. Users can also rate MIXES with the permanent comment and rating system features.
Lycos MIX is supported by a range of internet browsers, including Internet Explorer, Firefox and Safari.
