| Search Engines, Social Networking web sites, | | | | daylights out of me every time I see them on a |
| News web sites and many other web sites are in | | | | web site. This is more advanced - way more |
| existence today because there is a large user | | | | advanced; almost sci-fi. |
| base that justifies their existence. No matter how | | | | Using Natural Language Processing, AIML based |
| hard web site owners try, by adding photos, | | | | Artificial Intelligence objects, Live Ambassador |
| blogs, social profiles etc, the fact of the matter is | | | | Web site spokesperson technology and advanced |
| that there is nothing personal, nothing human | | | | video rendering scripts (I'd use Adobe Flex to build |
| about content on the web. Industry innovators | | | | them) there might be a way to piece together |
| such as Google and Microsoft are both actively | | | | several small video clips (100% seamlessly) to |
| seeking out new ways of "Humanising" the online | | | | produce a real life, believable and adaptable |
| experience. By that I mean giving the online | | | | website spokesperson for any web site. Now |
| activity a the Human Touch. Natural Language | | | | there are web sites that have attempted to do |
| Processing and the Semantic Web are two of the | | | | just that, but the lack of seamlessness makes |
| most prominent initiatives of the current times | | | | the whole thing look really unprofessional. |
| that are targeted at bringing more and more of | | | | Anyone can take 10 video clips, bundle them |
| the Human touch into the internet realm. I spell | | | | together as a playlist and have them render on |
| human with a capital H (expect on this occassion) | | | | the screen using a simple JS or Flex script that will |
| to illustrate the importance and an almost need | | | | render the video in flash format during runtime. |
| for reverance of the very essence, the reason | | | | There's no challenge in that - That's not sci-fi- |
| for the existence of the internet - Humans. So | | | | more like sci-die. |
| how can one bring in the Human Element into the | | | | I am talking about an engine that is so smart that |
| mix? The answer is not simple and it is not | | | | it can peice together thousands of smaller clips |
| definite. However, I have a theory. Live | | | | (may not even be filmed seperately) and using |
| Ambassador (a technology developed by Genesis | | | | natural langauge detection figure out what to |
| Interactive), enables web site owners to use real | | | | show when and in response to what. But some of |
| life models filmed in high definition video to add a | | | | you "Devil's Advocates" (I know a few) might be |
| Human face to their otherwise lifeless (no | | | | thinking - What about emotion? Well, because this |
| offence) web sites. The technology allows web | | | | is going to be a conversation initiated by the web |
| site owners to control how the website | | | | site (sort of one way) we can control the |
| spokesperson is displayed on the website in terms | | | | emotions by pre-programming them into the |
| of on-screen position, playback modes, playback | | | | messages. |
| intervals and also provides basic analytics showing | | | | Obviously caterting for all possible sequences is |
| total impressions and click-throughs on any | | | | kinda mammoth - but not impossible. I know the |
| particular Live Ambassador website spokesperson | | | | concept is very rough and needs a lot of |
| clip. Other than that, there are buil-in "attention | | | | concrete testing but do you think it is worth |
| grabbers" called Live Spots that can be | | | | building? |
| programmed to show up at any time during the | | | | Imagine a web where websites spoke to you |
| clip and highlight specific elements on a web site | | | | instead of you having to read through all the text |
| to present a stronger, more lively call to action. | | | | ad understanding how the images relate to the |
| Simply put, this is a technology you need to see | | | | words on a web page. Imagine a web where |
| to believe. | | | | searching no longer requires you to type - Simply |
| Here's an example of a website spokesperson | | | | speak and it is done. |
| with Live Spots call to action | | | | The results are read back to you just as though |
| Can this be taken one step further? | | | | it were a friend responding to your question over |
| Not sure, but let's try. Using advanced green | | | | the phone. Imagine a web where you form |
| screen video technologies, real time video mixing | | | | relationships because of the "people" whom you |
| and some really "out of this world" programming it | | | | encounter on web sites (not via social chatting, |
| is possible tobuild an engine that can produce a | | | | but actual face to face, real, conversation) I am |
| real, dynamic (by that I mean data driven), | | | | not sure if I am able to spark your imagination |
| personal and intelligent Human face of a web site. | | | | but if I am, please drop me a line in the comment |
| I am not talking about speaking avatars and those | | | | box. In the mean time, I need to think a bit more |
| tacky animated "things" that annoy the living | | | | about how this is all going to work. |