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VideoEgg's EggNetwork thinks you'll say yes to opt-in ads

Don't want to see it? You don't have to, says VideoEgg.

Caroline McCarthy Former Staff writer, CNET News
Caroline McCarthy, a CNET News staff writer, is a downtown Manhattanite happily addicted to social-media tools and restaurant blogs. Her pre-CNET resume includes interning at an IT security firm and brewing cappuccinos.
Caroline McCarthy
VideoEgg

VideoEgg has made a name for itself as a piece of webware that actually lets you tweak around with the videos you upload--as well as facilitate sharing, embedding, and revenue-reaping ads. Now it's making another step into the world of online video advertising with Tuesday's announcement of its EggNetwork VIBE (Viewer Initiated Brand Experience) ad model, which claims to have an answer to the age-old (okay, age-old in Web years) question: How can you make Internet ads less annoying?

The gist of VideoEgg's model: During or after a video clip that someone is watching, ask if the viewer wants to see the video ad. If the answer's yes, the ad plays. If it's no, the ad doesn't play. And that's the main concept behind VIBE. According to VideoEgg, opt-in advertising actually works. Maybe your mom really was right about always asking first.

VideoEgg is marketing VIBE primarily toward social networking sites where a lot of video sharing goes on and the user base is rife with young, media-savvy consumers. Indeed, some of the EggNetwork's 60-odd partners include Bebo, MyYearbook, and Tagged.

New and creative Internet advertising models are popping up all over, and who knows whether or not the majority of them will prove viable. But VideoEgg's VIBE, grounded in old-school politeness, just might have a shot.