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Wheel — Themed video stories with the world
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@rrhoover thanks for the kind words!
I’ve learned about trusting your instincts, moving faster, finding your demo and going all in. Fail. Learn. Fail. Learn. The list goes on…
Ferris was a great stab at video collaboration – but while we ended up building a powerful utility, there was little opportunity to build any meaningful social features. We’d traveled far down a road toward a destination we as a team were not too excited about. We set out to crack collaborative social video and took a wrong turn along the way…
Before we began Wheel, we were able to take the best of Ferris and remold it into something for today’s market. Our team has gone deep in with our early users, getting a ton of feedback and data that help us see the road a little further out. My goal leading up to launch wasn’t to necessarily bring on the most people, it's was to find the right early adopters who see the potential and are very enthusiastic about collaboration and creating. This was something we missed with Ferris because we thought it could be a “one size fit all” scenario. Power users drive others users. So I had been doing this stealth recruitment in beta, going for quality over quantity. The power users immediately sparked to having a new creative tool in their arsenal that let them collaborate with other creators like them, catalyzing them to bring more of their personal network into the app, as well. It's been so much fun because this growing group of creators have been carrying the torch; they see the value and believe that this is the next evolution of social video.
fun app. you should consider keeping the header accessible when you scroll down the feed. Currently you need to scroll all the way back up to the top to start a new wheel.
@joshbarkin Thank you! We are having a fun time see all the amazing content being made :) Regarding the header, great call. We actually discussed this internally a few days ago. Be on the lookout for UX updates in the upcoming weeks.
@ramykhuffash - Here's a glimpse of what people are doing inside the app! This link that will open a random story for you — refresh the page to see another!” http://wheel.video/random
@pbouk @ramykhuffash Great job. Small thing I noticed on your website, you need to upload your app icon into branch :)
What was your inspiration in building Wheel and what have you learned about how your core audience uses it that has surprised you?
@rsarver great question. Earlier in my career, I worked in the film industry, directing music videos / commercials for quite some time and was able to work with some of my favorite artists and creators. I learned that I'm at my best when I can get creative with other people. I don't think I'm alone in that sentiment :) I wanted to bring that opportunity to this next generation.
Our core audience (13-21) have grown up creating, posting, and sharing video content. Its a whole new world. I'm genuinely surprised by how quick these creators were to pick up Wheel and make it their own. I knew it would eventually get it ...but not so lightning fast.
The team at Wheel has been constantly iterating on collaborative video, a holy grail in social interactions. Watching the Arnold Schwarzenegger video made me laugh hysterically. I hope you'll enjoy it, too.
@paul_s_kemp thanks man! can't wait to see what kind of awesomeness you create inside the app.
Excited to see how this product makes the world "smaller". This example of Walk Around The World, is such an incredible glimpse into the lives of others. Downloading... (http://wheel.video/enjoy?c=C-015...) @pbouk
@jordanhosmer love the excitement! Walk Around The World is one of our team favorites. Just another great example of how people from all over the world can be united through one medium!
If you want to understand the potential of Wheel, look no further than their featured videos. I'm addicted. Arnold Schwarzenegger doing an impression of himself? Yes.
I met the CEO a year ago and have been excited for the day that Wheel finally launches to the public. Mobile collaborative video is a hard egg to crack (as evidenced by a graveyard of failed attempts), but I think Paul, Chris and their team have really tapped into something magical.
As a consumer, the videos are amazing to just watch. Jumping in to an ongoing Wheel is easy and doesn't feel risky at all. Creating a Wheel is incredibly rewarding, watching your story twist and turn in ways that you'd never expect. There's something in Wheel for everyone.
Having listened to several top Viners complain about the limitations of the platform, I can understand why I see several of them having such a great time on Wheel. No other platform makes it as easy to collaborate. Let's see where it goes.
What differentiates this from other live-streaming style apps out there at the moment?
Given the downslide of Meerkat, how has this shaped your strategy? They did 'Cameo' features
Hey @bentossell We're excited to be here on Product Hunt and I'm glad you've found us. We're actually not a live-streaming video service. It seems that PH's only video category is "streaming video," but maybe Wheel can do better down the road in our communication. The things you learn during launch!
The videos created in Wheel are collaborative, but maybe it's best to think of what it would feel like if you could jump into your friends' Snapchat stories and contribute your own video clip. In Wheel, you start a video and then hand it off to others to keep it going. We've seen several stories span several weeks.
@pbouk I suppose Snapchat could implement 'cameo' features...what is the main draw for people to use Wheel?
Where do you see people uploading/sharing these videos? Videos with you and your friends seems like it would be more of a private thing (I can't speak for everyone haha).
@bentossell Did you see the video where Arnold Schwarzenegger jumped in to a story to do an impression of himself? Watch a few of the featured Wheels. I think it'll give you a better perspective of what's possible with it.
@bentossell looks like it's available in all territories on iOS. Guessing you're on Android?
Hey everyone, stoked to be here. My name is Paul, I'm the Cofounder and CEO of Wheel.
Going to do my best to answer any and all questions today, so please keep em coming. Our team has been dedicated to making sure every aspect of Wheel is perfect, but these are early days for us, so plenty to build. Would love any insights and suggestions!
Our team is hyper-focused on creative collaboration and we want our product to be a fun and unexpected experience full of surprises. Wheel also attempts to lower the barrier of entry to creation so people don't have to feel the pressure of being THE creator, they can just jump into someone else's story. It's high reward for very little risk. Our early creators have fallen in love with this new way to engage with their followers... just take a look at some of the Featured Videos for some laughs.
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