A new social media platform aims to authentically connect people through threaded conversations.
London-based social video platform YurOn is a new type of video platform that connects people in a new way of threaded selfies — where users ask questions and answer them by posting short video clips of themselves.
The concept is intended to reduce unfulfilling scrolling, posting to gain vanity metrics, and hiding behind fake names and text comments by posting videos of yourself.
In a few months since its launch earlier this year, YurOn has attracted over 5,000 users, who now spend more time on YurOn than Twitter per day and have already created over 5,000 videos with over 100,000 views — more than YouTube had at the same stage of its growth.
The platform was created to avoid the “narrowed prism of ourselves, watching more than contributing.” It wanted to be the platform to encourage authentic interaction.
The company wants to build a system to strengthen the shared relationships you care about. The community can then join and share experiences that matter to each person.
On YurOn, browse to a question you would like to answer and post a video clip. Anyone in the YurOn community can reply, too, creating a video thread. You have 30 seconds of video to start a conversation, post an Ask Me Anything (AMA), or co-create a skit.
The platform is letting users invest and own a part of YurOn through the Seedrs crowdfundung site, which gives investors a chance to own a piece of YurOn for as little as $10. It is available for download from iOS and Android app stores.
I love the threaded video clips that create conversations across a wide range of topics.
You can search for threads you are interested in, or just scroll through the questions and answers.
There are no filters, vanity metrics, or validation-driven algorithms.
You see people talking to the screen like you would talk to someone in a conversation.
It seems like is more of an asynchronous AMA set of threaded videos than a face-to-face chat.
However, this seems to add to its natural authenticity and encourages real people of all ages to ask questions and connect.
The platform is also developing new ways for video creators to monetize their threads, with a tipping feature and purchasable exclusive content.
It plans to encourage users to pay to access exclusive threads with persons of interest and celebrities. Businesses can also pay to get video feedback from users to test an idea, for market research, recruitment, and testimonials
YurOn CEO Marine Mallinson said: “Social media is making us miserable. YurOn is fixing that. At YurOn, we reward curiosity with community.”
Giving users what they want and rewarding them for their efforts is a business model that is sure to succeed. Users are getting tired of social giants collecting their data and are railing against “Surveillance Capitalism.”
Putting control in the hands of the users in giving them what they want to see and do will make them engage with the platform more effectively. And that will be a winner for sure.
