(12 February 2007 6:00 pm)

MUMBAI: Spymac Network has launched its international web 2.0 community for video chat, movies and music. The Web 2.0 portal lets the world video chat, share movies, pictures and music across the Internet and earn money at the same time.

The new version of Spymac – which originally started out as a Mac community in 2001 - was launched in January 2007. It is available now in more than 15 international languages and works on both PCs and Macs. A percentage of Spymac's advertising income is paid to members who upload the most creative and most viewed movies, music or pictures.

The most active, creative and popular content providers earn the largest amounts of money in this revenue-sharing model based on an exponential curve. The company has since paid out $50 in its first month with a German (Spymac nickname “Jafeth”) earning $5000 for his funny videos/pictures, and a Chinese content provider receiving a cheque for $1300.

Spymac’s content quality-rating system is based on an algorithm taking into account how creative and popular it is. The criteria include how other users rate the content, if it is linked to other sites, the click-rate etc. Users with the most popular content of the day win the daily payout and the best content providers of the month earn the monthly jackpot. Spymac is also working on a system which allows users to rate content as inappropriate and set an alert so that the content will be taken off the site.

Spymac Network CEO Holger Ehlis says, ”The service would be of great interest and benefit to members in developing nations, whose culture and surroundings are sure to be a hit with viewers. They are sure to benefit from our service as those who upload something that people want to see or hear make real money.

“While YouTube announced that it was thinking of a way for members to revenue-share, Spymac is already paying out cheques to its users".

Among the most powerful features of Spymac is its’ complimentary face-to-face video chat, which allows people to share everyday life over the Internet. Members can have a heart-warming conversation with family, who is away, see the smile of an online sweetheart, or hold a business meeting in the convenience of a living room. The feature is truly compatible, without any of the traditional need for extra software or setup.

Spymac Network CTO Kevin April says, "Spymac takes online dating, staying in touch and finding new friends to a whole new level. All you need is a web browser and an inexpensive web cam to share video and enjoy face-to-face meetings with people from another city, country, or even continent".

Users can access Spymac for hundreds of thousands of iPod-ready movies, songs and pictures. Spymac's movies are also fully compatible with Sony's PlayStation Portable, allowing users to easily find new content for their portable entertainment devices. Share video from Spymac to MySpace and other sites with unlimited storage space on offer.

Through its embedding feature, Spymac allows users to stream content across the Internet on other websites. For example, users can insert their favorite pictures and videos into their MySpace profiles, blogs or eBay auctions, turning Spymac into a powerful content hub. This allows users to spice up online ads and auctions with video or audio clips; upload multimedia projects for work or school; liven up blogs, websites and emails; share movies with friends and family and enhance personal profiles on dating and social-networking sites.

By utilising technology, members record live video with a click of a button for immediate release to the Internet. Users can capture pictures, audio and video directly onto Spymac using their own webcams, or easily upload from video cameras or mobile phones. "Spymac simplifies the technology behind different formats, encoders and players, making it easier for people to enjoy online communication" said April.