Mojiti - Testing For Fun

We were given an invitation to test drive new features prepared by Mojiti for public release last week (when it was available to press only). So we hopped in to see what the new website is like. Now the new features are available to anyone - so you can see everything for yourself.

Mojiti is a new website for uploading, creating, and enhancing video already on site or from remote upload. The site is a platform for introducing Flash Spots onto video. The site uses a system not unlike that of BubblePLY to embed text balloons or box commentary into video from any source. YouTube and Google are the primary media sources, but the users can also utilize their own video via upload or video from a host of other sites.

The "Spots" can be configured in a number of ways, with UI options for opacity, text color and size, and positioning. The Spots can also be animated to perform a number of functions. Flash drawings, shapes, sound, video, text and images can all be added to the video creations.

The site's mission, according to the press kit, is to allow users to personalize online video in their own words! Narrative style can be used from voice recording to add a user's personal messages to the created video. Text balloon comments or sound can be utilized to annotate any moment in the films.

The slick narrative property is one of the neatest aspects of this new video personalization site. There is also a video option to load video on top of existing video. Users are encouraged to upload video from YouTube or other sites, so that it can be customized at Mojiti.

The newly created "Spot Sets" can be rated, saved as favorites, and locked or unlocked. Video creations can then be shared via email, URL, or by embedding the new videos onto websites. Mojiti has recently added a new Media Center plug-in that will allow users to view their video creations on their TV's via Media Center PC download.

Ups and Downs

Mojiti gives the users really good flexibility with a pretty wide selection of flash spots to impose onto their favorite videos. Some of the 16 spots available are voice and thought bubbles, text boxes, animated headline text, beating hearts, a shining star and 11 other spots to allow the users to communicate their story. The great new flash spots can be adjusted to fill, line, change font color and size, as well as adjusting the transparency of the spots. The spot control feature of this site allows for much more flexibility than others we have seen, as illustrated below.

I like this site a lot, as I did BubblePLY, and I think the best application for them right now might be entertainment for friends, web community and relatives. One can easily make a birthday or holiday message with these programs, and new additions are sure to follow these initial offerings. If the developers can deliver a community atmosphere, some more flexibility, and more advanced video editing features, they should be really successful in the long term. Face it, it is just plain fun to work with video if you don't have to read a 300 page manual to do it. I made a little bit of a Web 2.0 statement with the little video below.