New service enables content owners, portal operators and online marketing organizations to rapidly launch their own branded 'YouTube-like' sites; Silicon Valley angel investors kick in $1.5M

TEMPE, Ariz. -- vSocial, Inc. today announced the general availability of vConnect, a suite of online video services that enable individuals, organizations and businesses to custom brand, target, virally distribute and monetize their message using video over the Internet.

"The transition of the Internet from a web of text and links to a video-powered window on the world is as profound as the transition from radio to television," said Mark Sigal, CEO and co-founder of vSocial. "We fervently believe in the power of the so-called 'YouTube Economy' and are committed to putting the power of video in the hands of the customer. vConnect is a complete lifecycle solution that enables companies to infuse videos with their brand, package up videos into channels, micro-sites and online communities, and then easily plug in the advertising capabilities needed to build and monetize a business."

Delivered as a hosted service, vConnect is a turnkey software package that integrates uploading, encoding, hosting, publishing and advertising with video channel, micro-site and community-building tools. vConnect services can be self-administered through an ordinary web browser. Prior to today's launch, the service was field tested on the company's popular vSocial.com web site and with a handful of early adopter customers.

"We are very happy with the flexibility and usability of the vConnect platform. The technology allowed us to quickly launch our video community and focus on new market opportunities, which are the core of our business," Brian Field, President and COO of VOY, LLC, an early adopter, whose VOY TV video service (www.voytv.com) is powered by vConnect.

vConnect is built on top of a scaleable, distributed network infrastructure that leverages Limelight Networks for its hosting and co-location functions and Akamai for its content delivery network (CDN). Three different products make up the vConnect solution:

1) vConnect MyBrand: designed for individual videos, such as mastered content, infomercials, or video brochures; videos retain user-defined branding and interactive functions, even when virally distributed; set up in minutes.

2) vConnect Pro Publisher: launch a new video channel or a word of mouth campaign "micro-site" in as little as a few hours; single click activation of vConnect video advertising network allows instant monetization; custom branding, search optimization and easy syndication in one affordable offering.

3) vConnect Enterprise Community: "white label" offering enables integration with existing portals and social networks, and creation of standalone video communities. Adds support for rich user profiles, robust account management, external API support and a scaleable, replicated infrastructure.

In tandem with the product launch, vSocial announced that a venture fund led by renowned angel investor Ron Conway and the consumer Internet-focused angel group Consor Capital, have joined vSocial founders in extending a $1.5M investment in the company. Proceeds of the round will be used to expand the company's marketing efforts and accelerate the roll out of new video services.

"We looked at a lot of companies in the online video space before investing in vSocial," noted Ron Conway. "vSocial stood apart for us with a strong combination of products, customers, and a clear monetization strategy from a proven executive team. We are thrilled to be on-board."

About vSocial:

Founded by a team of experienced entrepreneurs that have collectively built 11 different companies, vSocial is a pioneer in the online video space, having launched the initial version of its service way back in 2002. vConnect is a social networking for video platform that enables content owners, portal operators and online marketing organizations to custom brand, target, virally distribute and monetize their message via video. Customers can see-touch-feel the vConnect solution by visiting the company's popular showcase site, vSocial.com, which generates 200,000 unique daily visitors and serves up over 1.5M videos a day. vSocial is headquartered in Arizona, with offices in San Francisco. For more information, visit www.vsocial.com/vconnect.