Acceptable.TV also makes the winning clips and outtakes available in podcast form. Users can create profiles on the site or read the "Acceptablog." The site even offers tutorials to help users along in the process.
Cumulatively, the site tries to make it as easy as possible for users to watch, vote and create content. The partnership with Amp'd mobile makes it possible for users to vote on-the-go as well.
Could this be the beginning of TV 3.0? It depends on the risks networks are willing to take to integrate their content. If it's successful, Jack Black may become better known as an innovator of television programming than a goofy comedian. Now that's a frightening prospect.
-- Krisserin Canary, associate editor, iMedia Connection
But after that initial three seconds, and some Geronimo-style clicking, I leaned back and viewed a bit of entertaining content. The videos themselves were creative, with resolution that makes YouTube look like a collection of lenticular postcards. There is a forum for user responses to allow for consumer participation throughout the experience, which seems particularly important for the professionally produced clips. The producers for VH1, which will air the most-voted-for-clips, also leave notes to allow for an unusually intimate user experience.
Marketing-wise, the creative seems a bit bare, but Amp'd Mobile's sponsorship should make up for that on the television program (though the Amp'd connection is suspiciously absent from the site). The website does a rather good job of gathering consumer information via the registration process, which will surely prove a valuable guide for Amp'd Mobile's targeting strategy. After all, the people using the website will surely watch the show.
-- Adam Shahbaz, assistant editor, iMedia Connection
The problem with user-generated content is that very little of it is actually any good. And that was apparently the notion in mind when the creators of Acceptable.TV named their show, as in: "If we can just find something that doesn't suck out loud, we can call it acceptable." They've left the voting in the hands of the viewers, and so far, what the viewers regard as the best is pretty unacceptable. "Rabies Boy" for example, currently the highest-ranked user-generated video on the site, isn't much to look at. If this makes it to the show on VH1 on Friday night, I smell the death of UGC. Much better is third-place "L33t Haxxors," which makes you wonder if maybe Jimmy Carter should be called in to monitor the voting.
To fill the void, Acceptable.TV producers create their own mini-shows. The vignettes created by the staff seem like cast-offs from SNL or Mad TV; the stuff Lorne Michaels was afraid to use, like "Pedophile Gladiators" and "Shady Acres." They're cute, but they're not the kind of pieces I'm forwarding to friends. This isn't laugh-out-loud viral hilarity; it's more weak idea poorly executed. But that's the beauty of Acceptable TV. If you think something sucks, don't vote for it and it will fall off the show.
Yet overall, I think this is a great concept, allowing users to get their stuff on TV while also allowing them to tell "the pros" what they think of their stuff. Jack Black and friends should be commended for trying to find online content out there that is "acceptable" for TV viewing. In my opinion, most of what we see here isn't, but I can't shake the feeling that some there's some good stuff buried here. Hopefully that will see airtime soon.
-- Dave Wilkie, creative director, Dexterity Media and author of the blog, Where's My Jetpack?
This site left me a little flat. I like the idea that VH1 is putting some "not ready for prime-time" production work up on the web -- it's fun to watch this kind of thing -- but I can see this on 100 other sites. The voting idea and the reward of your favorite video making it to next week's production schedule is very "American Idol," which obviously gets great ratings, but I'm not sure it translated to this website all that well.
When I looked at the site, I felt a little lost, and although there were icons talking about voting, I kept watching videos but couldn't figure out how to vote. Finally I found some small text telling me I had to register to vote. I went thru the registration process; then I watched the same video again and still couldn't figure out how to vote. Next, I decided to try a user-generated video. From there, it was completely obvious how to vote, so I voted, had a good time, tried a couple things and it made perfect sense. I went back to the producer-created video section again, and eventually saw some small text telling me that voting was closed for the week on the acceptable.tv versions. To say the least I was a little frustrated with the site.
My wife and I had a new baby girl just a few weeks ago, and I may be a bit sleep deprived, but I don't think I'm that far gone that I can't operate a website. I think the UI on this one could have used a little more testing.
Obviously consumer generated video and shows like "American Idol" are huge successes, and I see where they were going with this, but I'm just not sure it measures up to its promise this time.
-- Keith D. Pape, senior partner/vice president, FrontGate Creative