BLERP! (excuse me)
Blerp has been called the next Twitter, and you might want to check it out. It was created by a company called Rocketon. Blerp is a browser plug-in, a web layering tool, and it went into open beta last August. The basic idea is that members create a layer of 2D user-generated content over any website; people who sign up for Blerp and join the layer-creator’s group can see and add content in that layer. Thus, any site — yours or someone else’s — becomes the backdrop for social networking, casual gaming or whatever. Avatars actually appear on top of the live web page, and can do a variety of activities together, like take instant polls, chat about what is on the web site, play games or change their appearance. Avatars earn points for surfing together — they can open little doors to other web sites and invite others to follow them through the door — and use the points to buy items like clothing or pets to customize or enhance their appearance. There is a wide range of customizations, from body type/shape to clothing to accessories.
Blerp is fully integrated with Facebook and Twitter. You can sign in with either account, and all your Blerps can appear in your feeds. It seems to me that this type of application would be extremely appealing to Asian users, who are much more sociable in their virtual interactions than Americans. It’s a plug-in just crying out to become a smart phone app. There are some corporate implications, though. For example, unhappy customers could potentially create a layer on top of a company’s web site, and generate uncontrolled negative publicity. There is also the potential for a company to sponsor a Blerp layer on its own web site, and provide branded virtual products for the users, or to do data mining.
It’s easier to understand if you try it out yourself or take a look at Rocketon’s Blerp web site. Here is their current video. It’s a little weak. The next one is longer and more interesting.
This demo is helpful, and includes a discussion of Blerp’s strategy and policies. It’s an interview and demo in Second Life with Rocketon CEO Steve Hoffman. The interview starts about 15 minutes into the hour long video:
http://business.treet.tv/shows/metanomics/episodes/20080714
Whether Blerp is going to prevail is obviously unknown. Other “shared surfing” apps in the past, like Alexa, have failed. What is new about Blerp is the added dimension of the changeable avatars and the rich interactions they can have. It’s now 5-10 years later, and the general public is more aware of avatars and how social media work in every day life. They already have established online communities. What may make Blerp a game changer is the the potential for turning it into a cell phone app. For those who already live in and through their phones, this is a must have.
