Brainshark is a company that has been successfully providing multi-media presentation services for the last ten years. In fact, they have become “the leader in on-demand multi-media presentation” and have some powerful technology to offer. Maybe you’ve heard of them, but if you haven’t, it might be because they cater exclusively to business enterprises – a so called “best kept secret” of large companies. That is until this past September, when Brainshark let the secret out by launching MyBrainshark, a free, easy, web video production service. To get my jaws around the concept, I talked to Business Development Director, Jay Wilder and got an inside scoop

Brainshark vs. MyBrainshark
Both Brainshark and MyBrainshark allow users to upload content (presentations, slideshows, etc.), add narration, and have it hosted online, available on-demand. So if MyBrainshark lets you utilize the same technology that enterprises pay big bucks for, then why is it free?

Essentially, the people at Brainshark want to get their technology to the people on a simple, easy-to-use platform. Don’t get me wrong, MyBrainshark isn’t just a free version of Brainshark. The “My” version lacks features such as high detail tracking, multiple users (only one user per “My” account), and private hosting.

These features are great, and allow companies to create email campaigns, webinars and training videos which are all viewer-trackable to let you know how your media is resonating. That being said, Jay assured me that MyBrainshark is hardly an attempt to upgrade or draw new Brainshark customers. After all, Brainshark already has a strong customer base of over 1,000 subscribers, and a paid subscription may not even be financially sound for the average person signing up for a MyBrainshark account.

Instead, the motivation is to share the technology, and create a community for business-related multi-media. As Jay puts it, MyBrainshark is “a democratic approach to rich media.” That sounds pretty cool to me.

The YouTube of Business
By letting anyone sign up and start uploading and creating content for free, MyBrainshark becomes a kind of “YouTube for business,” to use Jay’s term, and it definitely has a YouTube feel as you navigate the site.

Like YouTube, there is a display of multiple presentations created by different users, the difference being that the vast majority of the media is geared toward a business environment. Also like YouTube, the interface is very user-friendly. Users simply upload a powerpoint, for example, and dial a special phone number to add narration to the video via cell phone. The webpage actually responds to your keypad, showing you each slide as you move around the presentation and add personal narration on the phone.

In addition to their online media hosting, MyBrainshark has created marketplace environment where experienced media creators called “learning providers” can create a profile and put media presentations up for sale.

Defeating the Shark Stigma
With so many helpful tools to display business-related content, it’s safe to say MyBrainshark is sure to make a big splash within the business community. There are already around 1,500 MyBrainshark users and Jay says they are growing steadily. And, frankly, I don’t see why they wouldn’t. Their endlessly useful service and generous approach to multi-media technology makes them a shark any business-minded person should be happy to share the water with.