Hacker News new | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit login
Ask HN: What are the best services for web based personal media management?
2 points by veytsel on June 28, 2010 | hide | past | favorite
This started as question, but it ended up looking somewhat like a proposal, since I'm thinking about something fairly specific here. What service best meets this features set?

1) Ability to collect digital media metadata, regardless of where it is being hosted

The service needn't be, in fact shouldn't be, a hosting provider, but toolsets for creating, collecting, and managing media metadata found on existing hosting providers, linked to and embedded in the service. This should work for media objects which have discrete, generally static containers, such as video, images, and audio.

In the future, to ensure data durability, the content storage could take place on a distributed, peer-to-peer filesystem with intelligent routing and caching algorithms.

2) Robust media navigation interfaces, running on a skinning engine

A default interface for browsing found media which is useful and fast, including features such as infinite page scrolling, resizeable image thumbnails, content type filters, object scaling, image slideshows, audio/video queuing and playback. No interface is ever perfect or complete, so having a marketplace where designers can submit and users can select their current skin of choice would address most use needs.

Facebook, YouTube, and Flickr all recently updated their interfaces. Are they better than before? Maybe, maybe not. Maybe after a learning curve. Maybe for some users, not for others. Maybe for some cases, not for others. And, this wasn't the first interface reboot, and it won't be the last. For lack of a skinning engine, interface designers for services usually end up appealing to the common denominator of their audience. This is essentially the fat tail of interfaces, and the long tail isn't accommodated for.

3) Full set of media management actions, separated by discrete purpose

Purpose (Common Actions)

Memory (ie: Bookmarking, Saving, Starring, Faving) Propagation (ie: Linking, Sharing, Reblogging, Retweeting) Evaluation (ie: Liking, Voting, Rating) Classification (ie: Tagging, Foldering, Listing)

Because each service has it's own nuances, limitations, and omissions in their implementation of and terminology for management actions, not all major actions are supported by all services, and they often conflate and merge different purposes into one.

4) Full export of metadata out of the service for an easy exit

This can't be yet another data silo. Users need to be confident that if the service goes out of business, changes it's rules, gets acquired, etc., their metadata (time and effort) will be safe.

Lala recently got acquired by Apple, and despite offering all kinds of credit refunds for purchased songs, they offered no way to export Library metadata, songs, playlists, and all.

5) Import of existing metadata from major services for easy entry

Many major services have APIs allowing users to extract their metadata. It could then be consolidated and standardized into the service, letting users hit the ground running.

Note: I originally posted this on Quora, but think this is a good group to ask too




Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: