Shindig

I (and two of my work colleagues) got a chance to see Shindig in practice last Friday. Shindig is a video collaboration service that is currently in beta. The user interface is particularly impressive – at work we use tools like this on a regular basis, and typically students and faculty need significant assistance to collaborate. Shindig was something that “just worked.”

However, Shindig is still in beta. I get the impression that the company is still trying to find its way, and work out the best way to make money. Thus, the company is now reaching out to education. This could be a tough sell – education does not have money to spare. There a some important features that Shindig does not have just yet, such as:

• Native recording of video events.
• Native recording of text-chat.
• Polling / quizzing functionality.
• Mobile client (service only works on desktop browsers).
• LTI (Learning Tool Interoperability) API (Application Programming Interface)- i.e. works with all the major LMS ( Learning Management System) platforms.

Additionally, some of the ways that the company markets itself via the website and YouTube sends the wrong message. I get the impression that the company is in a somewhat precarious position.

I hope they make it. I really liked the user interface and basic functionality. Shindig felt like a product where I did not need to crack open the manual.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JwZoQYnnKc&list=PLRhWiq5YAdTtyuCgLxq0-08jxrm1To-NM

http://youtu.be/ICsNKttfsOE