Mobile Video Communication Radically Democratizes the Reporting of Election Day Happenings

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- YouthNoise (http://www.youthnoise.com/), the Internet's first social network for youth dedicated to social change, and VEEKER (http://www.veeker.com/), the first mobile-to-Internet service that enables U.S. consumers to simply and effectively communicate with one another using the video cameras in their mobile phones, today announced the launch of "Veek the Vote 2006."

"Veek the Vote 2006" encourages and enables youth to get politically active this November 7th by using the video cameras in their mobile phones to communicate their experiences on Election Day. YouthNoise, through its Web site, is inviting its users to use VEEKER to send instant "video peeks" or Veeks from their local polling stations, political rallies, protests, Election Day parties and any other election-related activities or events.

These young citizen journalists from around America will send their Veeks from their mobile phones to vote@veeker.com. Approximately 15 - 60 seconds later, the Veeks will appear on Youthnoise.com, Veeker.com, and VeekTheVote.com, giving the world a near-real time view of Election Day from the perspective of America's youth.

"America's youth, like most everyone else in the country, feel passionately about this upcoming election. They sense it is an important moment," said Ginger Thomson, YouthNoise's Chief Executive Officer. "We are looking for them to shoot and send Veeks that will stir the raw emotions of other socially conscious young Americans, inspiring them to become part of the country's political dialogue."

Mobile videos have become an increasingly important part of the journalistic landscape, as bystanders at newsworthy events often capture the first on-scene images with their mobile phones. This trend is a natural outgrowth of the fact that the majority of new handsets introduced into the U.S. market are video-enabled. In an October 2006 study, the research firm Telephia reported over eight million U.S. handset owners have captured video on their mobile phones. This marks an upward trend for mobile video as a communication tool.

"Veek the Vote 2006" is the first coordinated effort to empower young Americans to collaborate nationwide to "cover" Election Day themselves," said Rodger Raderman, VEEKER's Chief Marketing and Product Officer. "Election coverage not so long ago was the purview of television. Very recently, it became more decentralized by the blogosphere. "Veek the Vote 2006" carries this trend a step further, giving young Americans the ability to instantly communicate their Election Day experiences with video, using nothing more than the mobile phones in their pockets. It is an exciting democratization of reporting on the voting process, enabled by mobile video communication technology."

To "Veek the Vote," only a mobile phone equipped with a camera is needed. No special software is required, as Veeks are sent via the MMS messaging

The partnership between YouthNoise and VEEKER provides YouthNoise's users with a powerful new tool to contribute to their ongoing "CitiJo" program, an initiative that calls on America's youth to submit a series of political commentaries in the form of essays, interviews, objective news pieces and now videos about political issues most affecting today's youth.

About YouthNoise:

YouthNoise is the first youth-based social network for social change. YouthNoise is a nonpartisan, nonsectarian, non-profit organization that brings young people ages 16-24 together to form a global network for sharing and converting their ideas into action to improve the world around them. Featuring 100% youth-generated content, http://www.youthnoise.com/ has registered more than 115,000 youth from all fifty states and more than 170 countries, and welcomes approximately 200,000 unique visitors per month. Originally founded in 2001 by Save the Children, YouthNoise later spun off in 2004 and is now based in San Francisco, CA.

About Veeker:

Veeker was founded in September 2005 to lead the evolution of mobile communication from audio and text to video. According to IDC, during the period between 2005 and 2009, 2.4 billion mobile phones equipped with video cameras will enter the global marketplace. Veeker believes that mobile video communication will become pervasive, and intends to help the Veeker Generation discover and define this exciting new form of communication. Veeker is headquartered in San Francisco, CA, and operates a wholly owned subsidiary in Beijing, China. The company's team includes executives, technologists, and artists from the entertainment, internet, mobile, and advertising industries.

Contact: Kevin Hughes of YouthNoise PR, +1-212-741-5106, ext. 227, or Kevin@RLMpr.com; or Vijay Chattha of Veeker PR, +1-415-305-6041, or vijay@veeker-corp.com.