Google announced a video event service called Fundo. Fundo helps video creators and small businesses monetize events. Creators can create events, set the event date and sell tickets.
What is Fundo?
Fundo is an online service that allows video creators to sell tickets to private events.
The service is frictionless because there are no apps or software to download. Everything happens on the Fundo site.
Google’s announcement promoted three kinds of events that creators can make on Fundo:
- 1:1 Chat + Photos
- Meet and Greets
- Workshops
Audiences can browse or search for events on Fundo or an event can be created and a link to the event page can be used to publicize the event.
Who Can Monetize Events with Fundo?
Fundo is a way for businesses and video creators to monetize their activities.
Fundo’s announcement recommends it to these demographics:
“In addition to YouTube creators and their fans, we’re seeing authors, fitness instructors, business and lifestyle consultants and others use Fundo to find new ways to connect.”
There doesn’t appear to be a way for music creators to create an event for large concert events. As noted above, there are only three kinds of events that can be created.
According to a Fundo FAQ:
“…please note each event has a limited number of tickets…”
1:1 Chat + Photos
The one-on-one event is a way for creators to host an event with a single individual. It’s presented as a way for creators to meet fans.
The +Photos part of the 1:1 Chat is for participants to create virtual photo booth images of each other.
Screenshot of Fundo Virtual Photo Booth Photos
Fundo Virtual Photo Booth: Trivial Feature or Fun Worth Paying For?
The photo booth thing seems like a fun thing for fans and their idols.
I’m an angler and I’m a fan of several YouTube fishing channels. Speaking as a grown man, an adult, a photo booth pic of myself with some fisherman guy is a wildly inappropriate and irrelevant feature for a person like myself.
Google’s announcement makes Fundo appear to be a solution to trivial first-world problems between Z-List YouTube celebrities and their fans.
But it’s actually so much more.
Fundo is not as trivial as the announcement makes it out to be.
Fundo Meet and Greets
Meet and Greets is similar to the 1:1 type of events, only it’s between a YouTube creator and multiple fans. The way they describe it seems to limit this kind of event to YouTube creators, which seems oddly limiting.
As Google describes it:
“As a fan, you’ll have a variety of experiences to choose from. Join the Q&A with… channel members in a group Meet & Greet…”
Workshops
This is not trivial. This is an important feature that will impact actual businesses in a positive way.
Restaurants that are hurting for business can set up a daily cooking class as a side business.
Once the classes become popular they can cross-promote local farms and markets for ingredients as well as use the events to encourage people to patronize the restaurant.
It can be a win-win to get paid for promoting the business.
Consultants can give workshops on how to do things, like estate planning, investing, real estate buying, shopping for mortgages and so on.
A real estate business can hold a paid workshop that answers common questions that first time buyers ask.
The opportunities for not only money from a Fundo Workshop as well as promoting the business as a trusted brand are there.
Safety
According to Fundo, there is no way for uninvited guests to crash a Fundo event. The events are ticketed so that only one person per ticket can join.
This is what Fundo says:
“Safety is a top priority. Because Fundo is checking everyone’s ticket, there’s no risk of uninvited guests. We also have reporting and flagging features to curtail abuse.”
Google Fundo for Monetizing Events
Some of the features promoted by Google seem to be focused on the “fun” aspect of virtually meeting a virtual celebrity. But it seems like a trivial feature to have a virtual photo of oneself with a virtual celebrity. It’s not comparable to paying to have a photo taken with a television show character actor at ComicCon.
Fundo’s emphasis on workshops is an extremely promising feature for small businesses. It’s a wonder why that part wasn’t promoted more in their announcement.
Creators sign up
https://fundo.town/creators
Official Announcement
https://blog.google/technology/area-120/fundo/
Fundo FAQ Cited Above
https://intercom.help/fundo/en/articles/4169996-how-does-fundo-work
