http://www.meez.com

Do you need an avatar? No, not a Hindu god or that cartoon anime kid with the arrow on his head. The kind of avatar we’re talking about is just a ‘stand in’ image that represents a person or entity that (usually) exists in real life outside of the internet. There are those who feel the need to avat-ize themselves and those who can’t think of why they should bother (and then there are those who can’t believe such a thing exists, whatever for?).

For the first group there are a myriad of avatar creation tools and websites out there but most avatars you can create are stuck in the place where you created them (IMVU chat, Second Life game, etc.). Meez lets you make a free 3D animated avatar on their site which you can then export using their built-in export tool. You can use the generated code to link or download your Meez and post yourself wherever you’re allowed to edit html (i.e. Myspace, Facebook, blogs, forum boards, personal websites, emails, etc.). Meez offers so many customization options you could spend a day coming up with an avatar that expresses your innermost ‘you’. In addition to hair, eyes, skin tone, clothes and accesories there are backgrounds and even animations that travel with you. Your Meez can dance in a forest or a ride a unicorn on Rodeo Drive.

Photobucket recently signed a deal to allow Meezers to create a space for themselves through their Photbucket account ( click the Avatars button on your profile)  which is great news for Meez. It’s only a matter of time before MeezSpace becomes a reality. We talked to CEO Sean Ryan, CEO of Meez, about the business of avatarsand got his take on why an imaginary character is worth a lot of real money.

1. What is Meez about? What is your business model?

Meez is a personalized and portable avatar service, enabling our users to create likeness of themselves, and to use them to represent them all over the Internet, from social media to blogs to instant messaging.  The business model is primarily advertising-driven since we deliver a very attractive US audience, with virtual item sales as a secondary revenue source.

 2. What is unique about Meez?

We’re the only web-based, 3D avatar system in existence.  We are also entirely focused on bringing a brand-oriented, personalization service to mainstream teen and twenty-something men and women, not just tween girls or early adopter men interested in living a “Furry” lifestyle

3. Why did you start this company?

I looked around the world two years ago to see what were common threads on the Internet, and it was clear that personalization and self-expression were the dominant trends.  Avatars had become a huge hit in Korea where they are a billion dollar market, and I had previously run a Sega software unit called Virtual Makeover, so I had seen the power of this functionality in comparable sectors.  The trend hadn’t hit the US market yet, so we started Meez.

4. What is impact do you think avatars will have on the web at large?
 
I’m 100% certain that every consumer Internet user will have an avatar within 3 years, just as they have an email address or a ring tone on their phone.  It will become the dominant way users represent themselves because it’s less personal and more flexible than a photo

5. What are you going to build in the next 12 months?

We’re going to continue to launch key distribution deals to drive user growth, as we have recently done with Photobucket.  We’re going to increase our ability to integrate brands into Meez, such as we have done with Metropark, Elle Girl, and various music artists.  And we’re going to deepen the community elements of the site, including user generated content, integrated game solutions and a full virtual item marketplace.  2008 will be about moving the Meez experience to a mobile phone, and to international destinations.

6. What web sites and blogs do you read/watch most often?

NYT.com, PaidContent.org, YPulse, Springwise

Sean Ryan, Meez CEO, was formerly the CEO of Listen.com, creators of Rhapsody digital music service. Prior to that, Sean was VP, Business Development at SegaSoft Networks.