4mations

Infobox Dotcom company
company_name = 4mations
company_slogan = Bite size chunks of fun!
owner = Channel 4
company_
caption = 4mations Kitty Skull
company_type = Channel 4 project, backed by Aardman Animations and [Lupus Films]
foundation = 2008
location_city = Bristol, Avon
location_country = U.K
key_people = Adam Gee (Channel 4), New Media Commissioner Rohini Denton / Paul Deane (Aardman Animations), Producer Mel Kirk (Aardman Animations), Communities Manager Camilla Deakin (Lupus Films), CEO & Founder Rachel Roberts (Lupus Films), Producer
homepage = [http://www.4mations.tv/ 4mations.tv]


caption = Screenshot of 4mations holding page
url = [http://www.4mations.tv/ 4mations.tv]
registration = Optional
(required to upload and to comment on videos)
launch_date = July 4, 2008
current_status = Active
language = English
website_type = Video hosting service

4mations is a website made for people to upload, view and share animated films and games. The site was founded in 2008 and is the love child of Channel 4, Aardman Animations and Lupus Films.

With the site targeted at over 18s, the animations are often humorous, interesting and sometimes a little perverse - with the main focus being on damn right funny.

History

Channel 4 commissioned the project, backed by Aardman Animations and Lupus Films in January 2008. The project team then sent out a call for submissions to commission some animations and the beta site launched in August 2008. The site is due to open up to the public in early September 2008.

Features

User accounts

The free user account includes access to upload animation films and games as well as viewing and commenting on other user's content.

Uploading films and games makes users eligible for a £250 prizefund which is awarded monthly for the most viewed content.

*Profile: Each 4mations user has their own individual profile page which displays their username, a description (written by the user), a URL, their videos/games and the content that they've marked as favorites.

*Groups: 4mations allow the creation of user groups between users with something in common (for example, fans of an experimental films, a genre of animation, or membership of another internet forum). Any user may start a group and invite members. Each of the members of the groups can initiate or contribute to a discussion.

*Friends: Users are able to create friends lists with whom they can share animations that they upload or find on the site.

*Messages: The site provides the facility for you to send a direct message to one or more 4mations user. Depending on how the users have set their preferences, this will then send an email to the user's private email address, prompting them to check their 4mations account.

Tags

From launch, 4mations supports user-end tagging or labeling of films and game to create a site-wide folksonomy of animated content. Users can browse via tags enabling users to play content that has been tagged a certain way. This tagging can be by genre, mood, creator, or any other form of user-defined classification.

Categories

Videos can be viewed by selecting the most discussed, the top rated, the most watched, featured videos (which are highlighted by the 4mations team) or the newest to be uploaded. Alternatively users can determine the category they wish to look at by channel or format.

Games can be viewed by selecting the most discussed, the top rated, most played, featured games (which are highlighted by the 4mations team) or the newest to be uploaded. Alternatively users can choose a category of game they wish to play.

Subscription

A user can choose to subscribe to either a tag or specific user, which are then displayed on the "subscriptions" page. Alternatively, users can choose to receive these subscriptions via an RSS feed.

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External links

* [http://www.4mations.tv/ 4mations main page]
* [http://blog.4mations.tv/ 4mations development blog]
* [http://www.twitter.com/4mations/ 4mations Twitter account]
* [http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=22745847714/ 4mations Facebook group]
* [http://vimeo.com/fourmations/ 4mations Vimeo account]
* [http://www.flickr.com/photos/27836907@N03/ 4mations Flickr account]
* [http://www.viddler.com/explore/4mations/ 4mations Viddler account]
* [http://seesmic.com/v/UWFBfW1mfF/ 4mations Seesmic account]