Keek was a free online
social networking service
A social networking service or SNS (sometimes called a social networking site) is an online platform which people use to build social networks or social relationships with other people who share similar personal or career content, interests, act ...
that allowed its users to upload video status updates, which were called "keeks". Users could post keeks to the Keek website using a webcam or via the Keek mobile apps for
iPhone,
Windows Phone
Windows Phone (WP) is a discontinued family of mobile operating systems developed by Microsoft for smartphones as the replacement successor to Windows Mobile and Zune. Windows Phone featured a new user interface derived from the Metro design la ...
,
BlackBerry
The blackberry is an edible fruit produced by many species in the genus ''Rubus'' in the family Rosaceae, hybrids among these species within the subgenus ''Rubus'', and hybrids between the subgenera ''Rubus'' and ''Idaeobatus''. The taxonomy of ...
,
or
Android
Android may refer to:
Science and technology
* Android (robot), a humanoid robot or synthetic organism designed to imitate a human
* Android (operating system), Google's mobile operating system
** Bugdroid, a Google mascot sometimes referred to ...
.
Users could also reply back with text or video comments, known as "keekbacks", and share content to other major social media networks. There was also an embed option so users could embed their keeks into a blog or website.
Origins
The word "Keek" comes from
Scots and means a look, especially a quick one.
Keek Inc. is based in
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anchor ...
, and has around 45 employees.
Keek launched in early 2011 to "create a social network that was more authentic and personal. We are committed to delivering the fastest, most engaging social video experience," CEO Isaac Raichyk said in an interview.
Reception
Keek has been described as "the Twitter for video",
"Instagram of video"
and a "micro version of YouTube".
and is often compared to a combination of other major social media networks such as
Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
,
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
,
Tumblr
Tumblr (stylized as tumblr; pronounced "tumbler") is an American microblogging and social networking website founded by David Karp in 2007 and currently owned by Automattic. The service allows users to post multimedia and other content to a sho ...
and
Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
. "Keek is more like a combination of YouTube, Facebook and Twitter than its direct competitors."
"What makes Keek different is that it focuses on short, personal video uploads. A 'keek' can only be 36 seconds long, and is usually uploaded directly from a webcam or smartphone camera. So unlike many of the professional vloggers floating around on YouTube, the content is less polished – but also far quicker and reactive. Think of it like Twitter or Tumblr, only this time focused solely on video."
Keek has been described as a "new wave in social media technology" in reaction to the growth it received in 2012.
Growth
In 2012 the Keek community started generating a large amount of original content posting 66,000 videos per day. With the launch of the Keek mobile apps for iOS and Android in March 2012, there was a significant increase in the community and creation of content. Keek added 2 Million users in October 2012 and served 250 million pageviews.
By January 2013 Keek was adding 200,000 users per day to its social network and users were generating 4 million videos per month.
In March 2013, Keek announced the launch of verified accounts. Individuals or businesses can qualify for account verification if they are at high risk of impersonation or if they have large audiences on Keek or other social networks.
Also in March, Keek launched a BlackBerry version of their app allowing BlackBerry 10 users the ability to share videos on Keek, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Email or via SMS.
Between March 2013 and June 2013 Keek added 24 million users to bring its network to a total of 45 million registered users.
On May 17, 2013 Keek added a new private messaging feature, allowing users to privately chat using video or text with up to 36 people at once.
Keek launched a developer portal with API access on June 14, 2013. The new API program will allow developers to access public keeks, search functionality, user profiles, Klusters and more.
Keek launched a Windows phone version of their app on June 27, 2013.
In August 2013 Keek reached a total of 58 million users growing at the rate of 250,000 new users a day. Keek has been the top video app in 18 countries globally.
However, by October 2013 Keek was struggling to raise more venture capital funding through investment firm
Morgan Stanley
Morgan Stanley is an American multinational investment management and financial services company headquartered at 1585 Broadway in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. With offices in more than 41 countries and more than 75,000 employees, the fir ...
and was forced to downsize its operation to half a dozen staff members.
By November 2013 a reverse takeover bid was announced by oil company Primary Petroleum. The reverse takeover would see Primary Petroleum sell off all of its oil holdings and change its name to Keek Inc, effectively merging the two companies, and bringing Keek to the public stock market.
During this time co-founder and CEO Isaac Raichyk left Keek to found a new mobile dating platform calle
Cloverof which he is now CEO.
As of June 2014 Keek was set to expand its offices into New York City, and had changed its upper management to include Jamie King as CPO, Lin Dai as CMO, and Alexandra Cameron as the new CEO.
On October 31, 2016, Keek was rebranded as Peeks Video.
Apps
iOS
The current version of the Keek iOS app is compatible with
iPhone,
iPad
The iPad is a brand of iOS and iPadOS-based tablet computers that are developed by Apple Inc. The iPad was conceived before the related iPhone but the iPhone was developed and released first. Speculation about the development, operating s ...
, and
iPod Touch
The iPod Touch (stylized as iPod touch) is a discontinued line of iOS-based mobile devices designed and marketed by Apple Inc. with a touchscreen-controlled user interface. As with other iPod models, the iPod Touch can be used as a music pl ...
running
iOS 6.0 or later. The app is free to download in the
App Store
An App Store (or app marketplace) is a type of digital distribution platform for computer software called applications, often in a mobile context. Apps provide a specific set of functions which, by definition, do not include the running of the co ...
and can be found in the
Social Networking
A social network is a social structure made up of a set of social actors (such as individuals or organizations), sets of dyadic ties, and other social interactions between actors. The social network perspective provides a set of methods for an ...
category. The current app, version 4.4, has a rating of 3 out of 5 stars based on 15 user ratings. In total the Keek iOS app has received an overall rating of 4 stars out of 5 based on 14,644 user ratings. The app was last updated to version 4.4 on November 13, 2014.
Windows Phone
The Keek
Windows Phone
Windows Phone (WP) is a discontinued family of mobile operating systems developed by Microsoft for smartphones as the replacement successor to Windows Mobile and Zune. Windows Phone featured a new user interface derived from the Metro design la ...
app is compatible with
Windows Phone 8
Windows Phone 8 is the second generation of the Windows Phone mobile operating system from Microsoft. It was released on October 29, 2012, and, like its predecessor, it features a flat user interface based on the Metro design language. It was su ...
smartphones. The app is free to download from the
Windows Phone Store
Windows Phone Store (originally known as Windows Phone Marketplace) was an app store platform, developed by Microsoft corporation for Windows Phone letting users installing various apps on their device. It initially launched with Windows Phone ...
, listed in the Social category. The app was released on June 27, 2013 with version 1.0.0.1. and currently has a rating of 4 1/2 out of 5 stars based on 1,391 reviews. The app is free to download and supports English and Arabic languages.
BlackBerry
The Keek
BlackBerry
The blackberry is an edible fruit produced by many species in the genus ''Rubus'' in the family Rosaceae, hybrids among these species within the subgenus ''Rubus'', and hybrids between the subgenera ''Rubus'' and ''Idaeobatus''. The taxonomy of ...
app is compatible with
BlackBerry 10
BlackBerry 10 is a discontinued proprietary mobile operating system for the BlackBerry line of smartphones, both developed by BlackBerry Limited (formerly Research In Motion). BlackBerry 10 is based on QNX, a Unix-like operating system that was o ...
smartphones such as the
BlackBerry Z10
The BlackBerry Z10 is a high-end LTE touchscreen-based smartphone developed by BlackBerry, previously known as RIM.
The BlackBerry Z10 is the first of two new BlackBerry phones presented at the BlackBerry 10 event on January 30, 2013. The BlackB ...
. The app is free to download from the
BlackBerry World
BlackBerry World (previously known as BlackBerry App World) is an application distribution service, aka an 'app store', and application by BlackBerry Limited; for BlackBerry 10 devices, the BlackBerry PlayBook, and a majority of BlackBerry OS devi ...
store, listed in the
Social Networking
A social network is a social structure made up of a set of social actors (such as individuals or organizations), sets of dyadic ties, and other social interactions between actors. The social network perspective provides a set of methods for an ...
category. It is currently an
Android
Android may refer to:
Science and technology
* Android (robot), a humanoid robot or synthetic organism designed to imitate a human
* Android (operating system), Google's mobile operating system
** Bugdroid, a Google mascot sometimes referred to ...
port and not a native BlackBerry app. The app was released on March 1, 2013 with version 1.0. Currently, version 2.8.4 has a rating of 2 1/2 out of 5 stars. The app is free to download and is rated T for teen. The launch of the app for BlackBerry 10 devices marked the first time Keek was available for any BlackBerry device.
Android
The Keek Android app is compatible with Android devices running Android 2.3 or newer and can be downloaded from the
Google Play
Google Play, also known as the Google Play Store and formerly the Android Market, is a digital distribution service operated and developed by Google. It serves as the official app store for certified devices running on the Android (operating sys ...
store. It is currently rated 4.0 out of 5 stars (based on 117,691 user ratings) and has between 5,000,000 - 10,000,000 installs. The app is free to download.
Funding
Funding was originally provided by family and friends of the founder and CEO Isaac Raichyk.
The first round of
venture capital
Venture capital (often abbreviated as VC) is a form of private equity financing that is provided by venture capital firms or funds to startups, early-stage, and emerging companies that have been deemed to have high growth potential or which ha ...
funding was led by three Canadian venture capital firms AlphaNorth Asset Management, Plazacorp Ventures and PowerOne Capital Markets Ltd. for $5.5 million (US) on October 5, 2011.
The second round of venture capital funding was led by Cranson Capital Securities with participation from Pinetree Capital Ltd. (TSX: ) and Whitecap Venture Partners. This round of financing raised $7 million (US) bringing the total investment financing to more than $12 million (US) as of September 18, 2012.
The third round of venture capital funding was led by AGF Investments Inc., Pinetree Capital Ltd. (TSX: ) and Plazacorp Ventures, with Cranson Capital also participating. This round of financing raised $18 Million dollars (US) on January 17, 2013 which brings the total investment financing to $30 million (US).
In the fourth round of funding Keek hired
Morgan Stanley
Morgan Stanley is an American multinational investment management and financial services company headquartered at 1585 Broadway in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. With offices in more than 41 countries and more than 75,000 employees, the fir ...
to raise more venture capital, however, they were unable to do so and Keek was forced to downsize its operations.
An oil company, Primary Petroleum, set up a bid for a reverse take over of Keek which would bring Keek to the public stock market.
Keek launched on the Toronto Stock Exchange () at 0.10 cents a share,
and as of July 2014 it was trading at 0.165 cents a share.
Trademark
Keek Inc. filed for a U.S. federal
trademark
A trademark (also written trade mark or trade-mark) is a type of intellectual property consisting of a recognizable sign, design, or expression that identifies products or services from a particular source and distinguishes them from others ...
on February 9, 2011 for the term "KEEK" and was designated the trademark serial number 85237909. The trademark was filed in the category "Computer & Software Products & Electrical & Scientific Products , Computer & Software Services & Scientific Services , Advertising, Business & Retail Services , Communications Services , Education and Entertainment Services". Keek Inc. received the registered trademark for "KEEK" on July 3, 2012.
Demographics
As of July, 2012, 85% of the Keek community were between the ages of 13 and 25, with 69% female engagement, and two-thirds of those users were active during that month.
See also
*
Instagram
Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...
*
Mobli
Mobli was a social mobile photo and video-sharing website founded by Israeli entrepreneurs and brothers Moshe and Oded Hogeg. As of 2016 the service was shut down and the company placed into bankruptcy.
The Israel-based company had very high ex ...
*
Snapchat
Snapchat is an American multimedia instant messaging app and service developed by Snap Inc., originally Snapchat Inc. One of the principal features of Snapchat is that pictures and messages are usually only available for a short time before the ...
*
Socialcam Socialcam was a mobile social video application for iPhone, Android and Windows Phone, that was launched March 7, 2011 and ended October 28, 2015. It allowed users to capture and share videos online and on mobile, as well as via Facebook, Twitter, ...
*
Tout
A tout is any person who solicits business or employment in a persistent and annoying manner (generally equivalent to a ''solicitor'' or '' barker'' in American English, or a ''spruiker'' in Australian English).
An example would be a person who ...
*
Vine
A vine (Latin ''vīnea'' "grapevine", "vineyard", from ''vīnum'' "wine") is any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent (that is, climbing) stems, lianas or runners. The word ''vine'' can also refer to such stems or runners themselv ...
References
External links
*
{{Online social networking
2011 establishments in Ontario
Android (operating system) software
Companies based in Toronto
Internet properties established in 2011
IOS software
Mobile social software
Online companies of Canada
Defunct social networking services