Grouper hits the ground running

If you've got a video iPod--and if you do, you're the TV networks' new best friend--a start-up called Grouper would like to have a chat with you.

Well, maybe not a chat, but they'd certainly like you to download their software or visit their Web site, either of which is designed to let you share video clips with groups of your friends or with the entire Web-based universe.

What sets Grouper apart from competitors like Revver or FilmLoop, though, is that it gives you the ability to take your video with you, even if you forget your laptop at home. All you have to do is sync up your video iPod, or a Sony PSP--and voila!--the video of your choice is transferred automatically from your computer.

In addition, Grouper--as befitting its name--offers its users some social networking skills. These are certainly not primary to the service's experience, but it does allow users to create groups of friends within which to keep videos or photos private, exchange messages and broaden the multimedia experience.

Already, since the launch of Grouper's newest software Wednesday morning, its users have shared more than 15,000 videos. And that's on top of the 1.5 million downloads of its client and 220 million total files its users shared while its previous version was in beta.