A number of weeks ago I started receiving emails from Neil Young about N3twork. I never opened any of them because I was like… “Neil Young, the musician? Why is he starting a TV channel?” I just didn’t get it, though I felt slightly flattered to be on his email list.

Fast forward to last week when I finally figured out it was not the Neil Young I was thinking of who was emailing me and N3twork (pronounced network) was not just a “tv channel”.

Have you noticed the shift occurring with how we consume video content? I actually learned this from my children. When I was little, Saturday morning was when I would sit for 3 hours and watch what a majority of the children across America were watching. We were spoon fed cartoons and Frosted Flake ads and sat through the shows we didn’t like to get to the ones we did. Now my children don’t do that. For starters, we don’t even have cable or network TV. My kids watch their favorite shows through Netflix, but what they most enjoy is watching YouTube videos.

I often find Chloe (10) watching drawing how-to videos while practicing her art. She also learned an entire skill connected with clay modeling exclusively from YouTube. Ella learned how to use her Rainbow Loom from watching kids her age make creations I would never have been able to teach her myself. YouTube has become an educational tool and for the most part they are watching videos where kids their age are creating the content. If my children are going to watch screens I would much prefer they watch kids like them being creative and learn than sit and watch Johnny Test for hours. I love that on-line video content and platforms have given so many people a voice to share their skills, views and art.

Mainstream media will always have a place at the table and of course your favorite produced shows will hold a special place in your heart, but how do you tap into the wealth of on-line video content without feeling lost or overwhelmed by all the cat videos or what’s going viral on Facebook that week?

Turns out that is what Neil Young, who is actually a former gaming executive and not the musician, was emailing me about.

N3twork is an app (available for iPhones and iPads only) which is like if Pinterest, Instagram, Pandora and YouTube got together and figured out a way to create a social network platform for video content that is beautiful and relaxing to use.

Video content is categorized into various hashtags you can follow as well as the option to follow specific curators, friends or celebrities. Users create their own “channels” so to speak where they can share content from YouTube, Vimeo or direct uploads. You can also repost from the hashtag feeds or people you follow.

I found there is a bit of a learning curve using N3twork, but once you get it the app is a wonderful resource to share and find content that interests you.

N3twork is exactly what I have been looking for as a video creator, curator and consumer. A space that pushes videos based off personal interests and has the added element of social engagement while at the same time being pretty.

The N3twork app just recently launched. You can follow my channel by either searching Jennifer Latch or @UrbanPlayground. My channel will be a good mix of my favorite vloggers, video content I create and other things I think you will enjoy. I would love it if you would download the app and connected with me on there. It’s a fun and refreshing way to spend a few minutes to get inspired, informed or simply have a little chuckle.

My latest share on the app is when The Man Repeller got together with Rebecca Minkoff to create their hilarious fashion week training video.

You can check out the app and download it HERE.

Here is a video of Neil Young talking about the app and what it’s all about. He explains it much better than I do, so check it out.

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Jennifer Latch