I have known this for a very long time.
Your web 2.0 software chat/video/social site can not be just the destination any longer. when you start to big yourself up as the place to go sooner or later questions are pitched if it is what the people want, they expect features and functions at a superhuman rate and they want it to feel warm and fluffy - be a part of it. We humans do love to belong.
When seesmic first hit the scene it was fresh and funky and people liked the ability to interchange with people, people from different backgrounds exchanging often collective thoughts with reckless abandon and those behind the scenes websurfers woke and started to also join in and converse detailing stories to those that would listen about their opinions and lives they lead, the highs and the lows.
Fusing people together like this is unnatural. People just do not work like this normally, we have ways that we want to be approached, social boundaries put in place sometimes by creed, geography and intellect, being social with our media allows us to break down these boundaries on multiple levels. it's always exciting and fresh and the core component always shines through - people. The lubrication of my mind to be touched by someone so remote, so distant is a shining example of why i love this space so much.
The site you record your videos on are not the destination, the people you talk with and share life stories, humour and sometimes pain are the reason why you are at that place - it is always about the community, forget to talk to them and listen to them and they will move, like animals looking to feed they move in packs.
We often talk of viral videos and the way the buzz gets behind them like a tsunami of eyeballs - the same can be said of video chat systems. People will always find out those that stimulate them in some way, we feed of it. We need input. We are the jonny5 of the 21st century. Although we do not pack lasers. Pity. I'd fucking love a laser.
The more we build out, flesh out these systems to be more transparent the less it will be about the service you use, listen to your community, drop the arrogance of being first and blowing smoke up ya own ass that you can do something that others cannot do - share, be friendly - allocate time, manage your time. listen and speak only to empower and love. These people matter, they move you, they shake trees and pass information and you grow to love them because they impact on the way you care about your fellow humans around them. They are the brand, they are your constant organic conversation and you have to nurture them like a plant.
So please, i have no care for what you use, where you use it. Just get the best out of the time we all have. This is our one shot - we are migrating across digital borders in the blink of a millisecond and i'm giving you a virtual hat tip as you blast on past me on your boat of tcp/ip.
Say what you want, record that video saying who you want to interact with, post that video to someone that you want to clear something up about - get back on track. reboot that human os and re-install from scratch. bittorrent that information back into your system and realise that it was just a glitch.
We are social. Now buy me a drink.
