Avi said on May 16, 2006 at 06:22 AM

Hi Debbie

I truly love all the new toys - Blogs, podcasts, RSS etc. But very honestly, I love them because they are exactly that - “toys”. And a guy needs toys.

Will people ever really take Blogs and Podcasts seriously enough to make this a multi-billion dollar industry or will people get bored and walk away, much as they did from dotcoms? Silly of me to remind of how much in love people were with dotcoms.

Honestly, if experts like yourself do not popularize new forms of usage for these technologies, I expect people will eventually tire of the “fad” and walk away. You will be left with youngsters who want to express themselves and write their not-so-personal diaries online.

What do I think is wrong? In expecting people to use blogs to write book reviews and to sell new movies, you are expecting the same dramatic shift in their habits as was expected by online grocery stores.

People do not change their habits easily - least of all if the new technology simply offers an alternative that requires some new learning and practice.

I use blogs for very different reasons - for instance, I use my official blog as an email thread. Me and my colleagues simple email posts to the blog whenever there are any new developments in the project. That is a truly fantastic use I’ve found for blogs. We use podcasts and now skypecasts to journal ideas - it is so much easier to share ideas as a speech rather than as words. And we use Flickr for some office humor.

I would have loved to share my blog address with you but it has mostly confidential office stuff. But honestly that is the only time I am compelled to use blogs, podcasting and RSS. As a thiry year old guy I am no longer compelled to post my pictures and share my “experiences”. I am too beered-out on Saturday to key up.

Just my two cents worth. Why am I wasting your time with this long post? Because I truly want to learn how to use these new technologies for office work and enhance productivity. And I love to follow your work.

Social Media? I am not so sure. With shortening attention spans, what are the odds long posts will survive?? Television rules. Jack FM rules. iPod rules. The odds are stacked against blogs and more, unless your community can re-package these tools and sell them as pure efficiency enhancers.

Thanks,
Avi

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