end of the year.... such clockwork. it might help to do what i do. that is to look at this Yahoo Mailing List Group as merely one channel among many. i don't consider this yahoo group a "community". and we can debate what a community is as well.
there was a time when "videoblogging community" meant the active people who were doing the talking, evangelizing and creation of content and technology. the community consisted of the loudest and most inspired who also felt it important to connect to other like-minded people. in 2004/2005, this was a relatively small group of people on cusp of the next digital video revolution... the one where the "online" part actually started to work and make sense. this mailing list served a purpose then and has served a purpose ever since.... that purpose often shifting according to the times and trends and needs of the subscribers. but it is still just a channel to tap into. channels of communication. we now have more social communication tools/services then ever before. and many of us use them. we use them as a topical network connecting our interests and interesting people that we want to interact with. it connects our content with our profiles, blogs and personal sites and projects. it distributes audiences, friends, family. it all interweaves both chaotically and logically. we are all learning how to use these tools and how to choose which tools work for us and which do not. we experiment. we weed. we promote and we call out suspicious projects. their is as much a community around videoblogging as their is a lack of one. a plethora of personal and corporate sites and social services for every one to love and hate and participate with. i repeat, this is just a channel. this the be-all. you could look at this group as a sort of hub... maybe a metaphorical water cooler.... or a grand central station that we all pass through on our way to other online destinations. but it's not "The Videoblogging Community". for those that believe it is or believe that is has tried to be that.... you are wrong and your expectations are therefor warped. to Andrew Baron... i'm glad you didnt decide to announce a departure from reading and writing here. i know your last post was your way of agreeing and disagreeing wth any kind of harsh judgement on this mailing list. hell, i barely participate here these days but its a channel of information and people that i respect and since i know how to filter info-overload... i stay subscribed. but Andrew, i read your blog post and it didnt excite me. but i will read it again and think about it some more. i'm glad you received appreciation and offers based on that post... but i can assure you...or maybe at least bet... that if it were I or many others that tossed that blog post up.... no such offers, publicity or appreciation would result. i dont think the comparison of response from people on this list verses the response you received elsewhere is fair or justified.... it means nothing. you can easily post something entirely different and very interesting 3 months from now and get a wild response. how then would you judge the people who use this yahoo channel? to Scoble.... i've tried to respect you more than i do by consuming your content, both professional and personal. and my personal opinion is that you contain or emit too much artificiality and contradiction mixed with your opportunistic qualities... or at least your online persona shows me this. i dont know you personally and dont dare judge you as a person any further that what i just said. you probably have many great qualities that i may never know of. i simply am interpreting you via your digital output here and elsewhere and your predictable to me. so as you depart from this channel because you get nothing out of it that makes you feel warm and fuzzy... i'll be unsubscribing from you for the same reasons. merry x-mas to all and to all a good drink! sull
