I’m not sure what the final numbers are, but a whole mess of people got together this weekend just to hang out in a basement in Milwaukee.

photo by phil campbell

Most of them had never even heard of one another eighteen months ago. Almost all met through Seesmic. I didn’t go, and I’m kicking myself for not making it work. Nothing beats face to face. I was able to contribute to this video put together by Nicole, and as awesome as it is, it’s not quite the same as being there.

Over the last 14 years I’ve met and gotten to know hundreds (yes hundreds) of people online, and I’ve met dozens in person. But I have a lot of friends, good friends who know me better than anyone I know in person, friends I’ve had for years, who I have yet to meet in real life. I hope that changes in the near future. Human touch makes a difference.

The world of video conversations and the technology and business behind it all is evolving rapidly and in really cool ways. Video comments are showing up on high-traffic blogs such as Techmeme and Mashable. People are talking about what would make it easier for communities and individuals to use this stuff (channels, better threading, grouping of contacts) and some of them are digging in and building it. I expect that by the end of the summer the landscape will be more crowded but more interesting and more accessible. (At least to those with webcams. Go get one!)

Last week a few Seemic users (Mike, Dan, and Gia) who were doing business in Cannes for the annual film festival decided to try something new. They were able to bring the stars and forces behind the new Indian Jones movie to Seesmic to answer a few questions. I have to admit it was fun to see Harrison Ford, Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Cate Blanchett, Karen Allen and Shia LaBoeuf show up on Seesmic early one morning. Previously the author Deepak Chopra has had conversations with Seesmic users about the topics covered in his latest book, as well as just general chitchat about his book tour.

What would happen if a BIG star decided to hang out on Seesmic? With no handlers getting between a star and his or her fans? What would that look like- could it even work?

More likely Seesmic would use professional interviewers to moderate the conversation. Still, it would be conversation, with fans getting a chance to ask questions and hear answers directly from the star’s mouth. We’ve seen this done with limited success with text chat, but video makes it more personal. Imagine the thrill for a fan of the latest winner of American Idol knowing that he’s seeing and hearing her question, then responding? Having been a teenage girl, I can promise this’ll be big.

As always, the toughest issue is simply time. If you set up a 30 minute conversation, even if you put time limits on the individual posts, you won’t see too many people get a chance to participate. Also, as it exists now, Seesmic has no way to organize these conversations in a way that makes it easy to go back and watch later.

Using the technology but featuring the content elsewhere, or at least in dedicated channels or rooms, is probably where this is heading, but it’s not there yet. Soon, I’m sure!

(by the way- I met Jeremy Vaught, the man behind the official Seesmic blog, at PodCamp NYC 2 last month. Yesterday he called and asked if he could repost my recap of the session on Video Conversation that I did at PodCamp NYC. Of course!)

I was thrilled to create and present a panel discussion at PodCamp NYC this past weekend on the topic of Video Conversations. In recent months I’ve been an active user of Seesmic, which is both a tool that allows for connecting with friends and strangers via video, and a community. I was lucky to receive an invitation into the alpha (rather, pre-alpha!) testing stage of the site in October 2007, and have been amazed with how quickly and tightly I’ve come to know and bond with other users. Unlike YouTube, which is an all-purpose personal video hosting site, you typically would post to Seesmic a video of yourself, with the intention that viewers will respond and take the conversation further. In fact their tagline is “Join the video conversation.”

A PodCamp is an “unconference”, based around podcasting and podcasters, but also including social media and social networking. The idea is not just to attend but to contribute. I had attended my first PodCamp, in Philadelphia in September 2007, as a sponge, soaking up as much knowledge as I could. This time I felt I had something to offer, and realizing that many of my new “Seesmic friends” would also be attending, I decided to put together this session about Video Conversations. And what better format than a panel, a live version of the type of conversations we were having online? A panel that would hopefully answer the questions What? Who? How? and most importantly- Why?

There are other services that allow you to have a video conversation. Seesmic is the one I’m most familiar with and the community I’m most connected with, but it’s not really about one particular service, it’s about this new way to connect, what it is and where it’s going.

I’d like to thank the people who made this session what it was: Phil Campbell, Seth Eagelfeld, Mike Gaines, Patty Hartwell, Jeff Hinz, Dan Patterson, Christian Payne, and most especially Christine Cavalier who saved me when I had the wrong connection from MacBook to projector and who gave me feedback as I developed the session. Also thank you to the many other Seesmic users who attended the session, provided insight, and helped fill seats .

What follows are videos that were sent to Seesmic during the session. The first two were uploaded by Christian Payne (aka Documentally), the remainder by Patty Hartwell. At the end are the slideshow itself and a video I put together of responses to the question “What is the Future of Video Conversation.” If you watch nothing else (and I wouldn’t blame you, it’s a lot!) I encourage you to watch the video at the end.

Seesmic is still in testing and you can become a member by invite only. If you would like to join, register by leaving a video comment here, contact me at annie@pixelcurrents.com, or if you are on twitter you can follow getseesmic and send a DM request for an invitation.
Above image originally uploaded to flickr by Filmosity, aka ChrisCavs, used with permission.

Documentally Part One

Documentally Part Two

Patty Hartwell Part One

Patty Hartwell Part Two

Patty Hartwell Part Three

Patty Hartwell Part Four

Patty Hartwell Part Five

Patty Hartwell Part Six

Presentation slideshow

What is the future of Video Conversation?

I’d love your feedback- I’m putting together a presentation/panel for PodCampNYC next week and I’d like to know your thoughts on the future of online video conversations.
Respond to me here, via a text or video comment, or on Seesmic (if you need an invite let me know.)
Thanks!