What does Blab want to be when it grows up?
I can’t predict the future, but with Blab, I get to build it.
The cheesy word for this is ‘vision’.
I didn’t have a vision. I had an itch.
An itch that I needed to scratch.
I’ve talked about this itch for a long time with my team, and with our investors.
Today I tried something different. Sharing our plan with our users.
It’s strange this doesn’t happen more often.
CEOs tend to pitch their ass off to people who don’t care about your startup (eg. investors), and never share your dreams with people who actually care (users).
Sure, we’ve answered questions, and spend plenty of time talking to the community…but we’ve never said “Here’s the reason we’re building this.”
They’ve always known the what, but never the why.
Why do we stay up on nights & weekends building this? Surely it can’t be money, because our hourly rate would be piss poor.
We do it because we love it. We do it because we feel like we’re onto something big. Something that will change the way the world works. Something that can’t be undone. Something that will leave our grubby little fingerprints all over culture.
I sat down today with @brittanymetz and the community to talk about what blab wants to be when it grows up.
In case you missed it, here are some of the key takeaways:
Rule #1 — Now anyone can publish
Radio, Journalism & TV have all were centrally controlled. Only professionals could participate. When only professionals can broadcast, you lose out on the ‘other voices’. The real experts who are on the ground floor.
All you’re left with are professional presenters(that’s why so many weather ladies wear the same outfit)
The internet is really good at disrupting systems like that. Blogging did it to journalism. Podcasts did it to Radio. Blab will do it to TV.
New media is democratized. Anyone can publish, from anywhere, about any topic.
So what? What changes?
It changes the way we learn.
This is Chef Dennis, giving an live cooking class.
Not only can you see him cook, but you can ask questions — or even call in and ask “why is mine the wrong shade of brown?”
It changes the way we debate
Like when the ESPN basketball crew jumps on Blab after games to talk hoops with diehard fans.
It changes how we can share our opinion
Like when we can watch live events together & add our commentary over the top.
It changes who we get access to
You have the chance to speak directly to your favorite authors, musicians, and business people.
It changes the way communities help each other
Like when the Affordable Housing organization takes call-ins & questions each week for people in need.
Or every week when “Cops on Blab” comes on air, and ask them about the latest wave of black americans murdered by cops.
The cops respond directly. Like humans. Not scripted PR. This builds empathy in the community.
It changes the way people interact with companies
With companies like Cisco, IBM, and Wells Fargo bringing helpful advice & insights to fresh college graduates.
It changes the way talent gets discovered
On shows like “Blab’s Got Talent” or “Open Mic Night”— where people of all ages can push a button and showcase their talent to the world.
We’ve seen bands form on Blab, write songs together on-air, and then fly out and perform the songs for our team in our office.
How mind blowing is that?
Blab was built on a fundamental observation: people want to feel heard.
Every feature we build is towards that mission.
It’s the itch we must scratch.
Every other product we tried was either too complicated, or lacked the social feedback that encourages you to keep going.
We want to build something that a teen in their bedroom, or a CEO in their boardroom will feel comfortable using.
A way for people to share their 2c about the things that they care about.
We’re not there yet, but it’s just a matter of time.
