Last week Tsahi wrote a funny post on what Twitter would look like if Microsoft was behind it. Well, I thought to myself – I love Twitter, I love video conferencing – how about writing my own twist on Tsahi’s post, and try to imagine how video conferencing would look if it was built by the Twitter folks…
Video Conferencing would be given a much cooler name. Viddo? Confr?
Each speaker would be limited to 140 words. After 140 words, the active speaker token would automatically be given to someone else.
Interface
Talking too much would cause you to use your API limit. Again, this will force you to spend a few minutes in silence.
In order to answer someone, or refer to something they said, you would specifically have to say “Hey” and mention their name (“Hey Tsahi, I think you were wrong in your last sentence…”).
If you quote someone or repeat some of their words, you have to give them credit (“Repeating Tsahi, I’d say that…).
To save some words, you could use a 3rd party “word shortener”. You would just say out loud the shortener code, and participants would check what it means online in real-time.
You wouldn’t be able to trace back conversations between people. They will all be lost in the stream.
Characteristics
Video conferencing would have been free.
You could’ve accessed a video conference from virtually anywhere, using any device.
You could easily share images, videos, documents and web pages.
People would use video conferencing to let their friends and colleagues know what they are up to at any given point of time.
Currently: Sleeping.
You could use #Hashtags in a conference. Favorite hashtags would have been #lunch, #coffee, #boring and #home.
You could see the Trending Topics of today’s conferences. I wonder if Britney Spears would be trending there too…
Interface would have been simple and very limited. Millions of people would be working on video conferencing clients which basically look the same, feel the same and offer basically the same functionality.
You would change the background you use on your endpoint often. Usually you will place your beautiful face on it.
QoS
Video conferencing would be down every now and then. When down, a video of a big fat fail whale would be shown in loop.
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Your rights to your conference recordings may not belong to you. Terms of service would be changing from time to time.
Video conferencing would have been used by technology-savvy, early adopters and devoted fans. They would be using it in odd hours and in the weirdest locations.
Proof of Success
Many people will drop video conferencing for good after a month of using it.
A very small percentage of the people will be responsible for most of the conferences on the Internet.
People won’t understand what exactly IS video conferencing. Or what you’re supposed to do with it.
You could update your Facebook account from a video conference by using the phrase “fb” at the end of a sentence. Facebook in return will start their own VideoConference-like service called Facebook Video.
A lot of celebrities will be using video conferencing. Ashton Kutcher would even tilt his HD video camera and show Demi ironing in her panties during a conference call…
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Well, to tell you the truth, this doesn’t sound that bad. And if I missed any, feel free to add some in the comments!
VERY funny.
“People won’t understand what exactly IS video conferencing. Or what you’re supposed to do with it.” You mean they finally do understand?
“Video conferencing would be down every now and then. When down, a video of a big fat fail whale would be shown in loop.”
You Totally got me.
After writing this post I was wondering whether what I’m describing is worse or better than what we have today.