Trying out Seesmic for the Knight News Challenge
I've been hearing a lot about Loic LeMeur's new venture, Seesmic, but had only gone so far as to try out 12seconds.tv in terms of video conversations. (Twelve seconds seemed like much less of a time commitment than one minute--go figure!)
But the Knight News Challenge provided a great excuse to try establishing a video conversation using Seesmic as well as taking up Shel and Neville's challenge of using Seesmic to make a PR pitch. Or, in the case of the Knight News Challenge, simply spreading the word that the Challenge gives away $5MM in funding each year to digital innovators in the areas of communication and local news.
The video conversation stimulated is really interesting already, with one of our past winners, David Cohn, jumping in to offer personal advice on how easy it is to enter the first round of applications for the challenge. And since David is one of this year's mentors, applicants can even request that he assist in honing and prepping your own application this year.
What I'm enjoying about Seesmic is the ability to engage in a more personal conversation than is permitted by a typed blog comment. Sure, leaving a video comment is a bit higher-maintenance, but it's also higher-engagement and higher-involvement. Facial expressions, pauses, word choice, eye contact--these all contribute to the conversation in ways that a hastily-typed blog comment simply doesn't. Of course, blogs are still going to be the best tool for longer, more thoughtful posts on complicated issues, but Seesmic is providing a new way to engage your audience in a more personal conversation.
