LIfecasting or Lifestreaming has been around now for a little while, and it is starting to gain greater popularity. So what is Lifecasting? It is the process of opening your world to others, and broadcasting what you are doing on all types of daily activities. It is more then just a website, it includes pics, video, tweeting, blogging, and any other web2.0 communication tool that comes your way.
When I first started to look and see what lifecasting was all about I got there in a round about sort of way. I saw an article in Wired magazine that talked about how to be famous on the Internet. I sat down at lunch and read the article and was instantly curious to know more about Julia Allison. As I searched more about Julia I found the site NonSociety.com which is a company that Julia has founded with her friends Meghan Asha, and Mary Rambin. The site and company are focused around the idea of creating great content through lifecasting. Each of the three have a different focus for the content that they create and gear their lifecast around. Julia is the “Dating Columnist”, Meghan is the “Geekette”, and Mary is the “Style Snob”.
NonSociety 101 from NonSociety on Vimeo.
Here is a sample of their featured video – NonSociety 101
So what do you get when you go to the site, well you get a little piece of them each day. It is kind of like a blog meets Twitter add a slice of Flickr, with your favorite reality show all rolled into one. The idea here is that they are creating an environment and platform where you will come and see what the various contributors are doing. I for one seem to be hooked on the site, and their daily activities. I check their site a couple time of day to see if they have posted anything new, and with the variety of different content it always seem like there is something to see.
What makes them stand out though?
Well in my opinion it is their use of several media forms to help create and package the whole story. They will post a screen shot of an SMS or instant message conversation. Use live broadcasting from a TechCrunch50 a tech show, or Fashion Week in NYC. Open, and sometimes raw blog posts to their users at all times of the day and night, even early morning since Julia never sleeps. Videos of crazy stunts, events, and lipdubs from their exploits out on the town. Beside using several forms of media I think the main reason people check them out is because it has a raw organic feel to it when you read and view their content.
I think another aspect of what makes them stand out is their personality. In the lifecasts you start to identify that they are real people, who dream of building a business, have fun, get angry, and experience all that life has to offer. I identify with them because there are several aspects they embrace that i can identify with as well, I am trying to start 2 dating sites, and a career in the blogging world. I have always been and will always be a techno junkie. I have been doing web programming or strategy for 14 years and love all things web. I want to eat better and exercise more. All of these are experiences that I share and identify with when I read or view their site.
Addiction?
Well at this point I would say I am addicted to the site. I am by nature a reality show junkie and have been involved with the Internet now for 14 years, so this is the best of both worlds for me. I think they have been very successful in creating an environment that engages their users. My experiences over the years in the Internet field have taught me that you need to create a compelling user experience if you want to make the difference and connect with your users. Well they have done that. Through reading the posts and looking at all of the various videos I feel like I am already friends with the all three of them.
They Just Get It!
I think this speaks to the whole idea of creating a lifecast or lifestream. Create an environment that feels as though the user is with you all of the time. We see the ups and downs, and feel as though we are there with the person as they go through their life. This is a very interesting time in the Internet since the tools available to create this content are readily available, and get easier to use each day. In building websites they say you need to create the “Stickiness” factor, which means you want people to come to your site and stay for a while and look around. Well what better way to do that then a lifecast. Their site REALLY rocks, and I am wishing them all of the best in the efforts to create this new platform.
I hope to have the opportunity to interview each of them soon and add that to the blog as well.
So what sites do you look at that shows people lifecasting or life streaming? Let me know in the comments.
Be Well
Frank
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