Firstly – What Is (Was) Blab?
[UPDATE] On August 12, 2016 BLAB shutdown. They have directed their attention to another project and therefore closed Blab. Seems like a shame for the ‘broadcasters’ who had built up a lively following – podcasters often used it as a compliment for their show.
Anyway, I’ll leave this blog post up, as it was a valid one when it was written.
The moral of this story is a great reminder however, that no matter what ‘platform’ we use to provide interesting stuff for our audience, you always need to drive people back yo your own site and build up your own email list. That is one of the biggest assets of any online business. And it’s totally under your control.
[END OF UPDATE]
Blab is a live video streaming platform, and according to Blab.im themselves is
“a place to watch, join, and interact with live conversations about the topics that matter most to you”
It is still ‘in beta’ so is likely to change over time, as all these things do, and as at May 2016, there is plenty of observation and opinion around as to what ‘might’ happen as Blab develops its platform and tweaks things around.
It was launched around April 2015, and therefore a year later has seen some great growth and popularity. Live video streaming isn’t new with Google Hangouts, Periscope, Meerkat, and now Facebook joining in, and of course things like Skype & Zoom too. But one aspect of Blab that people seem to love is the very interactive nature of it, and it’s very social. A dictionary definition of the word blab is “to reveal secrets by indiscreet talk”, and a quick browse through live blabs shows that people are indeed relaxed about being themselves, and saying what comes to mind. Some are rubbish, some are very entertaining.
Anyway, The Nuts & Bolts Of Blab Are (Were) This…
- it’s public video chat
- 2-4 people live on air having a topic driven conversation
- the host can choose to accept call-ins into an open seat
- participants can come in and out
- there is live audience participation with a chat roll running alongside, with the usual mix of comments, side chat, Q&A’s
- the host can record all of the blab session or parts of it
- you can mute all or any of the ‘blabbers’
You can sign up for Blab using Twitter, and then Blab uses your Twitter handle and uses your Twitter bio, but you can change your Blab bio as you want if you don’t want it the same. You can also see other blab users who you are connected with via Twitter, which is handy. It’s easy to use, and as a host you can schedule your Blabs ahead of time. I don’t like to have too many notifications set up as they are distracting, but I do like to see what Blabs are being scheduled by people I am following. The link with Twitter keeps the social interactivity strong, making it a very social place to be.
A great feature is that of giving a blabber ‘feels’ – you click (multiple times as you want) on the double hand emoji shown in front of each blabber when they say something that you like, so over the session you can see which person is proving popular with what they are saying. This is great feedback for the blabbers as it’s a boost when you say something that creates ‘a flurry of feels’.
How Is (Was) Blab Being Used?
Other than random conversations, online entrepreneurs are using Blab for a variety of uses:
- ‘aftershows’ to discuss points made in another format such as a pre-recorded podcast episode or blog post or video
- interviews
- actually recording podcast episodes
- having discussions about topical issues
- coaching & teaching
- brainstorming,
- Q&A sessions, ‘hotseats’
Blab For Content Creation
A great feature of Blab is that once you have finished recording your Blab, the recordings are processed straightaway, and you get the video and audio from it. This content that was so enjoyably created, can of course then be re-used and re-purposed, giving ideas for more content creation and giving you more opportunities to share and distribute your ideas, and, importantly, your personality. Yes, we are back to that overused word, authentic again!
Use the video & audio. So you could embed the blab onto your website (top tip this means people can watch your video blab without having to signup for Blab). Or put the video onto your YouTube channel, or put the audio onto your podcast stream.
If you like writing then you could use a couple of the points from the discussion and expand them into a blog post, or make a SlideShare presentation of them, create a LinkedIn post, or add something into your email system or email newsletter.
If you want something visual, then if you hear some great quotes in the blab, make a nice graphic with the quote. Off it goes into Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest. If you are good at editing video then create small snippets of video and share those as ‘tasters’ or to answer a question you get asked lots.
Phew! Set up a standard process for this to get the absolute utmost mileage from your Blab – in the places that work best for you. If you try and do all of this stuff, you will go nuts. But if you have a virtual assistant for example, then these are perfect tasks for them to do while you move onto the next show, episode, strategic task.
OK So Why DO (DID) Podcasters Love Blab?
If all of these great benefits are not enough (!) then maybe the main reason that podcasters like Blab so much is the interaction aspect. If you are pre-recording your podcast episodes, as most podcasters do, then Blab can add a couple of layers of excitement for you.
- As an aftershow. Dig down deeper and discuss points and opinions that were raised in the podcast episode itself.
- As a way of creating your podcast recording in the first place. There can be problems with quality, but this could be a nice easy way to get started. And having the ‘feels’ functionality gives you a boost when covering the content, it’s direct and immediate feedback that your podcast content is appealing. That is a good thing.
A great example of a podcaster using Blab is The Let’s Talk Tech Show hosted by Winnie Anderson. This is a great podcast that started at the beginning of the year and it has a growing and very interested audience. Winnnie’s podcast goes out weekly on a Tuesday, with a Blab Aftershow scheduled for the Wednesday. The Blab usually digs down into certain aspects of the podcast episode, and is also an opportunity for listeners to submit questions arising from the podcast. It’s also a lot of fun. I know this because last week I was the guest! Winnie and I can talk that’s for sure… we had to split our original podcast episode into 2 parts as we ran for 90 minutes on the subject of How to Get The RIGHT Stuff Done. The blab was another 60 minutes and went past so quickly, we both really enjoyed it, and judging from the number of ‘feels’ that we were getting – so did the audience… I never realised that time productivity & project management could be so entertaining. It ‘stands on its own’ in that you can still watch it without having heard the 2 podcast episodes.
Podcast Part One http://ow.ly/WUSw300ARJR
Podcast Part Two http://ow.ly/nJih300AS3L
And, here is the Blab with me & Winnie. Its a good example of how Blab can be used to complement your podcast and create related content for further sharing.
Let me know what you think of Blab – and if you haven’t seen one in action – watch our video, and also hop over to Blab to see what’s going on. It’s never boring.
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