Posted by Steve Chazin on Sun, Nov 30, 2008 @ 12:46 PM
Saurav wrote to the entire company yesterday with this story that we'd like to share:
Today while talking on the phone with me from India, my parents wished to see Adya, my 10 month old. Now my father is not exactly tech savvy in the field of bits and bytes, so when I asked him to launch Skype or Yahoo messenger, he sheepishly acknowledged that it was beyond him. He knows how to check his gmail and open word docs though.
So I created a Dimdim meeting and mailed him the link. He clicked and joined the meeting and we spent an hour video chatting (we used a phone for audio since my father's computer has a faulty audio card, I know this because that used to be my computer in 2007 :)). Long story short, I believe Dimdim has passed the ultimate test of usability, it's so simple my father can use it.
We had a little hold up because he wanted to see a larger video picture, so I asked him to "Chazinize" the presenter video image (for those who don't know, it involves right clicking and selecting Zoom in to blow the video image up.) The problem came because my father had no idea what a "Right Click" was. Once said mechanism was explained to him, he continued on exploring other features (like whiteboard) and asking questions about stuff. Note: Dimdim Pro users are now able to show 4x larger video with one click.
So I just felt we deserve a pat in the back for making a product even my dad can use.
Saurav
We'd love to hear some of the unique ways people are using Dimdim to get closer together.
Posted by Kevin Micalizzi on Thu, Nov 13, 2008 @ 11:40 AM
Hi! I'm Kevin and today is my fourth day on the Dimdim team, so I figured it's time to introduce myself. I'm sure you'll see me jumping into discussions. With such a fancy title, you're probably wondering what I'm here to do.
What is a Community Manager?
My goal is to find, start, and stay connected with conversations related to Dimdim. Conversations about companies, products, and services are happening online every day, many companies aren't actively participating yet. Steve Chazin and the management team here felt it was important for the company to have someone working full time to be a part of it. I'm not here to become the only person from Dimdim participating online, just the one responsible for doing it every day and getting the right people involved whenever needed.
If you're thinking, "what a dream job," I have to agree. It's not my dream job because the hours will be easy or because there is very little to do. I'm expecting long hours and an endless list of of things to do. It's a dream job because:
- I get to work with a great team and excellent technology
- I'm paid to participate in conversations
- I get to learn how people are leveraging our technology (4 days in and I'm already hearing about some very cool stuff)
- I get to share what I learn
Why did they hire me?
I'd like to think it's because I'm a really great guy, but I'm sure there is more to it. It probably has to do with the fact that I started working with the web in 1995 and still love it as much as I did back then. With a background in interpersonal communication, the web seemed like the right place for me. For most of my career I've worked with and managed teams scattered around the US and throughout the world.
Years of being tethered to a phone, straining to follow meetings, has given me a strong appreciation for web conferencing. The technology has allowed us to go from simple conference calls (sometimes) with visuals to truly collaborative online interaction. I know the leadership at Dimdim understands and embraces this challenge, it's part of what sold me on the company.
I will be spending the majority of my time in the next few weeks getting more fully immersed in the online conversations around Dimdim. One of my hopes is to start highlighting some of the ways people are leveraging Dimdim. My direct email is kevin (at) dimdim (dot) com. Please feel free to reach out, introduce yourself, and let me know how you're leveraging Dimdim or why you aren't yet.
Looking forward to meeting you soon!
Kevin Micalizzi