Candles, Light Bulbs, and Chatter

The image of a person intently reading a book by candle light is deeply ingrained in our collective mind.  It is romantic, nostalgic, cheerful, and wrong.  Wrong, because it was any thing but pleasant.  A typical candle gave off roughly as much light as a cheap, child’s night light does today.  Additionally, they smoked, had to be constantly trimmed, were expensive, and had a disturbing proclivity for burning down the house.  Up until the electric light became the standard, evening generally signaled the end of routine activity.  Only the most essential tasks warranted costly candles or dangerous lanterns.

Then the entire game changed.  Once the electric light became standard, students could easily study until they couldn’t keep their eyes open any longer.  Families extended their recreation long past the setting sun.  Shops did business on their own hours and no longer on the schedule of the sun.  Everything changed.

Right now, just such a change is again taking place.  A company called Salesforce has brought out a product called Chatter.  What is Chatter and why is it important?  Chatter is a SaaS offering that helps people in a company collaborate.  Think Facebook, Twitter, and SharePoint, all rolled into one, customized, incredibly easy to use portal.  Here’s a screenshot that I shameless stole from Salesforce’s site.




A user can share files, ask colleagues for advice, and “follow” critical accounts.  Lively discussions take place either in the general view of everyone or in groups.  Filters help people to keep the signal to noise ratio favorable and notifications are fully adjustable. 

That’s what it is, but telling you that is kind of like describing a steak to someone who has only eaten oatmeal and turnips her entire life.  There is simply no way to convey the deliciousness of a food or the awesomeness of Chatter until you personally sample it. 

I’ve seen a lot (and I mean a lot) of technologies come and go—anyone remember Webvan?  Some were good, some were pointless, and a very, very few disrupted the world.  In my estimation, Chatter ranks with email and personal word processors as something that will alter the course of business.  The ability to seamlessly join with others in a way that is as natural as conversation, yet as flexible as the internet, is simply revolutionary.

What do you think?  Am I wrong?  Crazy?  I’d love to hear your opinion!