Saturday, March 05, 2011

Millions Ask Anything

It's a scary world out there. It takes courage to share anything intimate with the online world these days and even more to offer yourself up to a huge audience saying "ask me anything." This past week three IAMA posts received so many points & comments that they are in our top ten of all time: Lucidending, Ken Jennings, Congressman Garamendi, and one from a 4-year old, which also received thousands of comments. The IAMA reddit, an organic creation of the reddit community, has seen a huge growth over the past few months (see graphs), outpacing even reddit's incredible growth. What makes this format so compelling?

My theory at least is that by opening themselves up to questions about anything, from anyone, anywhere, IAMA subjects take a big step toward their audience. They show that they are willing to jump into the fast and fluid conversation, and that neither interviewer nor interviewee really knows where the discussion is eventually going to go. Everyone is along for the ride. The format works not only because the community (and voting) creates a welcoming forum and keeps things civil, but also because it's big enough and unpredictable enough to keep things interesting for both subject and audience. What do you think makes IAMAs so fascinating?

Check out the IAMAs going on today, or even share your story. See the how to or contact hueypriest if you have questions. Or create your own community. Who knows, it could be the next IAMA.
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