Chances are you've heard about the live streaming apps Meerkat and Periscope, but what about Blab? Imagine being able to jump into your TV set and join the conversation on your favorite Sunday morning news program. That's Blab. As you can see in the picture below, two people are sharing a screen. There is a box on the bottom left that anyone can click on to join this conversation. On the right hand side is the area where viewers can chat, and on the left is the area where viewers can tweet the broadcast out to their followers. Up to four people can be in the room at once, and there isn't a limit on the number of viewers who can join. I've been on the platform for a month and this is what I've observed: This is networking on steroids. On several occasions I have "taken a seat" in blabs (aka "shows" or "broadcasts") with very high profile individuals in the marketing industry (my industry). Mark Schaefer and Michael Stelzner each have tens of thousands of followers. When they take their conversation to Blab, people tune in to watch. If I am lucky enough to share their stage, and I manage to say something that is marginally intelligent or helpful, it might be that their audience will want to hear more from me. Furthermore, and more importantly, I am building genuine relationships with people because we are face to face, just as we would be if we shared a physical space. This is something that an email or a blog post could never accomplish. Not at this hyper speed, at least. Finding people with whom to collaborate, across the globe, is effortless. I have established brilliant partnerships with colleagues in Ireland, Scotland, Australia, and Norway. It's addictive. The "shows" on Blab are amazing because they are real. It's reality TV, sort of, but you can influence the direction of the content. You can participate. Certainly you will see silly stuff, but for the most part, the discussions are very interesting and cover a spectrum as broad as you could imagine. I've seen fundraisers, book clubs, game shows, debates, lectures, and how-to's on everything from creating Facebook ads, to ancient calligraphy. It's important to make sure you don't get lost on Blab. Set limits for yourself! People behave themselves. Because it is your face, your voice...ACTUALLY YOU, it deters people from being vulgar, or rude, or abusive. When people can hide behind a fake ID or avatar, they troll the blogs and the internet in general, wreaking havoc and often times showing a complete lack of civility or basic etiquette. That's not say this doesn't happen on Blab, but I've been delighted to see how rare it is.