Do you believe in the Bougie Man? You shouldn't. My previous post was a gag. There really isn't a new social media app called "Bougie". Earlier in the afternoon after watching all of the chatter around real technologies with peculiar sounding names such as Pownce, Spock, Ziggs etc. it got me thinking about how we respond to the latest "thing".
After talking about the pretend service on Twitter—I got some requests for invites via direct message. Each time I got a request, I immediately told the person it was a gag and asked if they wanted to play along. And so the "myth" of Bougie spread. No one questioned the name because in the 2.0 world we live it, it sounds just right. Every time we turn around—there's something new to try. Something that promises to do wonderful things for us. I picked the name from a medical dictionary. Apparently a Bougie is a tube like instrument used in medical procedures. It also has several "urban definitions".
So it started as a gag—but as my partners in crime joined into the game—you could see the viral roots start to take hold. An interesting experiment—and I'm not sure exactly what the lessons are. Maybe it has something to do with our desire to be a part of the next big thing. Maybe it says something about how much we value our "personal filters"—the people who we look to. Maybe it also says something about the willingness to play along. As I invited each person individually—they became a part of the story. We improvised on the spot. It probably says something about myself as I invested more time in this silly spoof than actually investigating Pownce which Chris Cree was kind enough to invite me to—(I did get so far as to register).
So to be clear, "Bougie" does not exist in the context of the latest social media application. But we've all probably believed in a Bougie at one point or another. I know I have.
But the hype is real. You have single handedly sent the value of the unused domain much higher ... now let's see if I can register a few domains for a quick buck ;)
Posted by: Gavin Heaton | Tuesday, July 03, 2007 at 02:09 AM
Because it's the 'attention economy - stupid.'
Nobody need actually 'say' anything. Just 'be' there. With their mouths agape. Conversation is a premium upgrade.
Posted by: Adam | Tuesday, July 03, 2007 at 06:33 AM
Gavin, I think you're on to a business model.
Adam, I'm LMAO regarding your comment bout conversation being a premium upgrade. Probably because their is truth to this. ;)
Posted by: DA | Tuesday, July 03, 2007 at 08:07 AM
Nice dodge. Now let's get serious. I have those three VCs lined up, and this will make Pownce, Digg, YouTube, Google Maps, and most haptic immersive telepresencing seem obsolete child's play.
Bougie is the real deal. Have your productions been in 3D?
Posted by: Naturally Yours | Tuesday, July 03, 2007 at 08:49 AM
Hey David,
Sign me up. I don't care what it is. I just love living in a state of Beta it's so much more exciting than the alternative of living in a world where nothing ever changes. I Actually see great potential in Bougie and i'll be spending some time thinking how it can be developed further.
You see? in the conversation economy even words without prior meaning become significant.
Great Job.
Posted by: Michael Melnick | Tuesday, July 03, 2007 at 09:16 AM
LOL, OK, I've been found out. BouGie launches in mid September. ;)
Michael, nice observation about living in beta. It's fun—and exhausting!
Posted by: DA | Tuesday, July 03, 2007 at 10:28 AM
Bougie? That was SOOOOO yesterday. Laxter.com is where all the cool people are. I'd make it a link, but Laxter is SOOOOO kewl they change the url every day with patented "Virtual Velvet Rope" technology.
(I hope they send me the link to tomorrow's site, or I'll have to go back to Facebook.)
Posted by: Ike | Tuesday, July 03, 2007 at 02:30 PM
Sorry I missed this (oh so fun!) experiment. Hey, the logo sure is cute ;-). Did you see what Matt Dickman did by providing (what I assume to be a real) assessment of Pounce (sp?). When you said filter, it made me think of Matt since he's been one of my important filters by giving me these "looks inside" before I buy-into the hype.
Hype aside, I do like how open people are to trying new things. That just rocks. And sure, we definitely look to your opinion cuz, well, you rock! So have a rockin' 4th with your cool fam.
Oh that link to Matt's review is here: http://technomarketer.typepad.com/technomarketer/2007/07/firstlook-pownc.html
Posted by: CK | Tuesday, July 03, 2007 at 06:45 PM
And now I'm feeling silly for not requesting an invite and joining in on the joke! :)
But the truth is I'm nearing my social media/networking max capacity. Another new service might just make my head explode!
Interesting how lemming like we all really are, though isn't it.
Posted by: Chris Cree | Wednesday, July 04, 2007 at 09:09 AM
Yeah, but what a great name. Bet I could get a trademark registered too....
Posted by: Andrew Mills | Wednesday, July 04, 2007 at 11:40 AM
BouGie Beta. Great stuff.
There is definitely a social media fatigue setting in, keeping up with each new thing.
It's like déjà vu, all over again.
Pre 2000, I had a SixDegrees account, a Guru account, was a member of a dozen BBs, and maintained a website at GigantiCo.com where I (ir)regularly posted everything from new-media insights to concert reviews, to whatever else struck my fancy (even had some video content). Then SixDegrees was sold, and promptly went out of business. Guru went out of business (and was later bought and relaunched with a very different format). Eventually I pulled down my GigantiCo site. I continued to participate in BBs but otherwise, disengaged.
A few years ago I joined Linked[in], putting my toe back in the water. Last year I relaunched GigantiCo. Since then I've tried to manage my participation. I sign up for an account with many new thing that come along, but only to experiment. I don't ever bother to invite people to join anything except Linked[in]. That, combined with my blog, IM and a phone, and I'm as connected as I need to be. I have a Second Life office, and everything else I just keep my eye on, and read/comment on blogs.
About a year ago, someone put the SixDegrees logo back up on the website. All it has is a logo. I'm waiting for the second coming of SixDegrees. I'm very intrigued as to what someone will eventually do with it. If nothing else, it's got to be one of the best names for a social networking app out there.
For those who wish to manage all their networked identities from one place, John Swords blog pointed me in the direction of:
http://www.onxiam.com
Posted by: Chris Grayson | Sunday, July 08, 2007 at 06:01 PM