BlabberMash: Video Advice for the MySpace Set

I've seen a number of "question and answer" sites on the Web, and all of them share one important feature: They're only as good as the people that make up their communities. Some sites have insightful communities that offer genuine help and police themselves well, and other communities are their parent sites' greatest liabilities. BlabberMash, a new site that allows its users to post video questions and get responses from the community, falls somewhere in between.








AT BlabberMash, sign up and create a profile, and you can immediately start posting videos asking for advice from the community or responding to other people's video pleas for help. The BlabberMash community is lively and large, so there's no shortage of videos to watch, people to make fun of, and advice that you can offer.

Unfortunately, all of the questions centered around the same things: dating, sex, and relationships. In fact, relationships, dating, sex, "wear scare" (fashion), "family crap," and miscellaneous are the only categories. Don't expect to find anyone asking for help with anything more interesting than "how do I make my boyfriend do this?" and "how can I convince my girlfriend to do that?"



The comments and advice at the community are the real jewels, though that's not saying a lot. Many members, to be fair, take even the dumbest questions in stride and try to provide real opinions and feedback. One poster asked whether he looked better with or without his goatee, and most of the responses to the video were genuine. At the same time, another poster asked how she should change her look and got a few disparaging comments. I see that the community is beginning to police itself, but it has a ways to go.

BlabberMash members can create profiles and follow the videos of their friends, but the social networking aspect of the site isn't quite as important as the videos. I'll admit, there's enough content to keep your interest, even if you find yourself rolling your eyes at every other video. If you're the type of person who loves laughing at other people's misery, then you'll probably enjoy BlabberMash in a sadistic kind of way. If you're the kind and caring type, you'll probably be compelled to help the poor souls in the videos--at least until you get jaded and turn into the type of person who loves laughing at other people's misery.