People have been livecasting for years, starting from the late 90s. From JenniCam to the more modern iJustine, many people had no reservations on letting people into their bedrooms, cubicles, and lives. I was always skeptical about the whole livestreaming idea--until now.

I remember when I was at TechTv, I used to see Sarah looking into her webcam and addressing the public. Sometimes it was direct (most of the time is was pretty indirect or "fishbowl communication") but I knew it was very popular. With the advent of Flip video camcorders and Qik for mobiles it seems that almost every Tom, Dick and Horatio is livecasting to anyone who will watch. There is no shortage of sites enabling this lifestyle like Livestream [formerly Mogulus], Seesmic, Justin.TV, and Ustream. I have started using Ustream and enjoy livestreaming in a controlled manner so far.

I liked Ustream above the rest for one simple reason--the number of "creepy people" or trolls seems to be surprisingly low.  I've only broadcasted with UStream three times, but each time my viewers were either Twitter followers or at least knew who I was. The amount of inappropriate comments was low, which continues to motivate me to do it more often. Video chatting live with people who watch my work was great and it was nice to hear someone saying that they liked seeing my "more low-key and natural" side. I also made sure to reaffirm I was a dork [for anyone thinking otherwise] by showing off my Mr. Potato collection, all Star Wars, Spider-man and Transformers themed!

Ustreaming was probably easier for me than some of my predecessors since I already have a good repertoire with my participants, thanks to Twitter. Technically speaking, I think that Ustream worked pretty well except for it dropping my video every few minutes. The sound quality was good from what I heard and the video quality [when it was up] was fine. I plan on scheduling a Ustream sometime soon as they recommend that for more viewership. I do appreciate that people wanted to spend their Friday night watching me chat about Street Fighter IV or just answering questions they may have for me. If you were skeptical like me before, I would recommend giving livestreaming a second try as it's a whole new level to communication which I like. Will I be taping a camera to my head any time soon? Nope. But I will show you my Mary Jane Barbie doll the next time you stop by NehaLive!