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I think every product shutdown should be accompanied with a video. Granted, Gary is a pro, but it feels very personal and comforting to have the founder explain
by rwhitman 16y ago
I think every product shutdown should be accompanied with a video. Granted, Gary is a pro, but it feels very personal and comforting to have the founder explain why it was shut down.
Every time Google or Yahoo close down a product, they should have the team lead explain what happened in a video. It would soften the blow to the community and give a nice face to what often seems like a harsh move.
- dotBen 16y agoI'm not a user of Cork'd but I didn't find Gary's explanation at all 'comforting' - it seemed full of contradictions and along with Gary's unusual nervous body language (remember, he's a pro speaker and practically masterful in front of the camera when he is feeling confident) I went away feeling he wasn't really explaining the real reason(s) why they are closing Cork'd at all. Which leads me onto your second point - that's exactly the reason Yahoo or Google don't do a video when they shutter a servie. They have no intention of telling you the real reason for shutting a service down (eg "it wasn't making enough money", "it's not strategically important any more") and if they gave a BS video we would all know it. Which leaves me to conclude if you are not going to be straight forward about why you a closing a service (the rights or wrongs of that are beyond scope for here) then perhaps it is best to say little/nothing in a nondescript blog post or press release - and certainly not a video.
- boltofblue 16y agoI found his video a little "managerial".