Virtual Collaboration Software and Processes.

It’s still early days, folks.

Death to Stock started in 2013 because everything online was getting visual.

We went from the static word based web to the visual web.

It’s at that time that Pinterest, Tumblr, and Instagram all took off. And so companies needed quality human visuals to build their apps and websites with.

But today the web has caught up, visually.

What’s next is the interactive web.

Watch for more sites that build in human interactions right into the interface.

Did you see that on Turbotax you can have an accountant live, with you in your spreadsheets now for help?

Ditto for booking calls, Livestream video, apps that let you talk to other users on a site (like e-commerce) and getting help from the team in “product walk-throughs” as we just saw released by Intercom.

But we still have a problem with collaboration and communication.

First, there was the race for owning streamlined, collaborative design services for startups and teams.

Adobe fell behind as Sketch, Figma, Framer and Invision launched their own platforms, all collaborative in nature, and all built with today’s design needs in mind. Host in the cloud, and plug into product development tools like Zeplin.

But team communication is still a problem, especially for remote teams who rarely sync up in person.

Basecamp lead the way, but it lacked the high-def communication properties that are also necessary. Then again, their business is based on asynchrony, giving you space at work.

I’m talking about the rise of remote work, and the tools that will facilitate it.

How do you lead a new product development cycle when your team is in 5 countries and 8 time zones?

How do you plan a road map, vision and strategy on video?
How do you make up for the lack of physical connection while still building an emotional connection?
How do you ensure everyone's voice is heard, facilitating a quality discussion while remote?

On Friday I had a shift in my entire thinking thanks to Laïla von Alvensleben.

She’s got it right, and she’s leading the way in how teams collaborate remotely, while still being productive, inclusive and push forward a quality company strategy that is executed on.

To sum things up, as the world goes more to remote work, we need new systems, we need new tools for planning global communications.

Skype never hit its full potential. Neither did Hangouts. I can't tell you how many calls I've had dropped in conversations with Shaun, who lives in New Zealand.

So the opportunity is still huge.

Can you say, ZOOM IPO??

Today people want the option to work remote or work from home, even if just on occasion. Every poll says so.

But it’s the Wild West in terms of how you build company culture online.

We need a new word for this whole category, companies that facilitate culture and business for remote teams.


Offsite, Office, Retreat and Culture Photography.

I spent part of the month in San Diego attending the Buffer team retreat.

Buffer is an entirely remote company, and they’ve been navigating and pioneering in the remote space since all the way back in 2012. They've explored and shared about it more than almost anyone.

I was asked to come take photos of the team (for their website) shots of their founder, Joel (for PR) and working photos for them to use on their blog or elsewhere.

One thing I realized is this: There are still a HUGE number of companies who have spent tons of money building their culture, building a beautiful office space, recruiting...

None of which have beautiful images, video and other media to show it off.

So, if your company or a company you know has a beautiful website, but still has avatars instead of people photos. Or, if you have a beautiful office and a great culture, but your job postings (which you're paying lots of $$ for) don't have any images to showcase that...


Hit me up here.

I'd love to come hang out with your team on a Retreat, or at your office for a day or two to capture that for you.

xx David

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