Typical of web 2.0 applications, the developers are determined to provide a beautiful interface for their users. This is a familiar concept that is applied in gaming, software applications, and other forms of media. There is nothing wrong with this, but it is very wrong when it takes precedence over functionality and reliability. Stickam never received that memo, but I am here to deliver it.

Stickam is a rapidly evolving social community. The development team has been constantly making changes to the site. Stickam's official blog shows the plentiful amount of activity and change that occurs. It is all for a good reason--Stickam is the premiere social site offering live multi user video socialization.

All of the above sounds great, but anyone would be sorely mistaken to believe just that. Even with all the changes, there are glaring fundamental problems with Stickam. One issue is that the site is very unreliable. Another is that the site is very difficult to use at times. Unfortunately, there is much more that is wrong with Stickam:

• Frequent random disconnects
• Frequent site errors
• Overly CPU and memory intensive (poor programming most likely)
• Being logged out at random (while actively using the site)
• Inability to change your account's email address (if you lose your email, you might lose your account)
• Security risks (Stickam has been compromised by hackers in the past)
• Useless additions (profile completeness rating, Stickam debate rooms, and more)
• Rare enforcement of site policy by Stickam staff

The aformentioned issues are far from being recent discoveries, and most have been apparent since the beginning. Why the development team does not tackle these issues is beyond me, but I will call them out on it. It is beyond pathetic that the development team repeatedly fails to address these issues. It all leaves me fairly displeased.

It is not hard to question if Stickam is destined for a path similar to MySpace; the development team appears very complacent with where they are at, but one day they will be served a realization that they are no longer the only game in town. When that day happens, it will be interesting to see some progress made.