A few months ago I was surfing through TweetDeck (which for some reason will not post to my Facebook profile any longer but will populate on my Facebook page). I was checking out some posts that my cousin, Michael Cherenson, was making on his Twitter feed, and kept noticing that he was using another service called “Amplify.”

So I checked out Amplify, and it seemed kind of like a hybrid between Twitter and Facebook and enjoyed using the platform. About a month later while in New York to speak at NYU on social media strategy, we were able to catch up with Amplify top dogs Eric Goldstein and Dave Grossman.

Since then I’ve continued to use the service, and it’s been interesting to see the diverse and international group of people who use it. So I thought I’d touch base again with Goldstein — who foresees a social media “rebellion against marketers” coming — to once again talk about Amplify and ask him what lies ahead.

Q: Who the hell are you and why should we care?

EG: I’m Eric Goldstein, CEO of Amplify. I guess you should care because as I work on developing the experience on Amplify, I look at it 100% through a user’s perspective; not a marketer’s. These days, most social media companies talk a lot about how they’re providing marketers the opportunity to blah, blah, blah… I’m not and I don’t plan to.

Q: Tell us about Amplify and why you created it?

EG: I got into social media because I was inspired by the opportunity to facilitate conversation between people who don’t necessarily know each other but could interest, entertain and educate each other. Despite the enormous growth of social media, particularly Twitter and Facebook, I still think the need is there. In my opinion, consolidating all our thoughts and ideas into 140 characters will never be enough and Facebook is first and foremost a place where people check out each other’s photos and play games. Therefore, I think there is still the need for an environment where people primarily engage in conversation about meaningful things. That’s what I’m trying to create with Amplify.

Q: How many people are using Amplify currently, what kind of growth pattern have you seen thus far, and where do you expect things to go?

EG: I don’t really want to publicly announce our numbers, but I will say that if they were as big as Twitter’s, I would. They’re good, but not great. They are consistently growing, but not at a remarkable pace. Considering how long we’ve been doing this and the resources we have to work with, I’m pleased and proud of what we’ve achieved and how we’ve grown. But to take it to the next level, we need to grow at a faster rate. As far as my expectations, I expect to continue to wrestle this beast until I get it right and then I expect to scale into the “3rd place” alongside Twitter and Facebook. Twitter for trivial banter, and I don’t say that in a bad way. Facebook for photos and games. Amplify for conversation.

Q: You are a height challenged American, and your partner, Dave Grossman is challenged from a follicle perspective. How has that played into Amplify’s success?

EG: First off, what does the fact that I’m American have to do with it? Kind of like when Jim McGrevey said “I am a gay American,” I had no idea why “American” was relevant in that context. Secondly, what I lack in height — I”m 5’ 8” with shoes on — I make up for with impressive speed, balance and jumping ability. As for Dave, what he lacks in hair he makes up for with brute strength. He has been known to lift an SUV that was stuck in the mud while drinking an iced green tea.

Q: From a social media perspective, what do you see as the next big thing?

EG: A rebellion against marketers. Right now, people talk about “engaging with your favorite brands” as though that’s something people actually want to do. For now, I suppose it’s novel so people are cool with it. Eventually, I see people reverting to social media sites that offer what Facebook and Twitter did before marketers swooned in; a place to chat with their friends about what’s going on in their lives and the world.

Q: Where is this all going? Is it even possible go venture a guess as fast as new media is evolving?

EG: In a macro sense I see people becoming wiser and more well rounded as a results of being connected to a wider variety of people from different parts of the world. Regardless of the zigs and zags along the way, I think the net result of this will be very positive.