Pownce Archive

Leah Culver from Pownce has posted her slides from the Future of Web Apps in London. I have embedded them below. I hope the Carson Systems gang posts her video as the slides alone lose the more important off-slide discussion. The discussion was titled, "Practical Lessons We Learned – Pownce".

Some commentary:

• Developed in 4 months with only one developer (Leah) – wow.
• Lots of open source usage – Sometimes I find this could be as bad as it can be good.
• Amazon S3 – Leah notes it’s cheaper and has been reliable so far
• Only one MySQL DB – this was a bit shocking – even just for redundancy
• "Expect anything" she says – and this is so right – no matter how much you plan, something will change your course
• Use version control – rollbacks are a good thing :)

Here are her slides:

Pownce. Today it appears that Twitter won.

What happened to Pownce? In the early days Kevin Rose and Leah Culver were using the tool to provide updates and there were many replies to each of their posts. Checking Kevin’s profile today, its down to one update every three days and even a call for a party pushed Digg with no mention of Pownce in the invite.

Then we had the public Digg post about whether Digg copied Pownce with some of its new features. Mathew has an overview of the issue.

Traffic continues to slide back as well per Alexa. And most of the users on my buddy list are using it for spamming marketing links. 

I still like the Pownce interface better than Twitter’s interface but if my "friends" aren’t on the network, then why use it? Are you still on Pownce? If so, please friend me so I can monitor usage of the tool.

I got the news tip today that Meebo is launching file sharing on Tuesday. What I am unsure about from the below message is whether this is a traditional p2p where I send directly to you or if they actually store the file on a server somewhere. I am not crazy about the latter but the former moves Meebo closer to Pownce land. What’s great is that meebo already has my buddies and I don’t have to re-friend everyone again. If Meebo added a twitter-like public board, it would be killer.

Here are some details sent over earlier today:

Today, File Transfer comes to meebo! You can now seamlessly transfer files to your IM buddies, on meebo or off meebo, regardless of which IM network they’re on, no software or download required.

"We’re so happy to be debuting file transfer on meebo. This answers a huge feature request from our users," said Seth Sternberg, founder and CEO, meebo. "Please let us know what you think!"

At its core, File Transfer utilizes the Amazon (AMZN) Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2) and Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3), core features of Amazon Web Services. Together, they provide an affordable, scalable and fault-tolerant solution to file storage and retrieval in a web environment.

Alright, I will admit that I have been Yapp'in all day today. Yapp here and Yapp there it goes since I read about the Yappd launch on TechCrunch and Mashable. Mike called it a Twitter-clone. I have always wondered what it would be like to be a clone. Would it be like showing up to a party and your BFF has on the same dress and drinking the same vitamin water you are? I called up the head Yapper, Brendan Lim, and asked about the tool and what it's like to be a clone. Our discussion is below with extra Yappage for your pleasure.

Note: You can become my Yapp friend if you want to test out the service.

Allen: Can you provide a brief background about yourself?

Brendan: We're recent college graduates that have been working in software development for the past couple of years. Brent and I met through our day jobs, since we both work for the same company, which also happens to be a startup as well. Andrew and I have known each other since middle school. He currently also works for a software development shop, except he is based out of Denver, Colorado, and Brent and I are located in Rockville, MD.

Allen: What is Yappd and where did the idea come from?

Brendan: Yappd is a service that allows people to let friends see what they are doing. Not only can you update your status from the web, but you can send a text message, e-mail, or even a picture message from your cell phone. We realized that we had an idea that no other microblogging website had implemented and thought that since it was something we would make extensive use of, others would as well.

Allen: How does the service work?

Brendan: Once you have your account setup, you can start yapping instantly from the web. From there you have the opportunity to setup your phone to be able to send in yapps as either text messages or picture messages. Off the bat, you can send e-mails with yapps containing text or pictures as long as the e-mail you send is from the e-mail that is on your profile. We also give you the ability to watch friends and monitor their yapps, that way your circle of friend's can always be informed on what you're doing or where you are.

Allen: What's the team like at Yappd?

Brendan: Right now, the team only consists of three people, Brendan Lim, Brent Collier, and Andrew Tilt. Brent and I developed most of Yappd, since Andrew hasn't had much time to contribute. The team dynamics though, are great. We knocked out our initial beta in about two weeks, just so we could get something that people could use as soon as possible. That way, we could get feedback on what new features to add in throughout the weeks to come.

Allen: What type of user are you targeting? (age/sex/income/etc.)

Brendan: We don't have much of a barrier for our target-base. As a service that helps people keep in touch, we would love to see a good range of users, from high-school students that want to let their friends know where they are at, to grandparent's that want to visually share things with their family.

Allen: Do you believe that Pownce has an advantage over the other offerings in this segment based on their founder's celebrity-status?

Brendan: It does bring Pownce some extra attention, but beyond that, I believe the market is still open for competition as long as you offer a different set of features. Pownce offers a good set of features, and Yappd is going to get some cool new features in the next few weeks as well.

Allen: Is Yappd a Twitter clone?

Brendan: In terms of what we offer at the moment, you can definitely say that we are, except the fact that we do offer two features that Twitter doesn't. You can visually let friend's know what you're doing or where you are at, and you can search and watch friends, without having to invite them. Our plans were to initially get something up and running as soon as possible with the picture messaging feature, since we knew that this has not been done before. Soon, you'll see a slew of great new features that will definitely set us apart.

Allen: Who are your competitors?

Brendan: We see Twitter and Pownce as the major competitors, since they are really in the forefront of this market.

Allen: If I am already using Twitter, why should I switch?

Brendan: We believe it depends on whether or not they find our features more appealing that Twitter's. I find myself snapping pictures with my camera phone and yapping them to my friend's all the time. It's a feature that I couldn't do without at the moment, since I've gotten so used to it. Again, some of the new features that are in the works are definitely going sway some user's this way. Also, who wouldn't want to hang out with the new kid on the block? :)

Allen: Do you have a monetization plan? If so, can you share some details? Are you funded?

Brendan: With our member base growing and our wide range of demographics, we see advertisements as a source of income, but at the moment, we'd rather keep the design clutter free and uninstrusive for our members. We are not funded at the moment, and we all still have our day jobs.

Allen: Can you share some details about your marketing plan?

Brendan: Right now, we're trying to see how far word of mouth will go. We believe that if a service is good enough, people will tell their friends, because it's what most people do.

Allen: What's coming in the next 3-6 months for Yappd?

Brendan: Many new features will be popping up pretty frequently. We'll be letting you know before it happens, but we can't spill any of the beans just yet.

Allen: In his review, Michael Arrington said, "Here's a me-too service that won't last long." How do you respond to that statement?

Brendan: We can't really be mad at him for what he said, since he is entitled to his opinion. One thing we did notice though, is that he didn't touch our picture messaging, or e-mail feature. Our only reaction after we saw our article was, "Look Ma! We're on TechCrunch".

Allen: What is the Web market like in Maryland? Do you find it's harder to compete with Valley apps?

Brendan: Andrew and I are from Alabama, and Brent is from Virginia, so our exposure to any kind of web startup in our area is virtually non-existant. In Maryland, beyond the startup we are currently working for, we don't know of any other web startups in the area. We do feel that the one advantage with being in the Valley is the ability to network with other individuals or companies that share your same interests.

Allen: What advice do you have for those thinking about starting a web application?

Brendan: I'm pretty much reiterating what Guy Kawasaki said in his book, Art of the Start, when he said that it's easier to jump on an idea that already has a market, since it's easier to gain traction. Beyond that though, it is extremely important to have something that sets you apart from the crowd — something that nobody has done before. Also, get your product out to market as soon as possible, since there's nothing worse than somebody beating you to it.

Allen: Which RSS feeds are you reading these days?

Brendan: Well, there's a variety that we read — first and foremost, we check out all of the latest yapps on Yappd. I, myself, am an Apple fanboy, so The Unofficial Apple Weblog is on my list. Add to that, CenterNetworks, Mashable, TechCrunch, Engadget, Gizmodo, Reddit, Digg, and Uncrate.

Thank you for joining me today Brendan!

What is Twitter? If you were standing in a bar and a person asked you that question, what would be your response? How would you describe this tool so that a non-geek/nerd/tech can understand. For this discussion let's leave out the API piece.

Here is what Twitter says Twitter is:

Twitter is a community of friends and strangers from around the world sending updates about moments in their lives.  Friends near or far can use Twitter to remain somewhat close while far away.  Curious people can make friends.  Bloggers can use it as a mini-blogging tool. Developers can use the API to make Twitter tools of their own. Possibilities are endless!

Scoble and his buddies filmed a "What is Twitter" session over lunch. Here is a partial transcript:

Twitter is a microblogging tool where I can only write 140 characters. Each month a few more people I knew joined it. I felt like in November I needed to join it. Your first reaction is that this is really lame. Why would anyone do this. I know a good 40% on my Twitter list. Jeff Pulver says it is adding to the landscape of the web. Amit Shafrir says that he knows everytime that Scoble has a bowel movement. Scoble: Twitter rule #1: don't tell us too much.

When I first came in contact with Twitter at SXSW earlier this year, most people were using Twitter to tell friends where the party was, how much they just barfed, and other random personal information.

Today's Twitter seems very different. I have come down hard on the app before and while I still don't see this as the next coming of (enter figure here), it could create a new marketing point of entry. (side note: I still wish threading was an option!). I have randomly selected a few examples below.

Some use it as a way to tell people precisely what they are doing (I still say no one gives a sh**). This style seems to work for those with "fans":

• fredwilson Late (1pm) breakfast overlooking the black beach in kamari
• noahkagan i love waking up on atish's couch

Some use it as a "release" tool:

• rycaut Pet peeve of restaurants besides bad coffee letting my water glass empty and taking forever for the bill
• factoryjoe ruh roh… Filesystem corruption on my MBP. Not booting! Crap!

And some use it as a business tool:

• mashable FLICKR TOOLBOX: 100 Tools For Flickr Addicts (link)
• UstreamTV Barack Obama LIVE on Ustream.TV – 3pm – Got a Question For Him? Ask Him Yourself From Our Chat!!! (link)
• JasonCalacanis TC20 popping off with demo pit…  (link)

What I find so far is that people who are using in the first way are taking away time from being off-line. This frustrates me. Sometimes it's nice to turn it off. It's harder and harder to do that and now it looks like Twitter is cutting into those few precious minutes as well. In Philadelphia I watched many attendees using Twitter as if it was crack. Can't chat with you and look at you because I may miss that Joe just took a piss and Betty just ran out of mascara. Twitter won't succeed if this route continues.

This is exactly why Pownce is doing so well. Because it came out of the gate as a business networking/utility tool. Twitter is slowly moving in this direction as well. Steve Rubel is packing up part of his blog and moving it to Twitter. Jeremiah is discussing micromedia in general and (i think) he sees this as a powerful medium.

For me I use Twitter as a business relationship and marketing vehicle. When I write something on CN that I think is interesting, I post it on Twitter. I see a few visitors each time (I can only guess that Jason and Robert probably see many more with over 10k Twitter-friends). So from that perspective, I think it works.

Here are two uses for Twitter (or another micromedia tool) that could be huge:

• Tech/business support – first we used message boards for help, then 1-1 instant messaging, now let's use these friend-media tools for support as well. Say you are stuck with a PHP issue, post it on the micromedia tool and have your friends/followers provide assistance.
• Corporate marketing – imagine Pepsi, Walmart or the Gap providing specials, new merchandise announcements, etc. This could be very powerful for marketing. Imagine a Gap group where you could send a message each time you purchase a new item and send a code to a friend who could then scan their phone at the Gap to activate the discount. This has massive potential and I can only guess that the VC firms who funded Twitter last week are thinking the same thing. Rubel says micromedia could "reincarnate the 30 second spot" and he is right. I am guessing he is using/learning Twitter to help his clients at Edelman understand this medium to help sell it in.

So what do you think? What is Twitter to you and where do you see "micromedia" moving in the next year? Will it have mass appeal?

By now you know that people are selling invites to Pownce on eBay. Duncan and Rafe go over the details of the auctions which range from 1cent to $5.00. Of course you can get an invite for free but people are bidding on these auctions.

I finally realized the possibilities of using eBay to promote your product so I am very excited to announce that this morning I placed a "Limited Edition Hand Signed Genuine Authentic" CenterNetworks PostCard auction on eBay. Close your eyes and imagine all of the possibilities that are possible when you own your own signed PostCard. Don't be the dork at the next Facebook launch party without one of these PostCards.

Auction price is set to open at $29.98 and I have worked with my shipping partner to keep the shipping at a mere 41cents.

Bid Now!!!

In May, James Thomas noted five reasons that Twitter sucks. One of his reasons has been dealt with (the cat is dead) but the others remain.

I have watched more people use it as a business tool. Mashable uses it to post tweets of their new posts (I do sometimes as well), Jason Calacanis uses it to pimp his tool, Rafe tests things using Twitter, Marshall posts random interesting findings and Patricia uses it to let us know where the good eateries are in her area.

So what's the number 1 reason I dislike Twitter? The inability to follow a conversation. Here are three examples of what I mean:

In this example, user "trib" is clearly responding to user "purecaffiene" but what was purecaffiene's note to which trib replied? You see, I am not a follower or friend of purecaffiene so I have no idea.

Here is another good example of lack of conversation followthru. Here user "RexDixon" notes to user "marshallk" something about Gmail chat. In this example, I can click "in reply to marshallk" to view the initial status. But there is no threading so if another user was to reply, I would not be able to view it.

Now here is another example of lack of conversation. User "missrogue" is clearly giving some important piece of information to user "dorismith" but what was the initial question? Do I need to play Columbo here?

As you can see from these three examples, Twitter is broken. Maybe it's my history of heavy message board use that makes me believe that Twitter needs a threaded reply system such as Pownce has. Here is a simple example of how easy it is to follow the story on Pownce:

See how easy this is to follow? Leah started a conversation by stating that it's Friday and posted a link. Users "Vincent X" and "Andy H" replied. Andy also could have replied to both Vincent and Leah had he desired.

Besides James' reasons, the lack of threaded discussions makes Twitter basically worthless in my eyes. And naturally if they add it now they will be a Pownce-clone.