11 ms·

Forget apps, OnSwipe is the future of publishing.

45 points by jasonlbaptiste 16y ago

pclark 16y ago
I don't really get this. Do publishers use Wordpress? Why are they so proud that it is not an app? Why is this better?
- jasonlbaptiste 16y ago
  Many many publishers use Wordpress, especially their VIP program. Wordpress powers 10% of the web (Tony Conrad, partner at true ventures tweeted this, will post as reference). We're working with more than WP as a CMS, but it's a huge install base.
msy 16y ago
If the future of publishing is an ipad friendly Wordpress theme the industry is in more trouble than I could conceive. This kind of absurd hyperbole makes it hard to take small but interesting ideas seriously.
- jasonlbaptiste 16y ago
  You're sincerely mistaken if you think that's the end game for us or that the smart people involved would bet on something that small.
  - gyardley 16y ago
    Of course there's got to be more to it - but he could be forgiven, given the content of the article you posted. So, tell us more.
    - Ramone 16y ago
      Smart people are involved. What more do you need to know?
      - pclark 16y ago
        Everything.
        jimboyoungblood 16y ago
        I think he was being sarcastic. At least I hope so.
  - msy 16y ago
    If I am mistaken it is indeed sincere as there is nothing in that article to even hint at anything more.
  - joshu 16y ago
    So one thing I notice on HN a lot (here and in the Qwiki thread) is that people have a tendency to belittle projects without enough information. "That's just X, and X isn't very hard" or whatever. It's sickening, and the people that do this are vigorously indicating they have at best shallow reasoning facilities. Some really great companies have much lower profiles than you might expect. Try not to draw conclusions on limited data, or at least understand the quality of said conclusions.
    - d3x 16y ago
      These companies should wait until they actually have something cool before making statements like "Forget apps, OnSwipe is the future of publishing."
eli 16y ago
So how does this make money? Is it also an ad network, or am I just paying for a platform that allows me to sell ipad ads effectively?
- arethuza 16y ago
  Red Bull sponsorship? :-)
patrickgzill 16y ago
The article is a little breathless in its style... hard to see how there is any sort of barrier to entry being raised for another competitor to do the same thing.
- ericgs 16y ago
  http://www.ridesurfboard.com http://www.ridesurfboard.com was posted on here the other day in an ask hn. Seems like this "niche" is starting to already get crowded by a bunch of people scrambling to get a piece of the Flipboard pie.
jsm386 16y ago
'Apps are bullshit for content,' says Baptiste who refers to native apps as 'PDF readers'' and equates them to a Ponzi scheme for publishers.' I really don't understand that quote. I didn't watch the video so perhaps there is some context I am missing...How are apps a Ponzi scheme?
- steveklabnik 16y ago
  I think he's talking about this: http://tpdsaa.tumblr.com/post/2731809145/submitted-by-sergethew http://tpdsaa.tumblr.com/post/2731809145/submitted-by-serget... Basically, everyone wants to make their own branded apps, but few people are actually going to bother to buy them. The publishers are the victims, not the guys at the top of the pyramid, it's the app makers who're going to profit.
  - Timothee 16y ago
    It's not a Ponzi scheme though, is it? It might be a scam, but for it to be a Ponzi scheme, the developers would need to use the money they get from the first publishers to, say, buy the apps they've developed to show it gets great returns to get new publishers to pay... (or something like that)
    - steveklabnik 16y ago
      Yeah, I'm not sure the analogy is a great one.
watty 16y ago
Looks neat but not revolutionary at all. I don't think each content provider needs their own app but what's the problem with using a mobile friendly format and letting RSS readers do the extra work? Pulse: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=WVjn27OdDBE#t=234s http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v...
- jasonlbaptiste 16y ago
  I should really really clarify: the demo shown in the video is of PadPressed, the precursor to OnSwipe. Think of padpressed as the equivalent of our "university research project". OnSwipe is a much much larger evolution from that and encompasses a lot more.
jpr 16y ago
Fuck everything, we're doing a Wordpress theme!
emilis_info 16y ago
Things real people dont say about reading publications: "We need more engaging advertising".

I don't really get this. Do publishers use Wordpress? Why are they so proud that it is not an app? Why is this better?

jasonlbaptiste 16y ago
Many many publishers use Wordpress, especially their VIP program. Wordpress powers 10% of the web (Tony Conrad, partner at true ventures tweeted this, will post as reference). We're working with more than WP as a CMS, but it's a huge install base.

msy 16y ago

If the future of publishing is an ipad friendly Wordpress theme the industry is in more trouble than I could conceive. This kind of absurd hyperbole makes it hard to take small but interesting ideas seriously.

jasonlbaptiste 16y ago
You're sincerely mistaken if you think that's the end game for us or that the smart people involved would bet on something that small.
- gyardley 16y ago
  Of course there's got to be more to it - but he could be forgiven, given the content of the article you posted. So, tell us more.
  - Ramone 16y ago
    Smart people are involved. What more do you need to know?
    - pclark 16y ago
      Everything.
      - jimboyoungblood 16y ago
        I think he was being sarcastic. At least I hope so.
- msy 16y ago
  If I am mistaken it is indeed sincere as there is nothing in that article to even hint at anything more.
- joshu 16y ago
  So one thing I notice on HN a lot (here and in the Qwiki thread) is that people have a tendency to belittle projects without enough information. "That's just X, and X isn't very hard" or whatever. It's sickening, and the people that do this are vigorously indicating they have at best shallow reasoning facilities. Some really great companies have much lower profiles than you might expect. Try not to draw conclusions on limited data, or at least understand the quality of said conclusions.
  - d3x 16y ago
    These companies should wait until they actually have something cool before making statements like "Forget apps, OnSwipe is the future of publishing."

eli 16y ago

So how does this make money? Is it also an ad network, or am I just paying for a platform that allows me to sell ipad ads effectively?

arethuza 16y ago
Red Bull sponsorship? :-)

patrickgzill 16y ago

The article is a little breathless in its style... hard to see how there is any sort of barrier to entry being raised for another competitor to do the same thing.

ericgs 16y ago
http://www.ridesurfboard.com http://www.ridesurfboard.com was posted on here the other day in an ask hn. Seems like this "niche" is starting to already get crowded by a bunch of people scrambling to get a piece of the Flipboard pie.

jsm386 16y ago

'Apps are bullshit for content,' says Baptiste who refers to native apps as 'PDF readers'' and equates them to a Ponzi scheme for publishers.' I really don't understand that quote. I didn't watch the video so perhaps there is some context I am missing...How are apps a Ponzi scheme?

steveklabnik 16y ago
I think he's talking about this: http://tpdsaa.tumblr.com/post/2731809145/submitted-by-sergethew http://tpdsaa.tumblr.com/post/2731809145/submitted-by-serget... Basically, everyone wants to make their own branded apps, but few people are actually going to bother to buy them. The publishers are the victims, not the guys at the top of the pyramid, it's the app makers who're going to profit.
- Timothee 16y ago
  It's not a Ponzi scheme though, is it? It might be a scam, but for it to be a Ponzi scheme, the developers would need to use the money they get from the first publishers to, say, buy the apps they've developed to show it gets great returns to get new publishers to pay... (or something like that)
  - steveklabnik 16y ago
    Yeah, I'm not sure the analogy is a great one.

watty 16y ago

Looks neat but not revolutionary at all. I don't think each content provider needs their own app but what's the problem with using a mobile friendly format and letting RSS readers do the extra work? Pulse: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=WVjn27OdDBE#t=234s http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v...

jasonlbaptiste 16y ago
I should really really clarify: the demo shown in the video is of PadPressed, the precursor to OnSwipe. Think of padpressed as the equivalent of our "university research project". OnSwipe is a much much larger evolution from that and encompasses a lot more.

jpr 16y ago

Fuck everything, we're doing a Wordpress theme!

emilis_info 16y ago

Things real people dont say about reading publications: "We need more engaging advertising".