5 ms·

I'll be honest in saying that while I kind of understand what app.net does, I really think they need to work on their messaging. It's a social graph distributed

by snide 13y ago

I'll be honest in saying that while I kind of understand what app.net does, I really think they need to work on their messaging. It's a social graph distributed storage service, kinda, but provided in some way more private than ad based social networks like facebook or google plus? I'm pretty Internet savvy, have spent most of my life building large web sites, and outside of reading articles about app.net every once in awhile (which I forget and then end up with the half-informed summarized memory above) I really can't figure out WHY I should be using it as a user. I'm sure part of it is them just not having a AAA app yet that just does something awesome, but I do wish they'd work a bit on their homepage so that all of it was more clear at first look. Just some non-specific advice from an Internet traveler. If it's tough for me to figure out, it's likely tough for someone with much less experience. Right now, all I understand are your core values (which of course I agree with) and have trouble seeing how I actually use the service. Thanks ahead to the people I'm sure that will comment on this and explain it a bit better, my general point is that I should be able to figure it all out quickly on one page. Good luck duders! It's a product I'm generally curious about but never have enough time to do serious investigating on.

RussianCow 13y ago
I feel the same way about it. It's always felt like more of a concept than an actual product or service to me. Even the home page is really vague: "App.net is Your Passport to Great Applications"--what does that even mean? I have friends who use App.net and love it, but I don't think I'll be jumping on board because I just haven't been convinced that I need it.
- bobbles 13y ago
  I was a member from the first day.. and then cancelled after about 6 months because after trying to force myself to 'get it' I still didn't know what I was meant to be doing with it
  - mwerty 13y ago
    My take is that its the facebook platform minus facebook.
  - chmars 13y ago
    Why did you cancel after six months although you had paid for a year?
nlh 13y ago
100% agreed. I'm a very savvy Internet user (I thought?) and I still don't really understand what they do/offer. At one point I thought it was just an "open" version of Twitter, but that seems to have changed now (or has it?) It feels very much like "insiders solving very specific problems for other insiders" ... maybe insider isn't the right word, but my sense is they were born from frustrations with changes in the way Twitter handled the ecosystem ... i.e. 3rd party clients. So they said ok, we're going to build our own system that isn't trying going to restrict 3rd party clients. So I (think) I get what they are on the periphery, but I still don't get the core product. I'm sure it's good though - or at least good in spirit. Would love to hear more. Can someone do an 'explain app.net to me like i'm 5 and have never used the internet'...?
- xoail 13y ago
  This is what I get. Could be totally wrong and if so, please correct me. App.net allows app developers to use app.net platform for a fee. App developers can integrate their user's app.net logins/profiles/network/photos etc. just like they do on facebook platform. App developers can also create users in the app.net platform. Users never see any ad. They also have good privacy settings. It's like win-win for both end-users and app developers. The only catch being app developers pay a nominal fee.
  - rhc2104 13y ago
    Users also pay a fee (there are free accounts, but they're very restrictive).
- yapcguy 13y ago
  App.net con(vince) developers to give up cash to fund a proprietary closed platform. Even users had to pay to get an account. They then sell shares of the business to Andreessen Horowitz for $2.5 Million. Why don't developers and users get a share of the business? Didn't the developers take on the most risk a year ago? Seriously, it's about time backers of crowd-sourced projects start demanding something tangible instead of just forking over cash to every salesman to come knocking. Anyway, eventually the investors - and the rest of the bandwagon which is sure to follow - are going to want a return on their investment, so we know how this API-feel-good story ends. Any developer building on top of App.net expecting long-term stability is kidding themselves.
wmf 13y ago
Ultimately I think App.net will either have a killer app (probably from a third party) in which case people will sign up just to get that app, or it will just fail. Either way, there's no real need to market App.net itself.
- jesalg 13y ago
  That's a great point. I don't think the target demographic for App.net is the regular internet user but rather it is/should be developers who could build great apps for regular end users (leaving app.net in the background as a technical detail). So their messaging should be geared more towards selling it as Social Graph as a Service to developers rather than being a direct alternative to Twitter, Facebook, etc. Maybe it already is but the messaging should be more clear.
hnalien 13y ago
I agree. The first couple of times that I tried to find about App.net, I got lost in the Social values listed on their page and trying to figure out what each app does and how are third parties benefitting. I believe if Web Savvy users like us are having a hard time 'getting it', it's a lost cause for people who use 'Whatsapp' and are persuaded to use 'Whisper for App.net'
namenotrequired 13y ago
I agree. My impression was that they just want to be the one account you use to sign in to all your apps and provide the backbone structure for those apps.
deleted 13y ago
[deleted]
namenotrequired 13y ago
By the way, this blog might help explain: http://daltoncaldwell.com/what-twitter-could-have-been http://daltoncaldwell.com/what-twitter-could-have-been
nemesisj 13y ago
I've never been more confused than when I recently downloaded the Passport app for iOS. I was expecting some kind of basic twitter-like client with some app integration hooks. You know, kind of like what you see when you login to app.net! Instead, I see this really confusing app store, with no explanation. Clicking on an app downloads it, and from there I have no idea why I'd want another app store - maybe these are ADN compatible apps? Maybe they all work together because they're ADN aware? Anyone?
jaredsohn 13y ago
My understanding is that it is ning.com but with a different business model. (Interestingly, Marc Andreessen of a16z was a cofounder of ning.)

by snide 13y ago

RussianCow 13y ago

I feel the same way about it. It's always felt like more of a concept than an actual product or service to me. Even the home page is really vague: "App.net is Your Passport to Great Applications"--what does that even mean? I have friends who use App.net and love it, but I don't think I'll be jumping on board because I just haven't been convinced that I need it.

bobbles 13y ago
I was a member from the first day.. and then cancelled after about 6 months because after trying to force myself to 'get it' I still didn't know what I was meant to be doing with it
- mwerty 13y ago
  My take is that its the facebook platform minus facebook.
- chmars 13y ago
  Why did you cancel after six months although you had paid for a year?

nlh 13y ago

100% agreed. I'm a very savvy Internet user (I thought?) and I still don't really understand what they do/offer. At one point I thought it was just an "open" version of Twitter, but that seems to have changed now (or has it?) It feels very much like "insiders solving very specific problems for other insiders" ... maybe insider isn't the right word, but my sense is they were born from frustrations with changes in the way Twitter handled the ecosystem ... i.e. 3rd party clients. So they said ok, we're going to build our own system that isn't trying going to restrict 3rd party clients. So I (think) I get what they are on the periphery, but I still don't get the core product. I'm sure it's good though - or at least good in spirit. Would love to hear more. Can someone do an 'explain app.net to me like i'm 5 and have never used the internet'...?

xoail 13y ago
This is what I get. Could be totally wrong and if so, please correct me. App.net allows app developers to use app.net platform for a fee. App developers can integrate their user's app.net logins/profiles/network/photos etc. just like they do on facebook platform. App developers can also create users in the app.net platform. Users never see any ad. They also have good privacy settings. It's like win-win for both end-users and app developers. The only catch being app developers pay a nominal fee.
- rhc2104 13y ago
  Users also pay a fee (there are free accounts, but they're very restrictive).
yapcguy 13y ago
App.net con(vince) developers to give up cash to fund a proprietary closed platform. Even users had to pay to get an account. They then sell shares of the business to Andreessen Horowitz for $2.5 Million. Why don't developers and users get a share of the business? Didn't the developers take on the most risk a year ago? Seriously, it's about time backers of crowd-sourced projects start demanding something tangible instead of just forking over cash to every salesman to come knocking. Anyway, eventually the investors - and the rest of the bandwagon which is sure to follow - are going to want a return on their investment, so we know how this API-feel-good story ends. Any developer building on top of App.net expecting long-term stability is kidding themselves.

wmf 13y ago

Ultimately I think App.net will either have a killer app (probably from a third party) in which case people will sign up just to get that app, or it will just fail. Either way, there's no real need to market App.net itself.

jesalg 13y ago
That's a great point. I don't think the target demographic for App.net is the regular internet user but rather it is/should be developers who could build great apps for regular end users (leaving app.net in the background as a technical detail). So their messaging should be geared more towards selling it as Social Graph as a Service to developers rather than being a direct alternative to Twitter, Facebook, etc. Maybe it already is but the messaging should be more clear.

hnalien 13y ago

I agree. The first couple of times that I tried to find about App.net, I got lost in the Social values listed on their page and trying to figure out what each app does and how are third parties benefitting. I believe if Web Savvy users like us are having a hard time 'getting it', it's a lost cause for people who use 'Whatsapp' and are persuaded to use 'Whisper for App.net'

namenotrequired 13y ago

I agree. My impression was that they just want to be the one account you use to sign in to all your apps and provide the backbone structure for those apps.

deleted 13y ago

[deleted]

namenotrequired 13y ago

By the way, this blog might help explain: http://daltoncaldwell.com/what-twitter-could-have-been http://daltoncaldwell.com/what-twitter-could-have-been

nemesisj 13y ago

I've never been more confused than when I recently downloaded the Passport app for iOS. I was expecting some kind of basic twitter-like client with some app integration hooks. You know, kind of like what you see when you login to app.net! Instead, I see this really confusing app store, with no explanation. Clicking on an app downloads it, and from there I have no idea why I'd want another app store - maybe these are ADN compatible apps? Maybe they all work together because they're ADN aware? Anyone?

jaredsohn 13y ago

My understanding is that it is ning.com but with a different business model. (Interestingly, Marc Andreessen of a16z was a cofounder of ning.)