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The value I get out of it is the ability to be completely unfiltered. I carefully manage what I post to facebook, because a) it's going out to a lot of people a

The value I get out of it is the ability to be completely unfiltered. I carefully manage what I post to facebook, because a) it's going out to a lot of people and b) it's there forever. I even felt slightly uneasy with G+'s Circles--even if I'm targeting my posts, I still feel pressure. I try to make my photos look nice, post statuses that people will actually like, and generally keep things "pristine." Snapchat removes all this pressure, and because of that, I find it a joy to use.

fennecfoxen 13y ago
That's wonderful. But the value you get out of it and the value an investor gets out of it are two very different matters. A price of $3 billion demands something like $120 million^ in profit, annually, in perpetuity... or more, if there's significant risk in the business plan like "we assume we will get that money in the future and are not making any of that money now". (^ using a S&P500-ish 4% real discount rate here, to keep things simple)
- RaphiePS 13y ago
  Of course, I think the company is massively overvalued. One thing I think they do have, however, is really strong engagement. Whenever I browse facebook or twitter, I'm very detached. I'm probably even working on something else. It's the same as when I occasionally watch TV -- half attention at best. With Snapchat, I've got laser-focus. Whatever I'm looking at is going away in seconds and will never come back, so it's got a special urgency. I'm sure it won't be easy to convert this into revenue, but I believe that engagement is special.
bandushrew 13y ago
At the risk of stating the obvious, if you are sending pictures (or text) via snap chat that you do not want the world to see, then you are making a mistake. It is trivially easy to capture screenshots from any screen, and the 'protection' that snapshot puts in place does absolutely nothing to stop this. I would think twice before trusting that anything you post is not going to be widely available.
- RaphiePS 13y ago
  I'm not sending anything racy or inappropriate. They're just not photos I would want on my facebook, which is very much a "curated" representation of myself. It's great for photos that are badly-lit, or inane, or make me look unattractive, or related to some sort of in-joke, or that only make sense in the moment. I wouldn't be mortified if any of them were released; they just don't make sense on my carefully-tended social media profiles. The draw, at least for me, is not covertness or secrecy. It's a form of expression that doesn't demand the "does this really belong on my public profile?" test, which is really liberating.
- aidanlister 13y ago
  That's a silly hand-wavy thing to say that doesn't reflect how Snapchat is actually used. Although it's trivial to take a screenshot, the sender receives an alert telling them which friend took it. Given snapchat is used for sharing pictures with your close friends, that puts having your Snapchat made public in the same probability range as having your mobile phone hacked and pictures posted online. Sure, it happens, but that's a risk people are obviously willing to take. Snapchat provides a mechanism for trusting your friends now without needing to trust them for infinity.
  - bandushrew 13y ago
    (a) it really is trivially easy to work around the notification so it doesn't get sent. (b) yep, as you said, even with the notification it is trivially easy for someone to take any picture that you send and post it to the forever webs. So, I reiterate, do not send anything via snap chat that you do not wish to one day become public.
clarky07 13y ago
What is the difference between this and sending a SMS? If it isn't racy or something you need to hide, why is snapchat better than sending a text? Why does the "meh" picture need to disappear from the world and not just hide in your friends text messages at the back of the list?
- VLM 13y ago
  "or something you need to hide" I think in your argument you mistyped "or" instead of "and". Its for stuff you want to hide, at least at little. Its an issue of formality. FB is for advertising to future employers, your dinner manners need to be emily post level or you'll pay for it, or you're making a statement about manners and how little you respect employers who demand table manners. On the other hand, SC is the dinner manners equivalent of pizza with your buddies at the lan party, so eat with your hands, use shirt as napkin, its all good.

fennecfoxen 13y ago

That's wonderful. But the value you get out of it and the value an investor gets out of it are two very different matters. A price of $3 billion demands something like $120 million^ in profit, annually, in perpetuity... or more, if there's significant risk in the business plan like "we assume we will get that money in the future and are not making any of that money now". (^ using a S&P500-ish 4% real discount rate here, to keep things simple)

RaphiePS 13y ago
Of course, I think the company is massively overvalued. One thing I think they do have, however, is really strong engagement. Whenever I browse facebook or twitter, I'm very detached. I'm probably even working on something else. It's the same as when I occasionally watch TV -- half attention at best. With Snapchat, I've got laser-focus. Whatever I'm looking at is going away in seconds and will never come back, so it's got a special urgency. I'm sure it won't be easy to convert this into revenue, but I believe that engagement is special.

bandushrew 13y ago

At the risk of stating the obvious, if you are sending pictures (or text) via snap chat that you do not want the world to see, then you are making a mistake. It is trivially easy to capture screenshots from any screen, and the 'protection' that snapshot puts in place does absolutely nothing to stop this. I would think twice before trusting that anything you post is not going to be widely available.

RaphiePS 13y ago
I'm not sending anything racy or inappropriate. They're just not photos I would want on my facebook, which is very much a "curated" representation of myself. It's great for photos that are badly-lit, or inane, or make me look unattractive, or related to some sort of in-joke, or that only make sense in the moment. I wouldn't be mortified if any of them were released; they just don't make sense on my carefully-tended social media profiles. The draw, at least for me, is not covertness or secrecy. It's a form of expression that doesn't demand the "does this really belong on my public profile?" test, which is really liberating.
aidanlister 13y ago
That's a silly hand-wavy thing to say that doesn't reflect how Snapchat is actually used. Although it's trivial to take a screenshot, the sender receives an alert telling them which friend took it. Given snapchat is used for sharing pictures with your close friends, that puts having your Snapchat made public in the same probability range as having your mobile phone hacked and pictures posted online. Sure, it happens, but that's a risk people are obviously willing to take. Snapchat provides a mechanism for trusting your friends now without needing to trust them for infinity.
- bandushrew 13y ago
  (a) it really is trivially easy to work around the notification so it doesn't get sent. (b) yep, as you said, even with the notification it is trivially easy for someone to take any picture that you send and post it to the forever webs. So, I reiterate, do not send anything via snap chat that you do not wish to one day become public.

clarky07 13y ago

What is the difference between this and sending a SMS? If it isn't racy or something you need to hide, why is snapchat better than sending a text? Why does the "meh" picture need to disappear from the world and not just hide in your friends text messages at the back of the list?

VLM 13y ago
"or something you need to hide" I think in your argument you mistyped "or" instead of "and". Its for stuff you want to hide, at least at little. Its an issue of formality. FB is for advertising to future employers, your dinner manners need to be emily post level or you'll pay for it, or you're making a statement about manners and how little you respect employers who demand table manners. On the other hand, SC is the dinner manners equivalent of pizza with your buddies at the lan party, so eat with your hands, use shirt as napkin, its all good.