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Ask HN: Check out my little app
- jmonegro 17y agoI built this in about two hours. The phone number is provided by dropio, but I plan to switch to twilio in the near future. I built it out of boredom, so constructive criticism, even if harsh, is welcomw :)
- jazzychad 17y agoNice. I was wondering how you did this. I've not used dropio phone numbers before, but I've done work with twilio. You could certainly add some killer features using twilio. Very nice app. [edit] Actually, I'm not sure about twilio's conference call abilities, so maybe I spoke too soon.
- jmonegro 17y agoThey have the ability to connect calls, which is basically the same thing. I bult it with Dropio first as a proof of concept, as I did not want to spend much time with Twilio if no one was going to use it (TWIML is not very Ruby-friendly if accessed through Twilio's ruby library).
- dmor 17y agoif you'd like to be added to the developer preview for Twilio's conferencing API please drop us a line at help@twilio.com and we'll add you to the list. @jazzychad I've got you on there already -danielle @ twilio
- joshuarr 17y agoIt's nice. It's not initially clear exactly what it is or how to use it, but I think that would be rather simple to fix. Keep it simple when you start working on the visual front.
- jmonegro 17y agoI did add that information at the "learn more" link, but I will try to make it more apparent.
- joshuarr 17y agoIt's just such a simple app I think you should be able to sum it up in that first blurb. And maybe separating the phone# and the PIN would simplify it a bit. something like "Call this number to begin a conference call: XXX-XXX-XXXX. This is your PIN. You will be prompted for this after dialing." Or whatever..
- ashishk 17y agoit's cool (love the name), but I would just use drop.io for conference calls, since I use it for other stuff. what i would LOVE though, is a free, simple, web-based screensharing tool. i've used skype but it requires, obviously, installing their software. drop.io comes close, but only allows me to share content already on a drop. and tinychat sounds cool, but isnt free. thoughts?
- deleted 17y ago[deleted]
- poppysan 17y agodimdim?
- javery 17y agoMy first hesitation was... will this work? I would explain what service it is using, or something to inspire some more confidence. Nice idea though and good name.
- param 17y ago1. have the conference number generated be of lesser digits unless you are expecting and ready to support 10^9 simultaneous conferences. Having something like 4 digits should suffice. 2. Not sure how serious you are about this app, but the next features I would want would be to allow users to register and permanently reserve pin numbers. This will ensure I can set up numbers and put them into my meeting invite for that meeting next week
- jacquesm 17y agoI disagree that only 4 digits should suffice, after all, that means that once there are 10,000 simultaneous conferences going you can basically just try pins at random and see whose huddle you drop in to. And with less conferences the chances would still be pretty good, just try a couple of times. The pin is the only thing between an outsider and your conference. (assuming the phone number is the same, which seems to be the case right now).
- param 17y agoThat would be the next level feature - ability to define your own pass key that you pass on to invitees and change every time. Professional conf systems offer that all the time
- jmonegro 17y agoYou can set the expiration time to 1 year after last view, so it would be pretty permanent.
- awolf 17y agoThe learn more link doesn't do anything in MobileSafari. Nice simple and clear introduction. Your target market are business execs that are currently paying a lot more than free for thus service. Convincing them that your app is stable and credibile is your challenge.
- jmonegro 17y agoLike I mentioned in a previous comment, the phone number is provided by dropio for the time being, while I make the switch to Twilio and add a 1-800 number instead of a NY one (if I can figure out a way to even out the costs.). My target audience isn't really business execs, rather the more causal web users market who want to collaborate together. Let's say a twitter user and his/her followers, or a freelancer and his/her client(s).
- terrellm 17y agoIt's an interesting idea and it seems a lot quicker to setup a call than going through FreeConference.com. However, I'm a little more methodical and the site doesn't explain how the process works. A few questions come to mind: - Who are you and why are you giving away free conference calls? - Will participants hear ads during the call? - Is there a limit on the number of participants? - What about international callers (btw what country is this for?) I like the clean and simple design and I encourage you to keep it that way. Perhaps linking to a FAQ or a page with a little more background. Good luck and congrats on the release!
- jmonegro 17y agoYou are right. As I have mentioned numerous times (I will add it to the site later), the phone number is provided by Dropio. I will move to Twilio in the near future to provide a 1800 number instead of a New York one. In fact, most of the information you want is in the links "learn more" in the homepage, and "about this number" in the number page.
- nobody_nowhere 17y agoLike it. When I use this service, what am I agreeing to as far as privacy? How do I know whether or not my call is recorded? How comfortable should I feel about discussing confidential information?
- jmonegro 17y agoGood points. I will add a privacy disclaimer. And no, calls are not recorded, neither is your phone number ;)
- coglethorpe 17y agoHow will you make money from this?
- tsally 17y agoI'm not the author, but off the top of my head: * Audio recording and storage * Speech -> text for transcripts * Fax/email results to those who didn't attend * Embedded meeting agenda in the web interface * Voting app that participants can use during the conference
- jmonegro 17y agoGood ideas. With Twilio I can easily do the recording and the transcribing, and build my own mailer for the emailing. Not sure how many people would use the fax thing, though, probably business execs but that is not my main market.
- tsally 17y agoWell when I think conference calls I think business execs, but maybe that's just me. :-p
- jmonegro 17y agoIf/when I move to Twilio, I might charge a (very) small amount to power users. Twilio isn't really that expensive and I'm not interested in profiting from the app in the near future. Dropio is as hands-off as it gets, so I hope I can achieve the same level of simplicity with Twilio.
- tptacek 17y agoThis is really impressive. I'd love to be using it. The trivial interface for setting up a call is absolutely something I'd value over Freeconference. The security of this scheme worries me, though. Here's several requests for the same key: Location: /chinashop Location: /chinashop9556 Location: /chinashop3025 Location: /chinashop1230 Location: /chinashop5900 It looks like I could probably write a little program to slow-poll for conferences on targeted keywords and find out other people's conference IDs.
- jmonegro 17y agoRandom numbers are added to the name if it already exists. I will probably add optional password protection in the near future. Also, I don't want to take much credit for the system, because, as I said, it is provided by Dropio for the time being - I just built a simple front end as a proof of concept. If I see enough demand, I will make my own system with the Technology from Twilio, which would allow me to have more control over the system, and add a bunch of extra features like optional call recording and whatnot.
- rythie 17y agoI'd note that there is already a company called huddle http://www.huddle.net/ http://www.huddle.net/ and given they are fairly well known and do online collaboration, I'd suggest getting a different name.
- jmonegro 17y agoOne of huddle.net's features is conferencing. I noticed they have an affiliate program. I could put a link that says something along the lines of "Looking for something more heavyweight? Check out Huddle.net!"
- GrandMasterBirt 17y agoSee if you can register huddle.me and call your company that :)
- jmonegro 17y agoIt's taken...
- joez 17y agoI am not 100% clear on the law but I believe they'd have an infringement case against you. Although, I did a quick search and did not look like huddle.net has registered the huddle trademark. (A brief 5 minute search, looks like all 'huddle' communication related ones were abandoned) But if they did have a trademark case, this would likely strengthen it. If you benefited from a referral program, huddle.net could prove you profited from domain infringement.
- jmonegro 17y agoI don't think they do, because huddle is a dictionary word that means "to crowd or draw together". I don't think they might have a trademark case against me, especially since my huddle is not a company. If they do, however, I think they might chill with the fact that I would be giving them some customers. Even if not, it's a good thing that I'm not living in the US at the moment (and not moving back until late 2010).
- nir 17y agoThis is beautiful. Simple, immediate and actually useful to real people. Great stuff. I hope you don't add any features that will compromise its simplicity.
- caffeine 17y agoI'll bite. Feature request: make it an iPhone app.
- jmonegro 17y agoI can make an iPhone version of the website, but is it really necessary?
- Scriptor 17y agoDon't own an iphone, but I can see how it'd be really convenient to have access to all its phone capabilities.
- icefox 17y agono, a webapp is good enough.
- caffeine 17y agoNot sure why all the downvoting ... My primary envisaged use for your app was on the move. I have a phone, and need to talk to several people at once. No problem, conference call. Whip out the app, add a few contacts, have the conference call.
- nir 17y agoIs it possible to simply make current site render nicely in both iphone and regular browsers?
- phil 17y agoWell, a native app might be cool here, because you'd be able to get at the Address Book. If I gave you a list of my contacts, could you automatically call them all into the conference once I joined?
- Aegean 17y agoHere's my 2 cents: Pluses: +++ It is very nice and simple. I never subscribed to any teleconferencing solutions simply because I think it may get complicated and it probably requires subscription. Minuses: - The phone number & pin shows up intermingled in Firefox. -- I need a global teleconferencing solution, and I don't see myself saying, come on guys lets call this number in new york for connecting up. Good luck.
- jmonegro 17y agoI have only tested in chrome, I have to optimize it for other browsers. And, one of the reasons I would like to redo it in Twilio would be the ability to provide a 1800 number instead of a NY one, which would make it easier for people in the US. Unfortunately, I haven't found a way to provide numbers outside the US.
- Ragin 17y agoI assume you are not making any money per minute on those inbound calls? That's the model that Freeconference call uses, and apparently the same thing that drop.io is doing. That's why the number is based in either Iowa or Minnesota.
- jsm386 17y agoGreat idea. Quick thing. The app says 'The number is based in New York City, for the time being (sorry!).' but the number that displayed for me was 218-486-3891, which is Duluth, Minnesota according to Google. Should that output read 212?
- jmonegro 17y agoI'll check up on that.
- poli 17y agoIs it possible to make the drop.io workspace private? I created a Huddle named testuddle and I can access http://drop.io/testuddle http://drop.io/testuddle with no restrictions.
- jmonegro 17y agoYes. I mentioned in a comment that I will add password protection to Huddle, which would protect the Dropio workspace as well.
- raquo 17y agoI'm not exactly the target audience of this, but I discovered this fact only having created a number. A little more description on the home page will definitely help.
- jmonegro 17y agoI will take that into account, thanks.
- Sidnicious 17y agoThe first time I called (218-486-3891), I immediately heard someone speaking (in a foreign language, not sure which). It went on for a minute or so, then I hung up. I called again and got the expected prompt... something's a little off here. In other news, why not give this place a test? If you're reading this, call in! http://huddle.im/hackernews http://huddle.im/hackernews
- stanleydrew 17y agoI did but nobody was there.
- arijo 17y agoIs there a way to be notified of an incoming call?
- perezd 17y agoAdd an API. That would be sweet! Then this could be integrated with any sort of collaboration web app!
- davidalln 17y agoI think that all the backend of this uses drop.io's (http://drop.io/ http://drop.io/) API to get the phone number. This (quite cleverly) adds a simple interface to it. I would also check out Twilio if you're interested (http://www.twilio.com/ http://www.twilio.com/).
- jmonegro 17y agoHit control+find and search for Twilio ;) I do plan on adding twilio, I am playing with their conferencing API as we speak. I'm also checking out an alternative, that looks pretty promising. I'll see how it turns out. I made it with Dropio as a proof of concept.
- Concours 17y agoI love the interface, very simple and no fancy features. It's awesomly simple and selfexplaining.
- revorad 17y agoThis is great, well done. I have one minor suggestion: make it a one page app. Don't make the user go to another page when they click create. Use ajax to show the results just below.