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Zero to a Million Users in 15 Days

kik.com

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Re: Zero to a Million Users in 15 Days

#21

Post by citricsquid »

swombat wrote: post #2

Wait, what? How did yet another instant messenger client get a million users in 2 weeks?

We passed 600,000 users around midnight yesterday, after launching the product from a user base of 0 two weeks ago today.

From Thursday, 3 days ago. I looked around the blog, it seems they "went viral" around November 1st. I also found a claim they're getting 3 new registrations per second. Very strange, but also fantastic if it's real!

I don't have any of these devices it supports, but I get the impression the cross compatibility is what caused the popularity.

Re: Zero to a Million Users in 15 Days

#23

Post by yblokhin »

Hey Guys,

Those are actually real accounts backed by unique emails. We haven't expected such a viral growth ourselves but.. we don't complain :) Other than complete lack of sleep due to the scaling needs.

Hence my question: are there any brilliant server developers looking for a job with Kik? :)

Re: Zero to a Million Users in 15 Days

#25

Post by marcc »

savrajsingh wrote: post #15

I got a txt from a friend about kik signup yesterday. Not sure if he knew that was sent or not.

Agreed. I am a little concerned that as soon as I signed up, it sent messages to everyone I might know. The key word being "might". I didn't know too many of their suggestions.

Re: Zero to a Million Users in 15 Days

#26

Post by terryjsmith »

This story is completely mis-leading. They certainly had users before 15 days ago [1]. The product was developed in an incubator in the Winter 2009 class [2]. They have relaunched and revamped it, but to start from a clean slate and say you had zero users with no disclosure or information about your past makes this story blatantly false. It's a shame because it still would have been a good story without the reset.

[1] http://www.startupnorth.ca/2010/11/03/has-kik-finally-arrive...

[2] http://velocity.uwaterloo.ca/alumni/kik-at-blackberry-devcon

Re: Zero to a Million Users in 15 Days

#27

Post by AlexPD »

Can really see why you'd use this, except for being able to see when somebody has read your message - which personally I hate because then people will be on my back wondering why I didn't reply right away. That's a reason I wouldn't use it.

I use a multi-protocol IM client on my phone, which has a constant link in the background to my GTalk, Windows Live Messenger, AIM, Skype, etc. - That way people can IM me any time from whatever platform they're currently on, whether it be computer, phone, browser, etc. But with Kik they have to be on a phone as well? That's really a step backwards, if they're sitting at their computer, logged into 5 separate IM clients already, and then have to pick up their phone to IM me. But it has obvious solutions.

Re: Zero to a Million Users in 15 Days

#28

Post by ryanhuff »

marcc wrote: post #25
savrajsingh wrote: post #15

I got a txt from a friend about kik signup yesterday. Not sure if he knew that was sent or not.

Agreed. I am a little concerned that as soon as I signed up, it sent messages to everyone I might know. The key word being "might". I didn't know too many of their suggestions.

This is the kind of marketing strategy that turns me off to a service. Linked-in does it too. I get invite invitations from people that I am already linked with, but where they have another of my email addresses in their address book that is different than my Linked-in email.

Re: Zero to a Million Users in 15 Days

#29

Post by HNer »

yblokhin wrote: post #23

Hey Guys, Those are actually real accounts backed by unique emails. We haven't expected such a viral growth ourselves but.. we don't complain :) Other than complete lack of sleep due to the scaling needs. Hence my question: are there any brilliant server developers looking for a job with Kik? :)

remote OK?
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