Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

I bought Friendster for $30k – Here's what I'm doing with it

ca98am79.medium.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

361–370 of 648 posts

Re: I bought Friendster for $30k – Here's what I'm doing with it

#361

Post by __d »

vector_spaces wrote: post #126

The 'tapping phones' gimmick strikes me as something that sounds cute but will become an annoying chore that one should be able to opt out of. Particularly given various unintended side effects -- I personally wouldn't want my connection to my deceased best friend to be subject to some decay feature on a social network. And either way, it's not the core feature that will draw users to the site If you want to differen…

I have a heap of family and friends who live in a different country to me. I'd love an old school Friendster / early Facebook-style social medium where we could share posts, but the tapping mechanic makes this impractical for me.

Re: I bought Friendster for $30k – Here's what I'm doing with it

#362

Post by komali2 »

kenty wrote: post #340

Good article but sorry but it should not be normalized that you have to have an iPhone to join a social network. Something clearly wrong there.

> So I created an iOS app for Friendster, and I made it so that in order to connect with someone as a friend, you have to actually tap phones together in real life.

And thus ensured your social network won't have 72% of the world on it... And locally for anyone outside the USA, a far higher percentage.

Re: I bought Friendster for $30k – Here's what I'm doing with it

#363

Post by komali2 »

block_dagger wrote: post #167

I attended a concert last night and was wishing for this exact kind of app, being able to quickly exchange a follow with someone you just met in real life but will otherwise never see again unless you specifically ask for their name/number, which is awkward. Could spawn some special relationships.

"Add me on Line/Insta," display your QR code or scan theirs, fire off your first message "Daft Punk Concert" so you remember how you met.

Re: I bought Friendster for $30k – Here's what I'm doing with it

#365

Post by jamesfinlayson »

onemoresoop wrote: post #102
ejoso wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would hate it if the system removed nodes from my network without my influence. Perhaps a rules engine with user defined criteria would be useful. Ultimately, users define their network in current-day social media and the relevance of any celebrity or other person within it. 400M people still find Selena Gomez relevant to themselves - she’s simply not relevant to you. I asked Gemini very simply “is Selena Gomez rel…

Could potentially show you withering connections you havent interacted with, almost an auto recycle bin with the option to dig on there and bring it back later on but dissapear from your main radius of attention if withered.

Slack has started doing this in the last year or two - these are channels that you rarely interact with - want to leave?

Re: I bought Friendster for $30k – Here's what I'm doing with it

#366

Post by DeathArrow »

vector_spaces wrote: post #126

The 'tapping phones' gimmick strikes me as something that sounds cute but will become an annoying chore that one should be able to opt out of. Particularly given various unintended side effects -- I personally wouldn't want my connection to my deceased best friend to be subject to some decay feature on a social network. And either way, it's not the core feature that will draw users to the site If you want to differen…

Actually I met people on Facebook and other websites and after that I met them in real life.

The tapping phones feature wouldn't allow me to do this.

Re: I bought Friendster for $30k – Here's what I'm doing with it

#368

Post by vortegne »

Barbing wrote: post #143

Wow, the phone tap requirement, love it! And your ethics, the best part. Constructively, of course (if you care for feedback devolving ramble-y): Could almost see myself using a web app version of this for kicks. But can’t sign up for another network (though would be happy to link a self hosted project, if I could stumble through setup). Apps don’t feel private (Apple neglects to offer basic firewall/other features),…

Let's not praise a professional domain squatter for his ethics. I don't understand how this guy isn't getting laughed out of the room?

Re: I bought Friendster for $30k – Here's what I'm doing with it

#369

Post by darkwater »

jdyer9 wrote: post #355
SamBam wrote: post #250

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the tapping phones feature -- for initial friend creation, not upkeep -- is THE killer feature of the app. Do I want my teens on any social media apps? No. Would I let them be on Facebook of 2006, when you were just connected to your friends and family, and not influencers and "the algorithm?" Sure! That and early Instagram were great ways to keep up with real-life friends. If you made this as easy and pleasa…

My thoughts as well, I love this! Easy to do, easy to implement but hard to bypass. Also it tells me something about the network that is not vying for a slice of the attention economy and isn't going to do everything it can to keep me on the site.

Don't underestimate the stubbornness of "get rich easy" people when it comes down to cheating etc. Even if it's not easy or cost effective, if this was going to be actually viral, they would tap real phones in click-farms to game the system. And do it once a year.
Post reply on HN