TimeKiwi, the beautiful timeline creator relaunched with usernames

by mihar • 15 years ago

65 48 15 years ago

mihar8• 15 years ago

We previously launched a client-side only proof of concept, that would show the potential of the idea.

When the launch was successful we started building the proper version, with usernames, curation (hiding of posts) and proper OAuth.

Previous launch post is here: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3109779

nicholasreed• 15 years ago

After FB auth I get the Sad Wiki. Landing page makes it look interesting though!

mihar8• 15 years ago

I'm getting a nasty feeling FB is throttling... will investigate.

mihar8• 15 years ago

I think I might have resolved this issue. Could you try again?

fookyong2• 15 years ago

curious - what was the definition of "success" that you used from the launch post?

most of the positive feedback I see is from people saying it has a nice UI.

mihar8• 15 years ago

We considered success as the sort of "viral" PR we got, people mentioning it in blogs, articles, etc.

We also collected a lot of emails from people interested in a paid version with more features.

citricsquid• 15 years ago

I only get the past 1 week of posts, so for me it's just like loading my Facebook page (but with less info and a poorer ui): http://citricsquid.screensnarp.com/dx5xbb.png

is that broken or intentional? username citricsquid.

mihar8• 15 years ago

Yep, this is a problem with the FB API, as I couldn't access more than that in the past.

It was meant that with time, this will grow as new posts will flock in.

As for the being 'just like loading the FB page', the kiwi gets its full glow when many services are connected at the same time.

basseq5• 15 years ago

Immediately posting a tweet without my say-so? For shame. An abuse of trust in this day in age and a reason I hate Twitter/Facebook universal sign-ins. Access revoked. Goodbye.

avree• 15 years ago

There was a checkbox (automatically pre-checked) that actually triggered that Tweet. Not saying it's any better, but I did see the box. (picture here: http://elsewhe.re/Cklw)

tobtoh• 15 years ago

In Chrome (Win 16.0.912.63), the checkbox and description are there for a split second as the page loads and then disappears. I turned off Adblock in case that was the cause, but the checkbox is still invisible even when I do that.

Adblock is the only extension installed, so I don't know why the checkbox is invisible to me. I'll assume it's a bug - but figured I'll call it out here in case people signup and then wonder why Timekiwi made an 'authorised' tweet advertising their services.

mihar8• 15 years ago

I'm sorry you feel that way, but as someone mentioned, there was a checkbox.

eps• 15 years ago

It should've been unchecked by default, because that's what a majority of new sign-ups would expect/want. Instead you could ask for a promotional tweet on users' behalf once they become established users (by some reasonable metric).

xer0• 15 years ago

A. Oh, I wish I had seen and checked the box, that initial tweet didn't get sent out.

B. Oh, I wish I had seen and unchecked the box, I was surprised that a tweet got sent out.

Which way do you think the vote would go if you asked people their preferred scenario?

basseq5• 15 years ago

I don't disagree, and at least there was a checkbox, but blaming the user for what's at best a UX issue and at worst an abuse of trust doesn't bode well for a new service.

kmfrk• 15 years ago

Does someone have any data on whether people gain net traction by treating early adopters like promotional tools with shitty opt-out gimmicks like this?

Maybe early adopters were willing to suffer through more in the olden days or still are?

It seems like a stupid way to go about creating hype, loyalty, and traction for your start-up.

mihar8• 15 years ago

I must say I'd be interested in this kind of research.

fookyong2• 15 years ago

I am immediately skeptical of any service that doesn't explicitly state "We will not post to your Facebook".

I think this should be built into the Facebook Platform TOS somehow. Sites that disingenuously post stuff after signup without indicating so give a bad name to Facebook Platform as an authentication device.

basseq5• 15 years ago

At the end of the day, it should be the user that grants individual permissions, not an all-or-nothing application request. (See Also: the Facebook permission add-ons that do just that.)

I agree with fookyong, that the request to post things on my behalf is an immediate yellow flag for any application except for a Twitter client.

timmorgan• 15 years ago

This is great guys, love the simplicity.

chewxy• 15 years ago

Oh, it finally works

mihar8• 15 years ago

Yaay! :)

lancewiggs• 15 years ago

"Latest Kiwis"?

How about the 4 million domestic and the 1 million expat people who are New Zealanders and who already call ourselves Kiwis?

To us this is like saying "latest Aussies" or "Latest Texans" or "latest Russians". It sounds stupid and is borderline offensive.

Please call yourself something else.

nestlequ1k• 15 years ago

Oh shush you kiwi

grandpoobah• 15 years ago

As a kiwi I can confirm that it's pretty dumb.

veb• 15 years ago

I think you're barking up the wrong tree. This is _not_ borderline offensive. Don't be silly. It might be a stupid oversight, but yeah I think you're getting a bit offended by nothing.

jomar2• 15 years ago

It's called cultural appropriation, and IMHO this example of it is offensive plain and simple -- nothing borderline about it.

brianlash• 15 years ago

Importantly, "Aussie," "Texan," and "Russian" aren't homonyms for fruits in the English language. Context matters.

paragraft2• 15 years ago

Yes, but the context in question is "names for a group of people", since that's the context the site is using the term in. lancewiggs' point is there's already a meaning for this word in this context.

superchink• 15 years ago

Anyone know if there's a way to restrict and/or control access to the timeline that it generates?

danso• 15 years ago

So...what's the target audience here? I know it seems self evident that everyone is just dying for another way to show what they've been sharing online...but it seems that the people who want to share a lot will be satisfied with Facebook and G+, both of which give greater granularity for privacy than does this.

alexwilliams• 15 years ago

Pr-checked boxes are just exploitive. That's it.

TimeKiwi, the beautiful timeline creator relaunched with usernames

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