Ask HN: Check out my little app

by jmonegro • 17 years ago

108 75 17 years ago

jmonegro24• 17 years ago

I 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• 17 years ago

Nice. 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.

jmonegro24• 17 years ago

They 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• 17 years ago

if 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

joshuarr2• 17 years ago

It'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.

jmonegro24• 17 years ago

I did add that information at the "learn more" link, but I will try to make it more apparent.

joshuarr2• 17 years ago

It'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• 17 years ago

it'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?

poppysan• 17 years ago

dimdim?

javery• 17 years ago

My 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.

param3• 17 years ago

1. 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• 17 years ago

I 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).

param3• 17 years ago

That 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

jmonegro24• 17 years ago

You can set the expiration time to 1 year after last view, so it would be pretty permanent.

param3• 17 years ago

I still don't get to pick my own personal conf number with this approach, do I?

awolf• 17 years ago

The 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.

jmonegro24• 17 years ago

Like 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• 17 years ago

It'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!

jmonegro24• 17 years ago

You 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• 17 years ago

Like 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?

jmonegro24• 17 years ago

Good points. I will add a privacy disclaimer. And no, calls are not recorded, neither is your phone number ;)

coglethorpe• 17 years ago

How will you make money from this?

tsally2• 17 years ago

I'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

jmonegro24• 17 years ago

Good 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.

jmonegro24• 17 years ago

If/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.

PanMan• 17 years ago

Can I ask what your using now? I haven't found many alternatives to Twilio. --> Ah, found below that your using drop.io, no idea they offered phone stuff :).

jjs• 17 years ago

> I might charge a reasonable amount to power users.

Fixed your typo. ;)

tptacek2• 17 years ago

This 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.

jmonegro24• 17 years ago

Random 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.

tptacek2• 17 years ago

Yeah, I see the random numbers there... they're just too small. =)

Use a 128 bit hex string from /dev/urandom or Java's securerandom or whatever you have that isn't PHP's mt_rand, and you'll be fine.

rythie2• 17 years ago

I'd note that there is already a company called huddle http://www.huddle.net/ and given they are fairly well known and do online collaboration, I'd suggest getting a different name.

jmonegro24• 17 years ago

One 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• 17 years ago

See if you can register huddle.me and call your company that :)

joez• 17 years ago

I 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.

rythie2• 17 years ago

That's like Javascript vs. Java when they are not the same thing at all.

nir2• 17 years ago

This 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.

caffeine2• 17 years ago

I'll bite. Feature request: make it an iPhone app.

jmonegro24• 17 years ago

I can make an iPhone version of the website, but is it really necessary?

Aegean• 17 years ago

Here'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.

jmonegro24• 17 years ago

I 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• 17 years ago

I 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• 17 years ago

Great 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?

jmonegro24• 17 years ago

I'll check up on that.

poli• 17 years ago

Is it possible to make the drop.io workspace private? I created a Huddle named testuddle and I can access http://drop.io/testuddle with no restrictions.

jmonegro24• 17 years ago

Yes. I mentioned in a comment that I will add password protection to Huddle, which would protect the Dropio workspace as well.

raquo• 17 years ago

I'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.

jmonegro24• 17 years ago

I will take that into account, thanks.

Sidnicious• 17 years ago

The 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

stanleydrew• 17 years ago

I did but nobody was there.

arijo2• 17 years ago

Is there a way to be notified of an incoming call?

jmonegro24• 17 years ago

Unfortunately, no.

arijo2• 17 years ago

Thanks, I was thinking of having the phone number in google ads and being notified of calls. Congratulations for the great app!

perezd• 17 years ago

Add an API. That would be sweet! Then this could be integrated with any sort of collaboration web app!

davidalln• 17 years ago

I think that all the backend of this uses drop.io's (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/).

jmonegro24• 17 years ago

Hit 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• 17 years ago

I love the interface, very simple and no fancy features. It's awesomly simple and selfexplaining.

revorad• 17 years ago

This 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.

Ask HN: Check out my little app

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