

Show HN: Waldo, a free background messenger for iOS - ckubal
http://www.trywaldo.com

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hashtag
1\. I have no clue what you mean by a "background messenger".

2\. The title used here and the text on the site doesn't correlate the same
message to me.

3\. I have no clue why I would want to install this if it lets others spy on
what I do (I assume thats how you allow people to keep up to date such as how
much battery life I have left?)

Perhaps I'm just not understanding. Can you clarify?

~~~
ckubal
Thanks for the feedback -- here's some more info.

1\. "background messenger" = Content is created in the background (ie what
you're up to at a high level comes from the phone versus you needing to
manually input it), and then you can see what other people are up to before
you message them. We've worked on a couple ways to better describe this -- the
two components of both creating content passively/in the background, and using
that info as a springboard into messaging -- and other ideas were "contextual
messenger," "automatic away message," and "passive messenger." It's been tough
to find a description that captures those two elements -- any preferences
based on those alternatives (or ideas)?

2\. Definitely a fair point -- "background messenger" is the quick couple word
decriptor (as in, Facebook is a social network), and "A window into your best
friends' lives / Waldo keeps you in the loop, all the time" is the value prop
we're trying to convey. I think you make a good point, though, that bridging
those two needs work.

3\. This has been one of the more interesting challenges -- getting away from
the notion that it's for spying on / being spied on. The goal of the app is to
help you stay connected to the most important people in your life by providing
an authentic window into their world, wherever they may be, without them
having to manually update all the time.

So we make sure of three things: one, you're only sharing high-level location
(ie it's 'Out in SOMA' and not your dot on a map), and you can go hidden
whenever you like. Two, there's no feed or history, it's only real-time -- so
there's no "where was Tom last Tuesday" kind of thing anyone can do. And
three, it's with a close-knit group of people -- it's a very different
audience than public/FB friends/Twitter followers, and you can block anyone
you don't want.

We're seeing people use it to save a text when coordinating (see if someone's
already on their way) and also, more interestingly, to stay in rhythm with
people they're close with who may not by nearby -- instead of a 30 minute call
to parents or a sibling recounting the week, people use it to feel closer to
what those close friends and family are up to when they can't be there, and
then have richer interactions when they do connect.

Appreciate you checking it out and the feedback -- hope this helps explain
some, and I definitely hear you on explaining the value proposition more
clearly. Thanks a lot.

