

Etsy acquires Mixel - twog
http://www.etsy.com/blog/news/2013/etsy-acquires-mixel

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erickhill
Acqui-hiring Khoi Vinh is the big news here (no offense to his colleagues).
He's a huge personality in the design world. "Fast Company named Vinh one of
"The 50 Most Influential Designers in America" in September 2011." Congrats to
the Mixel team AND Etsy.

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danso
Yes, judging by iOS review count, Mixel as an app doesn't yet seem to have
reached a high penetration (however, it is also not a free app):

[https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mixel-collage-photo-
sharing/...](https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mixel-collage-photo-
sharing/id549650476?mt=8)

About 300+ lifetime reviews vs 10,000+ for Hipstamatic.

~~~
ryanglasgow
Hipstamatic has been around for a long time, even before Instagram, so I don't
think this is a fair comparison.

~~~
danso
I'm just using it as a back of the envelope measurement between two paid-for
photo enhancement apps. Is there any app considered widely successful that has
a relatively low number of reviews?

I would also point out, anecdotally, that I haven't heard of anyone in my
social circle using Mixel...not friends, but the people I follow online, on
both the tech and photography world. This is not to say that Mixel was a bad
app, just that it doesn't seem popular enough to buy for the tech or user base
alone.

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rolleiflex
I remember having Khoi making a presentation back in our school loft a year
ago: smart, passionate guy. Had high hopes for the app too mostly because of
his enthusiasm, though ultimately unfulfilled because as app required Facebook
account to participate, and the singular reason given was that I had to use my
real name.

The assumption that I have to give in my real name to be able to make some
collages with an app is/was borderline arrogant, and while everyone can make
mistakes it leaves a long lasting sour taste against persons involved.

~~~
nateberkopec
Real names are really required if you're ever going to sell advertising at
scale. Real people are much more valuable than fake ones/pseudonyms. Look at
Google+/Facebook policies. Mixel was making a good business decision.

~~~
vasco
Is there proof that services where real names are used have users with better
conversion rates for advertisers? I usually have the same amount of disposable
cash when I'm on Facebook and when I'm on HN.

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richardofyork
I always thought Mixel was an interesting, useful app and, in some ways, more
useful than Instagram. The big question is how much they were acquired for.

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Timothee
I installed Mixel for its collage capabilities but I was turned off by its
social network aspect.

Sadly, I've noticed that it's the case for a lot of apps in this space (e.g.
Instagram of course, Cinemagram, Viddy, SocialCam, etc.): instead of providing
a simple function, they provide it wrapped into a dedicated social network. I
see why they do it: some people want a fully integrated experience and it's
likely to make the company more valuable if it becomes successful.

However I personally like the Camera+ model much more: an app that stands on
its own, but that provides an API for other app to use
(<http://api.camerapl.us/app-api>).

That being said, congratulations to the team there! My personal preferences
shall not hinder their success :)

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justjimmy
Hey…it's Khoi Vinh! I remember hearing him speak at Design Thinkers in Toronto
when I was still in school.

He was speaking as one of the panels about what students should expect after
graduation, in terms of work places. Every other person on the panel was going
on about similar points - one of them was prepare to work very hard (give your
life . Almost everyone on the panel was from an agency) - Khoi immediately
spoke up and said he disagreed, saying that a balance/social life is still
needed and important. And that he would never expect or ask his interns and
new grads hires to work themselves to extreme (which seems to be the
norm/expected in the GD field). Some discussions ensued. It was very
refreshing.

