

Zapd: ‘We built it, they came, but Facebook pulled up the drawbridge’  - vertr
http://www.geekwire.com/2011/zapd-day-2-we-built-facebook-pulled-drawbridge

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TheGreatBundini
Kelly, Did you consider that the answer is slightly more nefarious than this,
and that Facebook might view Zapd as competition for something it currently
has in the works?

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dendory
Building a business on top of Facebook (or Twitter or any other company)
brings a lot of benefits, shortcuts to success, but it also makes you 100%
dependent on them. Your business isn't totally yours anymore, they have veto
on anything you do and can shut down your access for any reason. Anyone who
doesn't realize that needs to wake up honestly. If you aren't ready to be
Facebook's b..ch then don't build your service on their system.

~~~
yannickmahe
Isn't it the same thing for any platform? Once you use a platform, you're at
risk from the owners of the platform. Apple's App Store is another example, it
seems like your app can be blocked on a whim.

~~~
zaidf
Yeah, but on many platforms, you have a negotiated contract that is not one-
sided. With facebook, you basically have a generic agreement that hundreds of
millions of people click YES to that says they can shut down your account for
pretty much any reason.

If your merchant account did that or the yellow pages removed your listing for
a non-specific reason, you could take them to court. It isn't so much that you
_would_ take them to court, but it is the fear that you could which keeps
these companies from being more careful.

Notice I say "careful"...I don't think facebook and all are necessarily
intentionally trying to screw anyone. I doubt they have time or interest
really to try and screw people. But that also means they may make business
decisions that may have side effects that can impact a bunch of people without
warning or notice.

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gte910h
Neat looking product:

Basically: You make a quick little website about an ephemeral event from your
iPhone or other device.

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jasonmkey
That's what happens when Facebook is the only way to login. Shame on you Zapd.
Shame on you.

~~~
curiousoffice
Jesus dude have you used the app? Facebook is one way to login. Not the only
way.

Kelly Smith Founder Zapd

~~~
gfodor
Helpful tip: if you're just starting out it's probably not a great idea to
post a rude comment on Hacker News in reply to someone who clearly cares
enough to post a comment about your product.

~~~
jasonmkey
Actually I disagree here. I'm grateful that the founder of all people actually
took the time to respond. This show's that they care what their users think.

~~~
curiousoffice
I care about people who use the app and then respond with feedback based on
actual usage. People who just say "shame on you" without knowing what they are
talking about aren't helpful.

~~~
gfodor
One thing I've learned is often times when people post a snarky comment like
the one you replied to, they think they are talking into the abyss. Replying
with some maturity and respect can often unmask the non-snarky person they
actually _are_ and make them feel bad when they realize what they said
actually was towards a person who exists and is affected by their words.

What you did instead was insult them back and now you can be sure they will
not have anything nice to say about your company. To do it on a place like
Hacker News is quite shortsighted since you never know who you're talking to
or who is reading your posts.

~~~
wonderzombie
"To do it on a place like Hacker News is quite shortsighted since you never
know who you're talking to or who is reading your posts."

Erm, shouldn't this go both ways? Like, isn't this equally applicable to
posting snarky, uninformed comments in the first place? :)

~~~
khafra
It does, but jasonmkey is a new account, presumably with no reputation to
protect and no new startup to promote on a website dedicated to startups.

Therefore, the most useful advice is that given to someone with something to
lose. Whoever was "wrong first" is irrelevant to the outcome desired by
curiousoffice.

