Where are we going - Josh Williams

What follows is a brief history of our bizarre journey from a web + UI boutique to a social networking service.

WHERE ARE GOING? @jw * Josh Wiiams We The Preface In the BEGINNING Where did we come om? What follows is a brief history of our bizarre journey from a web + UI boutique to a social networking service. Iconfactory circa 1999 Firewhîl Design Inspired by Iconfactory’s Pixelpalooza, I got into pixel art, drew hundreds of icons, and met my first two co-workers. Blinksale • Frustrated with our billing solution, we wrote our own and decided to make it fun. And useful. • Thank You Notes were an unusual selling point that resonated with those who used the service. Blinksale IconBuffet • 50,000 people came to collect icons and trade them with friends. • Fewer than 15 percent of those people actually used the icons for a design project. IconBuffet [...]... Caution Beware of placing your trust in the future web proclaimed by blogs, investors and so-called “social media gurus.” We are the music makers, And we are the dreamers of dreams.” Wiiam Wonka FADS vs THE FUTURE Where are we going? The Fads • Checking In • Game Mechanics • Badges • Geo-blah-blah-blah Checking out • Checking In is the status update for the places we go It has succeeded where other... was re-imagined as a Facebook application • Over $25 million has been raised PIVOT to the PRESENT Where are we now? PackRat • PackRat was created at a scale that assumed most people would play one hour a day • We quickly learned our core audience was playing 6-1 0 hours a day PackRat Then Farmvie Ha ened What now? Viva la iPhone The iPhone changed everything The Epiphany The Totem How do we inspire... • Now we re checking into television, books, video games, states of consciousness, and more • Overload is upon us Checking in isn’t cool You know what’s cool? Winning an iPad after you check in Game Mechanics • A new wave of services are repurposing ideas from Farmville and World of Warcraft for practical means • They provide simple incentives for completing ordinary tasks • However, they are subservient... The Totem How do we inspire people to connect with the real world? Can we use real world connections to inspire people to discover and share amazing places? Landmarks F tba Stadiums Baseba Stadiums Airports Add Go to a Wallaby and you get a Gowalla Really Hype Machine In many ways Gowalla was in the right place at the right time We ve grown our community from 2,000 to 500,000 in the last 12 months