Another Proximity Based IM Service
Michael Arrington
45 comments »
New York based RadiusIM is a just launched web based Ajax chat service. Like Meebo, RadiusIM allows users to log in with Yahoo, AIM, Microsoft or GTalk credentials. They also have their own direct IM service, which auto-determines your location and places an icon on a Google map embedded in the site.
Comparisons will invevitably be made with Palo Alto based Meetro, a very similar instant messaging application that we’ve written about in the past. There are two main differences between Meetro and RadiusIM. First, Meetro is a downloaded application, whereas RadiusIM is entirely web based. Second, RadiusIM has a cool way of just dragging the Google map around the world and seeing which members are located there, whether they are logged in or not. Meetro only shows users within a stated radius around your current location.
RadiusIM isn’t stable and is very slow, but given that it is only a day or two old that isn’t unusual.
Meetro has not seen the hockey stick growth phase yet. And based on what I’ve seen from RadiusIM, the subtle feature differences won’t be enough to make it stand out. What this really comes down to, is, do people really want to see and possibly chat with random strangers just because they are geographically close? We’ll see.
I don’t understand , why would any body use web based IM? Firewalls ? immm.
The beautay about desktop IM is you don’t have to open browser windows , you see new messages in your system try , it doesnt interrupt what u r doing wither you are browsing or watching movie or editing word file, and you can re-size -place the chat window any where you like in your desktop , etc.
what surprise me more is those VC’s funding those kind of projects and giving them millions of dollars , and the business model is? i don’t know.
Ajax is really losing its uniqueness , i will not be surprised if i see tomorrow a new web 2.0 Ajax based web site providing time and date without refreshing browser!
Faisal: Web-based IM produces Web-based archives — perfect for hotseaters (low-end) and multiple machine users (high-end).
Did anyone else notice that their logo reads “WIsnipej”?
Another “print preview” startup- i.e. you just add “print preview” feature to an existing product and claim as unique product.
I meant upside-down, of course.
People have and will always chat with strangers, but geographic proximity will not be a driver, in my opinion — that may even hinder the tendency. What’s needed to make stranger-to-stranger chat a mass market product is context, such as similar Google search, shopping behavior, matching research needs with relevant people, and other similar interest/intention browsing behavior.
Damn… I read through this post really hoping they’d get major props from Arrington, but he has reservations. Which leaves me with nothing more to say about them… Talk about robbing me of a blog post!
Jordan has a point. Today’s market niches are not geographic, but psychographic.
while you might not want to chat with someone close to you, you might definitely want to chat with someone in a specific geographic area.
suppose you’re planning a trip somewhere and you randomly find people online in that geographic area and can ask them about where they live.
I think it might have some potential
Mike,
I have no interest in chatting with random strangers just because they’re close - but I really really do want to be able to chat to people on my buddy list when they are close.
That means we all have a mobile device that’s updating our locations - big brother or friend finder? You be the judge, but I’m sure there’s money in it.
I think this is the missing feature (and tricky, I admit, to implement) and once someone cracks this nut think of the extended services that could grow!
Apparently they browser-sniff, which shuts out Camino (essentially Firefox under the hood) users. How dumb can you get? “Sniff features, not browsers” - it’s only been preached for about five years.
“What this really comes down to, is, do people really want to see and possibly chat with random strangers just because they are geographically close? We’ll see.”
Um, hate to breaks the news to you, but before the internet, there were these things called “BBSes” — look it up on wikipedia. Hundreds of thousands of people around the world were using their computers with modems to explicitly call BBSes, one of the charms of which was the fact that you knew everyone on the board was generally located in your same calling area. Many meetups occurred.
The internet took this away. And now that they are trying to give it back, you are naysaying. Shame. Do your proper investigating.
Try this Local Chat Google Gadget http://blogs.zdnet.com/Google/?p=293
crashes IE
crashed IE also, they should just focus on IM like meebo and koolim do.
Just tried Meetro from the link above - this company really sucks. I just found out that they have emailed everyone in my hotmail account saying that I had invited them to join Meetro - i would never ever do this.
I imagine this little evil viral effort is explained in the small print of their terms and conditions. This is shows really poor taste and is a malicious attempt to get viral. All join my viral campaign “EVIL MEETRO SUCKS CAMPAIGN!!!!”
The potential for misuse by stalkers and predators for this one seems a bit high - and I’m hardly a ‘won’t someone think of the children!’ type.
I believe this could be a great app if it was combined with event listings and IMing at events like concerts or fairs.
I blogged about, and I like it. I think that IM on the web is nice when you are at work during the day. I will definately keep an eye on it, and see how it grows. I’m - RexDixon - on the radiusIM service, if anyone wants to chat - close, far away, doesn’t matter to me.
Rex
It’s all about the market you’re developing for. Singles (or those who are pretending to be single) looking to hook up would be interested in geoproximity.
For those of you wondering why people use web-based IM: firewalls are becoming a major pain in the rear on corporate networks. I use meebo at work ALL the time. Its just easier than fighting around firewall restrictions, or proxies, or even having to open a couple different clients. My browser is open all day anyways, so its not hard to have another tab specifically for IM.
After using it for a while, I don’t use desktop stand alone clients anymore on my home PCs. If I’m online IMing, most likely I’m searching the net also, so why not use the browser for both functions?
theres a lot of hot features going on here over and above the geo-proximity elements. this ties in a lot of forgotten details that web-based IM clients notoriously lack…chat logs, tabbed chat windows. Additionally, because it is entirely web based and requires no downloads…its easy to just log in from anybodys machine without installing software.
This is good for public machines such as web cafes, libraries, work computers, somebody’s home machine, or anywhere you don’t have the permissions to install software. It also, as previously stated, escapes firewalls which are more and more becoming a standard.
RadiusIM also supports photos and profiles so it ties in a social networking component as well. Its definitely having growing pains…but im pretty impressed.
its just to much for the browser, start with 5 features and than expand.
I wouldn’t chat with any retard just because proximity…
i will stick with koolim for now, once this is stable, i will consider checking it out again.
I was asked to write code for Meetro, but without any clear-cut plans or compensations, its a waste of time.
And all that proximity thing is crap, never really took off. Except for the people who created it and boasting they invented the internet.
I guess they have all the legal crap too. Cant afford to pay rent, but can pay the lawyer.
Well, Im writing this because I have nothing else to do. Maybe Ill make some tea to keep me occupied.
Have Fun !
you seem upset, let it go and move on.
Web based IM is a nice solution at work! I tried most of them, including Radius. I don’t feel like composing a new contact list or making new friends in any neighborhood so it won’t work for me. Maybe nice if you are planning a trip abroad and you want some advice from local people?
In daily life I just like to keep in touch with my friends, collegues, family so I’ll keep using ebuddy. For me that is the most complete and efficient (tabs in one window) IM service.
ebuddy is nice, stable and simple, i like it.
koolim and meebo are the new guys on the block, we will see how they do.
check out http://www.koolim.com
supports aim, icq, msn, yahoo, irc, jabber, sametime, etc.
check it out, it rocks.
thx stefania.
appreciate your support for koolim.com, we really value all of our loyal users.
techcrunch is really an innovator at introducing startups to the general public, thank you!
Is there any IM that does the exact opposite of what Meetro or RadiusIM does? These IM’s try to find out where you are and help you chat with people around you even if they are strangers. But, how about trying the opposite.
Something like a ‘I am feeling lucky feature’. A feature which helps you chat with someone who is sitting nearly in the opposite side of the world. Yeah, chatting with strangers is a possibility even now, but you never know where these guys sit.
will it get me hooked up wit sum fly honeys? we is got da best kfc in da hole wurl! i will by them a bucket of chicken before i is gets to lickin day chicken, you know what i’m sayin?
Check out the new embedded version of Kool IM.
http://www.koolim.com