Newly-launched Snimmer has a glimmer of a great idea, but don’t test it unless you are very careful and/or prepared to apologize to your instant messaging contacts all evening. I wasn’t.
Like Meebo and eBuddy, Snimmer is a web-based instant messaging service. Unlike those services, however, Snimmer is also a social network, allowing users to upload bio information, photos, and other information about themselves and share it with others. If you find people you want to chat with on the service, you can create a chat room on the fly using Jabber (or GTalk) – they do not need to have previously been added to your instant messaging friends list.
When you use the service and sign on there is an opt-out to tell all your friends about the service. I caught it the first time and unchecked it, but on a second login I forgot and all of my GTalk friends were IMed with a message about Snimmer. I then spent thirty minutes apologizing to everyone who IMed me with “WTF” or something similar.
I like the idea a lot – looking at people’s pictures and other information while chatting with them is a great idea. Try it if you dare – but don’t say I didn’t warn you.
I was wondering what that was about. I got both an e-mail and an instant message from you promoting SNIMMER. The IM:
Spammy.
On the upside, Michael and I finally got to reconnect. (It was like the movie “Serendipity” only the chick in that is cuter.)
ridiculous.
now I’m getting the messages from my friends testing it.
Oh man. It sent out emails too to gmail.
Hehe. Looks like you’re in a fix, Mike. E-mail them and ask to have your account closed.
i went to snimmer, and a fuckin’ retarded bell sound started and wouldn’t stop. The most ridiculous pos of a site. Ever.
yeah, I didn’t mention all the sounds. you can turn them off.
Just careful on that login too, it submits your password in clear text.
Have to say it looks amateurish, Michael. The client-side code is horrendous and that it not only IMs but spams your IM contacts via email is worrying.
Plus, and I shudder to even mention it, MSN/Live/Spaces linked your IM account to a profile and photo page too.
I really hate services that try to force feed themselves to your contacts. My ‘Skepty Sense’ tingles.
I can’t wait to hear what Uncov has to say…
Agh. That was annoying.
This guys really need to do something with their spanish version, is terrible! It makes no sense.
And I need to do something with my English grammar apparently…
So, these guys saw Pownce, and then thru this together?
Spammy? Ok, what else? Competition? Financing? 2 man team?
This has more in common with Pownce than the services mentioned as comparable.
Why can’t I just use Gtalk (alongside some SN if you’re into that)?
Well, it certainly explains certain messages I received from some friends last night!
Mike, as you say, the idea has potential. It’s a real shame that companies think they can not only get away with this kind of behaviour, but make a conscious choice to use it as a way to promote their service. It’ll only lead to a negative reaction and a premature shutdown/shotdown from potential users.
Slow healthy growth is better than a quick shot to “fame” followed by a speedy crash & burn – it just takes a bit more patience and persistence.
Quick, let’s spam everyone in their contacts list … that way we will grow and strike it rich. Screw users, our product is awsome and they need it.
Doesn’t facebook do this as well? There was some service that tells all your friends via your email on hotmail and gmail…
oh, I was wondering about that. That’s the second time this week something like this happened.
Ok, so we don’t want to discuss the merits and shortcomings of the service? Just the Spamminess?
It is called “viral marketing”, and if executed correctly can be quite effective (MySpace/Facebook come to mind). Plaxo is suffering for their prior practices and it is anyone’s guess why snimmer didn’t figure this would come back to haunt them.
Hint: VC’s and advertisers use ‘user numbers’ as metric when determining valuation, so the motivation is clear. The cost/benefit analysis of this strategy was obviously blown.
“I like the idea a lot – looking at people’s pictures and other information while chatting with them is a great idea.”
Can’t you already do that with GoogleTalk?
Facebook has an “Advanced Wall” app I think which encourages disabling your “native” wall, shows some ads and promotes spamming your friends/contacts to write on your new wall. There are also checkboxes checked by default with a note of allowing only 10 (I think) invites per day, presumably one enforced by FB themselves. I had it installed for almost two minutes.
I was notified that a friend wrote on my (new) wall (which was odd as I didn’t have one yet), so I clicked and was lead through the install process. I read my new message, which was “come write on my new wall!”, and uninstalled.
LOL, Hilaaaarious.
Web-based chat is a non-starter. End of story.
we (www.imcontacts.com) had the same idea 1.5 years ago. Its probably not that smooth as snimmer but there are more gadgets for the members…