If a Facebook application supporting Stephen Colbert can get 1 million members in nine days, then perhaps Save An Alien, an Israeli Facebook-only startup, can reach their goal of 10 million users in six months.
I sure hope they do, anyway. Otherwise a bunch of cute little aliens are going to die.
The plot line is straightforward: a meteor is going to strike an alien planet in six months and kill the entire population (10 million aliens, each uniquely generated by an algorithm). We’re asked to adopt these aliens. When you’ve selected the one you like, you adopt it and the alien is transported to safety in Antarctica. You can then do a few other things - download images of it, use a tool to add images of your alien into your own photos, etc.
And if you really like your alien you can buy a tshirt with it on it. I imagine other revenue generating merchandising opportunities may be thought up later, too.
Good idea. We’ll see if people’s altruistic tendencies extend to fictional aliens. If they do, this company could make a few dollars along the way. 14,000 aliens have been saved so far, so go do your part (or perhaps donate your time and money to a real charity instead).
Oh no, not another one of “do-this-or-the-kitten-dies-in-six-months” types. The same thing happened with 1 million dollar homepage.
I like how the choose-your-alien interface is made, but a Facebook application that asks for my e-mail? Yeah right, dream on.
Yey, a facebook app that really gives you somthing back.
your own unique alien, and its a social alien.
you can take photos with it (they go into your facebook albums). get its desktop/IPhone wallpaper, and many other stuff should be comming soon.
“(or perhaps donate your time and money to a real charity instead)”
If any of you altruistic TechCrunchers out there are looking for a way to help out a real charity, check out BlueSchoolhouse.com and keep a Guatemalan kid in school for a year for only $100. Thanks.
I am going to make an app that says comet will now strike antartica and u need to take them sumwhere else. Lets see how many fall for it
@Roy, 3 hours later and it isn’t loading from Facebook.
Personally I don’t care about charity and the homeless. As long as they keep their cardboard boxes off my freshly mowed lawn everything will be fine. It is cool that 15 per cent of Americans control the country’s wealth. The remaining 85 per cent have to toil week in and week out.
Mike.
I do not mean to be anti - semitic, but you tend to be a buyest in terms of Israeli startups.
Mike,
You really need to stop smoking the Facebook crack.
You call this news?
This is a waste of our time. You really need to stop doing so many Facebook stories.
The world does not revolve around Facebook.
Cynical and wearisome. Marketing for the sake of marketing with extra saccharine thrown in so we’re not immediately revulsed by the pungently bitter taste of inexcusable opportunism. They are offering precisely nothing except an exercise in brand building.
The Chinpokomon style “gotta get them all” when directed at 4 year-olds is at best distasteful, but when adults buy into this kind of nonsense it’s a damning indictment of the lack of faith they demonstrate in their own personality by virtue of the fact that it needs to be propped up by tastelessly conspicuous bandwagon jumping.
I hope to see this utter waste of 1s and 0s in the deadpool gathering dust before long. However, my (lack of) faith in the power the population in general to stand up to this sugar coated, fatuous and vacuous drivel dictates that that’s just wishful thinking.
When I see the incredibly sophisticated technology required to make the Internet work put to frivolous and silly uses such as this, I cannot help but predict the impending doom of civilization as we know it. If you want to save humanity, never mind the little characters, then avoid sites like these at all costs.
@8. asssa3000:
Poppycock boy, pure poppycock. You are incorrect on all counts, and here’s why:
1) It’s not anti-Semitic to suggest that Arrington is biased towards Israeli startups, it’s just wrong. It happens that there are a number of innovative and well thought out startups coming out of that country, belying it’s small size. This just isn’t one of them. Many are getting the attention and coverage they deserve, and rightly so - long may it continue, however,
2) This so called story owes more to the ongoing fascination Arrington continues to show to the minutia of Facebook and it’s surrounding ecosystem. Becoming more confusing and sickeningly predictable with every passing article.
Arrington, enough of this non-news and do your job.
Well I tried. I found a very cute little guy, agreed to the adoption terms and then:
“Error while loading page from Save An Alien
There are still a few kinks Facebook and the makers of Save An Alien are trying to iron out. We appreciate your patience as we try to fix these issues. Your problem has been logged - if it persists, please come back in a few days. Thanks!”
I wonder if Brad and Angelina had this much trouble with their adoptions.
If this works, it will be just another example that too many people have way too much time on their hands.
Come on people, you hopefully can find better things to do with your time and money!
Only a good idea for dumb people.
Trang Web khoa Tự Nhiên
People … With over 600 K subscriber even some trivial post may generate considerable amount of feedburner pageviews. I think it’s not just Techcrunch but any major publication does the same thing.
As a bit of marketing slight of hand, this is actually way better than Super Poke or any of its 150,000 derivations.
This just adds fuel to the fire that Facebook is now exactly what it has always been, a tool for people to keep up with their off line social networks online. Or more specifically, a tool for college students to stalk their friends and see what happened at that party they missed last weekend (I suggest everyone speak to a college Freshman about Facebook before writing your next piece about it recreating the “social graph”)
It’s not designed, nor was it ever meant to be a tool for serious communication. That doesn’t mean it is not a great product, it just means that you shouldn’t be surprised when you see stuff like this. In fact, I would be almost surprised if it wasn’t successful.
before saving the aliens please save Toby http://www.savetoby.com/
oops. he is saved already
WTF Aliens on Facebook, Someone will make money with social networking for interplanetary web
Why doesn’t someone start a “Starving Human” facebook app? With donations going to real people starving in Africa. You could give them a facebook account even if they never logged on. I’d do it but I’m already working on a differentFacebook app.
Of course the hard part is sneaking the money/food past corrupt officials, trying not to put local farmers out of work, and figuring out how to hire Bono.
After TechCrunch’s tight crunch on Epson’s new ‘Epsonality’ website, I don’t see how they justify this; surely this is the same, if not worse.
No, no, no. You guys are all missing the point: the perpetrators of this ghastly idiocy are *trying* to make the frontpage of uncov. In a market glutted with hype and positive spin the only way to really get noticed is by being called out by Ted Dziuba.
Ted is the new Mike.
Hi Guys,
I think this is amazing app !!!
very nice idea with cool graphic.
Its actually pretty ingenious in its simplicity and in getting users to join a network baited by saving some cute little fictional creature, which they will do (I just saved a little guy).
Cool application, so simple and viral… you’ve got to try it.
offtop:
Techcrunch PageRank dropped from 8 to 7? or it was 7 for some time?
I wonder how people get such amazingly unpredictable un-imaginably practical and altruistically innovative and yet applied to down to earth common concept like adopting a pet.
Somebody is really thinking hard….so they deserve a cheer for that…at least it is not a me-too concept.
http://www.meetingflex.com
Video+Social Networking
I have no opinion of these virtual aliens.
The aliens look like toy…they dont look as nice as those aliens in men in black…damn im working on a video game that will make some nice looking aliens!
i eat little aliens for breakfast.
as for the concept - it sucks, by the way
Nah, just chop them aliens up, stew them in a pot, and add spring onions, should taste like chicken.
gotta hand it to those guys, it’s one creative way of promoting their site.
Someone send this web site to rich Scientologists
Who said aliens taste like chicken? I ate them before they taste like crap. lol
whatever.
Michael, Techcrunch is still a good place to come and know some industry things. Keep the quality good. Don’t go too cheap.
@Andrew (#18), the latest on the toby saga:
http://flickr.com/photos/yolandefoto/1505937533/
R.I.P.
I see the appeal here, but how many people see the gruesome subtext — the “alien planet” is Israel, the “meteor” is an Iranian nuke, and the “aliens” are the poor, vulnerable Israelis…
@37. Joe T.
Dry up.
It keeps crashing Firefox when I try to upload my image. And I think its great that Michael posted this. Save An Alien is a very clever application of social applications and viral marketing. In order to build software that facilitates social interaction you have to get consumers to cooperate, and consumers like cute things… Wish I thought of that idea.
This is GREAT!
…for the sheep of the world.
PLEASE! Do not join!
I prefer my aliens dead! Preferablly disintergrated!
http://fakesteveballmer.blogspot.com
It keeps crashing Firefox. Save An Alien is a very clever application of social applications and viral marketing. In order to build software that facilitates social interaction you have to get consumers to cooperate, and consumers like cute things… Wish I thought of that idea.
PLEASE! Do not join!
I prefer my aliens dead! Preferablly disintergrated!
http://ultimate-energi.com
Aliens are like hotcakes…..they always sell.
http://www.meetingflex.com
Video+Social Networking+Speed-FacebookCrap
Stupid post, arrington. How about using it to discuss a startup that actually does something.
Is there an end in sight to these annoying, silly, juvenile FB apps?
How cow. This is extremely lame.
Let’s all do something worthwhile. Adopting imaginary people is just not appealing to me. But blogging for peace is….which is why I came over her in the first place and then I got all caught up in the Facebook idea. Oh please. But intriguing nonetheless. Here’s what’s happening. Read on….
A special day is coming up on my blog and in the blogosphere. Bloggers are set to blog for peace November 7, 2007.
I invite you to join me - and a cast of incredible bloggers - as we mark our world with a promise of peace. Bloggers from around the world including 30 countries (and counting)and nearly every state in the United States will participate in BlogBlast for Peace.I hope you will participate in this growing phenomenon.
Your blog. One post. One day. Please spread the word.
How To Get Your Peace Globe
Thank you,
Mimi Lenox
Michael,
How many Hawaiian rum punches did you down before posting this article?
So what you’re saying is that if these aliens told you what Epson printer was right for them, it would be a “sucky” web site, but since it merely serves NO purpose, you want to plug it? Or maybe Epson would have turned the corner if they offered aliens and won your approval.
Gone are the days when I go to TC to learn about new and interesting web properties with a low signal to noise ratio. Now it’s more like Digg: I have to expect a certain amount of complete and utter shite to glaze over.
And yes, to each their own, but seriously? Alien avatars? Are we going to link to smiley/downloadable, talking emoticons as the next big thing now?
This post almost feels like you did it as a favor for a friend. Stop lobbing them over the plate for uncov, for chrissake.
die