A new social network called eDirectree launched today that wants to make it more fun to form groups with people online.
eDirectree was founded this past November by Raj Abhyanker, who also founded Fatdoor in late 2006 but left when that startup hired a new CEO. Whereas Fatdoor, once out of private beta, will help neighbors get to know each other online, eDirectree helps people who already know each other reunite and associate in different ways.
The network essentially takes the “groups” feature found in most social networks, adopts it as a central concept, and injects it with steroids. By default, group and member profiles on eDirectree are wikis that anyone can add and edit. If you want to set up a group (as I have for TechCrunch) you can add your friends even if they’re not eDirectree members yet. Enter their names and email addresses manually, or upload a group photo and draw boxes around their heads. With the latter method, each person’s mug will be cropped out of the photo automatically and used as an avatar for their new profile.
Once a group has been established, anyone within that group can edit both the group’s settings and the profiles of other members. This wiki functionality is reminiscent of the control Yahoo Mash users have over each others’ profiles by default. You can add your friends to other groups and change their profile information, as long as they haven’t locked things down.
eDirectree has clearly been designed with MySpace users in mind. The site will piggyback off that social network by encouraging users to embed group and profile badges on MySpace profiles that will direct traffic back to eDirectree (see our badge below). In a way, eDirectree serves as a super-feature for MySpace, although it can be used by itself and the embeds can also be placed in blogs. The site could have been created as a Facebook application (or MySpace application, once their platform finally launches) although it may have better luck with user adoption as an independent destination.
As a way to encourage user participation in the whole wiki theme of the site, eDirectree will be tracking users’ activity and rewarding them with points that can be redeemed for prizes like t-shirts, iPod nanos, and Wiis. The more users add their friends and set up groups, the more points and prizes they get. Let’s just hope they can control the gaming that will inevitably arise.
Web 1.0 (directories) + Web 2.0 (wiki) * social network = success!
wow…prizes also
That’s totally retarded. How much did they pay you to feature this worthless piece of garbage?
Now I remember why I read Mashable.
This site is awesome. Its not for everyone, but for people like me who like MySpace, this thing works great. New avenue to create groups in a fun and interesting way.
I think this site is interesting. I am playing the features.
hehe, you have to love it when the shills line up in the comments to tell you how awesome this turkey is.
sell commenting from above?
It is actually a extremely easy to make a group using any photo, and you can also uploaded embedded media like flash content into a group. Great!
Lots more spammy comments above.
As I read the comments, moused over names to check what turned out to be generic URLs, I wondered if these comments were really expected to be from someone without interest in the site under discussion.
Much to my liking, the “real” TC commenters were already calling out.
Do the shills really think TC regulars are that stupid? Are we even in their target market? It boggles the mind.
People go where their friends are, unless there is some real compelling feature or features. Nobody on myspace has a chance of spending time on what is or how to use a wiki.
We want MICROSOFT & YAHOO NEWS!!!!!
Justice Department say yes…. Microsoft can buy it. DAMN YAHOO ACCEPT THAT BILLION DOLLAR OFFER
I was actually having related conversations today about this. Namely, does “wiki” now mean anything that can be edited by multiple people, not just web pages/articles a la Wikipedia?
And, it’s an interesting spin over the idea of collaborative information and the freedom of truth and/or opinion, vs a user’s right (?) to control what is said and known about them. Those topics have already been beaten on when it comes to restaurant review sites (i.e. what if restaurants could “lock down” or veto their ratings & comments?), but not as much for people.
If I think #13 smells funny and steals lunches from the company fridge, shouldn’t I be able to put that information in his profile for the greater good?
@12
Wiki’s a Hawaiian word meaning quick. Wiki is also a concept for creating multiple pages by multiple users and linking them together. So in that sense, any pages that can now be created and edited by multiple users can be called a wiki.
That said this concept is trite and stupid. It’s Yahoo Groups with relaxed user permissions.
Thank you all for the valuable feedback. Our site is still very early, we are playing around with some ideas on how people organize themselves around groups. The site eDirectree currently reflects only about 2 months of focused work, we are a work in progress.
Based on some of the feedback we’ve received today, we have some ideas around ‘fan clubs’ where independent bands and artists and users on MySpace can create “badges” that users on their pages can click on to join their fan clubs. We also have thoughts about enhancing groups on eDirectree through music that can be played right from a fan club group.
Do you think a “fan club” creation focus for eDirectree be useful?
We really appreciate your feedback (both good and bad!)
Raj Abhyanker, co-founder of eDirectree
Dongxia Liu, co-founder of eDirectree
Our “Wiki group” concept is originally from the thought that you might lose your old friends’ info, so you just put his firstname or his old photo (from yearbook, for example). Other persons (no matter in the same group or not) might know your old friend’s info, so your friend’s profile can be quickly updated in this way.
For security/privacy reason, we also have features to turn on/off allowing others to edit info.
Thanks!
Dongxia
Hi Raj/Dongxia,
Security Features are not up to the mark yet..
I have updated the profile picture of Raj itself
Joke, thanks for playing it.
Raj does not lock his profile from editing.
If you login to your account, you will see “My admin” -> “My Profile” -> “Privacy”, from where you are able to set your privacy.
but Dongxia, Anyone one can update any wrong/obscene info also..so don’t you think that it is not good to not lock yr profile..
Thanks Joke!
We will add a warning to people to lock their profile from edit, once they become active user.
I don’t mind if you edit my picture, have fun with it! the site is intended to allow people the freedom to have fun with pics/avatars if they choose.. Raj
How do I make the group private? I didn’t see any setting.
Lakers just acquired Gasol…..let’s go ring shopping LA….fuck social networks
Nice work fellas. Now tell us what need you are fulfilling. Were people on myspace clamoring for something new that you thought you could do well enough to drive traffic. Or, do you just have dev skills and are looking to develop a solution looking for a problem.
Man, all these CS folk that think they understand mkt, bizdev, sales etc. Why does everyone think they’re “idea people”? You are not. You are developers. So find some other folks to help you put your skills to use.
You have no mission, no insight, and no consumer connection, except you want money and fame. It is an exercise in ego development.
Please use logic
Actually, I am not a developer, I am a U.S. patent attorney. Raj
Frank, to mark your group private, please click on the ‘edit group info’ tag on the top of your directory page. From there, you can change the status of your directory from Public to Private by clicking on the Directory Details tab. Email me directly if you have any problems. raj@rajpatent.com
Our mission is for users to have fun with an interesting new way to build social circles on the Internet. One needs to test concepts to learn what users want, we will iterate to get the feature set right. Money and fame – I can do without the fame, and I have plenty of money to be happy.
Needs we are aim to try to fulfill with this product (note: it will take time, we are trying to build something that will help achieve the following) :
1. Reconnect with lost friends by letting people crop faces out of old photos. Let others help you get their contact information.
2. Immediate communication with all group members. Secure and private communicate with members who have not become active members yet.
3. Organize your friends based on how you know them.
4. Fastest way to create a ad-hoc and structured group. Make your group alive in seconds.
Note: we are completely self-funded. Thanks for your comments..
Raj
Our mission is for users to have fun with an interesting new way to build social circles on the Internet. One needs to test concepts to learn what users want, we will iterate to get the feature set right. Money and fame – I can do without the fame, and I have plenty of money to be happy.
Needs we are aim to try to fulfill with this product (note: it will take time, we are trying to build something that will help achieve the following) :
1. Reconnect with lost friends by letting people crop faces out of old photos. Let others help you get their contact information.
2. Immediate communication with all group members. Secure and private communication with members who have not become active members yet.
3. Organize your friends based on how you know them.
4. Fastest way to create an ad-hoc and structured group. Make your group alive in seconds.
Note: we are completely self-funded. Thanks for your comments..
Raj
please keep posting, post ur business plan please.
where is all the spammer now, how come the spammers are gone when the co founder surfaces? raj, did you scare ur supporters away?
Some gentle feedback.
First, change the name while you are still early.
Second, hire a professional designer as the site is not structured very well.
Last, the service as it is right now is not compelling enough for me to try. I looked around and either could not immediately get what you are doing, or I did and had no use whatsoever for it. The former could be solved with a professional designer. The second means you need to have a better call to action.
The challenge for enterprise software companies like ours (www.sitescape.com) is to use fun, network vibrancy, ease-of-use, incentives to drive person-to-person and team-to-team dynamics in the dispersed workplace.