Social calling widget Jaxtr has just released a new destination called Jaxtr Cafe. Their widget, like Jangl’s, provides users with an anonymous number to call each other with the added bonus of cheaper long distance calling.
Up until now, Jaxtr users found each other more or less randomly on social networks of email signatures that listed links to the service. Jaxtr Cafe, however, is a social network of sorts where some 10 million users (50-60% active) of the service can find each other and carry on conversations about whatever they want. It also gives Jaxtr the opportunity to start monetizing their free service through advertising on the site. Jangl, on the other hand, has monetized on a case by case basis (rev share on Match.com, ads on PlentyOfFish).
Every user of Jaxtr is grandfathered in to Jaxtr Cafe’s profile database. You can search amongst these profiles based on interests and geography. For instance, if you want to talk to someone who’s an Australian and interested in food, you can easily do a search through the directory for just the right person. You can then call or text them using Jaxtr’s widget.
I was surprised no to see an offering closer to Ingenio’s Ether, but that may be an additional feature in the coming months. Rather the service seems a lot like Skype Live. However there’s the added advantage that while people aren’t always on Skype, but pretty much always have their phones. It does come at the cost of your local calling minutes, but you’ll wind up with a cheaper long distance chat.
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So they supposedly have 10M users, but on the JaxtrCafe home page i saw the following in the first 5 pages (6 users per page):
1) at least 4 founders/executives/board members of the company
2) a bunch of really hot girls
Wow what are the chances of that? Either I got really lucky to get only hot girls and Konstantin to show up for me, or there is something really fishy going on with their user numbers.
Rick,
Our ranking algorithms give preferences to profiles based on attributes on those profiles, and I am not at all surprised that executives and board members of the company have more of those attributes and therefore rank amongst the top 30 profiles.
By the way, since you seem to know the faces of jaxtr’s Board and investor profiles, it would be intellectually honest to reveal your affiliation. That way, you may perhaps have some credibility in your assertions, unless you think the company you work for has no credibility to begin with…
Touraj (from jaxtr)
Thanks for the crunch - Nick. The comparison of cafe jaxtr and Skype Live is understandable since both allow you to connect with new people. But I think the comparison stops short. As you pointed out, cafe jaxtr helps you find just the right person you may wish to talk to. A jaxtr member’s contact page allows you to know what topics and friends you may have in common, view photos, as well easily check out other sites the member has profiles on. It’s an easy way to try to get to know someone even before speaking. I don’t think that’s something you find on Skype Live. Cheers!
I don’t get it. Why would anyone use this?
http://www. i-guide .ro
http://www. i-guide .ro
Burning solution looking for a problem.
They’re a telco, period. A scale business like I always say when TC writes pieces like this.
So here again is my very simple question to Jaxtr that neither Konstantin nor Stacy will answer.
How many phone calls did your network handle yesterday? And bridged calls count as one call, not two.
If you want to make money be re-selling minutes, you’re a phone company and will need 10s of millions of mins a day to be slightly interesting. If you want to make money by selling ads, you’ll need millions of avails a day to create an interesting network.
And then there’s that challenge of ad rates being less than telco costs.
Anywho, how ’bout an answer to the simple question? How many calls did Jaxtr process yesterday?
Betcha don’t answer, and that speaks volumes.
Jaxtr = awful business model. We lose money on every call but we’ll make it up on volume huh?
Interesting–nobody except jaxtr employees linking to their site with their comments. Usually, half to two-thirds do this since it’s good promotion. Why are the critical posters hiding in the shadows? But our users liking the service and recommending it to their friends is more relevant to our business than what anonymous posters say on TC. We started revenue yesterday, and have presented our investors with a solid plan to do over $10 million in the first 12 months. And luckily, we have some great investors backing the company! Three of the major Skype investors back jaxtr, and so do August Capital, Mayfield, Founders Fund, Reid Hoffman, Rajeev Motwani, etc.
@ 8:
You didn’t answer Adolph’s question on number of calls.
I don’t think any company in this stage will disclose such information
Besides why Jaxtr had to approve itself to some nobody on internet ? Show a little fairness please. The management might consider to show the information to ‘him’ if he’s potential investor or buyer.