• Startups

    Yobongo

    I’m addicted to Yobongo.

    I was just remembering an idea I pitched to the product team at Whrrl long ago about having a chat box at a place.  My idea didn’t have the right ingredients, because it required critical mass at a specific place and we didn’t really have any users or critical mass beyond at our office.  Yobongo is much smarter than that, it is like a living organism at expands and contracts depending on the amount of proximity based engagement.  I think the idea that there is a shape on a map that is drawn and changes depending on various factor is fascinating, I’d love to understand the algorithm for it.

    I like that Yobongo is smart, and it is learning all the time about who you know and who you should know.  It’s so early in the community, and its really fun to use with people I know in real life, and I’m finding myself on there every day.

    The one time I didn’t use Yobongo, and expected to, was at SXSW.   I can’t tell you what the density was like there, but that had more to do with me being busy than with the app.  I think Yobongo is something you use in your free time or downtime, instead of playing games or checking Twitter.  The immediate gratification I get from it is greater than other options that are competing for my attention.  The idea of always having someone to talk to.  It seems like each day there are more people, and I am ending up in rooms with a broader mix of people.

    It’s just a simple iPhone app, try it if you are in San Francisco and you might find it fun.  It’s isn’t big in other geographies yet.