Hello Meerkat
what happens when an app starts buzzing.
Once in a while, an app comes along and shakes things up.
The funny thing is — these apps tend to come along right when it feels like it’s all been done before.
Just when you feel like there can’t possibly be another version of a photo-video-mobile-social-local-ephemeral-realtime-buzzword-blah blah blah…
Bang. Something simple (and awesome) launches and shuts you up.
If you’re in the tech scene and your phone battery wasn’t dead all weekend, then you’ve been hit by a wave of Meerkat notifications.
The who’s who of tech are jumping onboard, and the best part is — everybody is half-confused & half-amused.
We’ve seen this story before, we just don’t know how it ends (and that’s the best part.)
Whether it’s Twitter or Foursquare, Yo or Turntable.fm — there seems to be 1–2 new companies a year that capture the imagination of our whole community.
They are weird. They are playful, but not immediately useful. In a year, they will either be dead, or have become indispensable.
I love these apps. I live for these apps.
Over the next few weeks, everyone will play Fantasy VC (our nerdy version of fantasy football) and take a stand on whether we think it’s a 1-week fad or a future star. It becomes the watercooler discussion (you know, if water coolers actually Philz Coffee lines) for all of us who care a little too much about these things.
Over the next few weeks, it will be everywhere. We’ll see news stories about it’s funding & founders. We’ll read blogs reverse engineering how it worked, and how they’ve “growth hacked” Twitter. We’ll hear how it’s going to disrupt X, and hear others crow about how it’s another example of ‘smart people’ building ‘stupid things’.
We’ll complain about all the features it’s missing, because it’s OUR product. WE chose it. That’s what I love about these apps, they very quickly become a product of the community that digs it, more so than the vision of the founders who built it.
If you’re wondering how we got here, here’s what happens when an app starts buzzing.
phase I: the spark
A quirky, unique, simple app comes out. A few early adopters take it for a spin.
In this case, our newly elected Chief Tastemaker @rrhoover decides it’s cool. Quickly, we all rush to check it out.
phase II: we realize that we ❤ access (aka voyeurism)
Facebook : Omg I can “stalk” my classmates relationship status, who’s writing on their wall, what parties they’ve been going to etc…
Instagram: Omg I can see photos & highlights of peoples lives that I’m NOT “friends with” on Facebook.
Snapchat: Omg I get to see the photos that weren’t good enough for Instagram! No filters! No makeup (real life filters)! The photos self destruct so people don’t censor anything!
Twitter: Omg it’s like mind reading. People are literally just typing their thoughts out for me to see.
Meerkat: Live streaming video (with no history) of people that I don’t really know (people I follow on twitter)? And lurking them via video is not only acceptable, but encouraged? Excellent.
phase III: Everyone’s doing it.
The who’s who of your social networks join. Getting 10–15 notifications in a day about a new app is just about as much social proof as you’re going to get.
Now you’re excited. You found it early, you thought it was cool before it was cool. Now you’re more willing to tell people about it, because you’re telling them about something that’s going to be popular.
Side note: Good work by Meerkat on the viral loop. One touch signup (via twitter) creates a user and imports your social graph. Then every comment becomes an @mention on Twitter creating a tweetstorm around every broadcast (conversations performs really well on the twitter timeline). Ladies and gentlemen — ‘growth hacking’ is alive and well!
phase IV: Here come the skeptics.
As soon as something starts to become popular, the skeptics begin circling.
*puts on my hater hat*
I mean come on. Who really has time to live stream their mundane life (let alone sit and watch someone else’s stream). What happens when 90% of the early adopters stop creating content? Can it find a vine-like community of super-creators?
Oh and it’s missing all these features! What if I missed the broadcast, can’t I see a replay or at least the highlights? I thought we were all about that on-demand lyfe now. No’mo Fomo plz.
PLUS. Haven’t we learned from Yo, Secret, Taptalk etc.. about crowning the next king too early?
phase V: News, Pundits, and the long slog ahead
It’s day 3 for the Meerkat team. I know they’re probably sleep deprived, but loving the rush that comes with putting your app in people’s hands.
TechCrunch and the like will start to forecast whether it will sink or swim, and every blogger will play armchair CEO.
To the Meerkat team, I wish you guys the best of luck. By all indications, you seem to be a kickass team who knows what it’s doing.
You’ve captured lightning in a bottle, and you have the one thing that even money often fails to buy : our attention.
Ignore what everyone says (including me) — and keep doing what you’re doing.
Best of luck, and drop by for a congratulatory beer next time you’re in SOMA.
-shaan
