Virb a social network without the clutter

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Virb a social network without the clutter

April 29th, 2009

virb_logo A few days back I stood up for Facebook for a few reasons. First, I don’t think the design is as bad as people say it is. Second, people often don’t offer many recommendations for improvement beyond “dude, the UI sucks.” The beauty of the internet is everyone gets a voice. The downfall of the internet is everyone gets a voice. It makes it extremely hard for PMs to sift through the mess(as evident from the comments on MG’s TechCrunch post) and understand what is noise and what is actionable feedback that should be addressed. OK, that is now out of the way and I can get back to the task at hand, Virb.

If Facebook had Virb’s UI, Productivity in the US would plummet
Seriously, Virb’s UI is hot. Its clean and easy to use. It really isn’t fair to compare it to Facebook, since it’s purpose isn’t to keep in touch with friends. Instead Virb lets you explore photos, text, quotes, bookmarks, videos, and more. One of my favorite features on Virb is the explore button. I spend so much time searching for the things I want, it’s nice to just browse through images, videos, and quotes from interesting people that I don’t know. It’s like channel surfing on TV, but better. There are definitely some talented artists and photographers on Virb.

Content is king, so Virb’s got some work to do
Despite the wonderful UI, content is king, and on Social Networks the content that keeps users coming back is more users. Maybe Virb’s goal is really to be a place for really creative people to… well, be creative. I’ve got no problem with that, since I’m a big fan of concrete mission statements or mantras. I think it tends to lead to products that answer a need and successfully monetize.

This post really just scratched the surface. My next post on Virb will go over a few of the UI/UX features that I think make it a killer web application. Stay tuned.

Product Management, Social Media, User experience facebook, Product Management, social networking, UI, UX

Viewing 36 Comments

platforms bed 1 month ago 1 point
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It’s a high class article thanks for distribution among all. I was unacknowledged to this thing. Trust to get more aggregation from you looking towards for your next article.

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http://www.livingcontemporary.com/

Cotton Yarn 2 months ago 1 point
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It’s like channel surfing on TV, but better. There are definitely some talented artists and photographers on Virb.

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1 /people/cotton_yarn/ /people/cotton_yarn/following/ http://www.abtexintl.net/

credit card processing rates 5 months ago 1 point
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i think facebook and virb have the same offer for every people.

Thanks

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1 /people/zsjdhajskh/ /people/zsjdhajskh/following/

Kitchen doors 5 months ago 1 point
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This is totally awesome, i'm looking forward for more updates for the Virb platform. You had given info about it very well, you had explained all the features and I think they are cool.

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1 /people/kkkhdfjasdhakj/ /people/kkkhdfjasdhakj/following/

Musicvideos1 5 months ago 1 point
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i just know about clutter now. i hope it will also help me to discover music, videos and sharing with my friends. thanks
Music

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0 /people/Musicvideos1/ /people/Musicvideos1/following/

Garden shed 5 months ago 1 point
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It’s purpose isn’t to keep in touch with friends. Instead Virb lets you explore photos, text, quotes, bookmarks, videos, and more. One of my favorite features on Virb is the explore button.

Thanks and Regards

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1 /people/ahdkjashda/ /people/ahdkjashda/following/

bands 5 months ago 1 point
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This is a nice presentation. Thanks for sharing this information!

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http://www.digbands.com/

shipping a car 5 months ago 1 point
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One of my favorite features on Virb is the explore button. I spend so much time searching for the things I want, it’s nice to just browse through images, videos, and quotes from interesting people that I don’t know.

Thanks and Regards

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1 /people/kshdasjdha/ /people/kshdasjdha/following/ http://www.cartransportquotes.com

reborn baby 5 months ago 1 point
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many social media sites no a days are offering new features, for the competition among social media sites is really hard to break, each of them are trying to be above the others

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1 /people/ajsdhajh/ /people/ajsdhajh/following/ http://www.rebornbabiesuk.com

Dating 5 months ago 1 point
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nice comment, you're right, Great job!!

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3 /people/onlinedate/ /people/onlinedate/following/ http://www.datelot.com

Auctions 5 months ago 1 point
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Excellent! Great article, I already bookmarked this..

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2 /people/onlineauctions/ /people/onlineauctions/following/ http://www.easymud.com

Oyelaja Adebambo 6 months ago 1 point
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Yeah and that has motivated the creation of a site like waaazap. We believe sharing should not be limited to friends alone but having a few friends around is not also a bad idea. Check it out at http://www.waaazap.com And hey virb is amazing

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http://www.waaazap.com/

merchant account provider 6 months ago 1 point
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I spend so much time searching for the things I want, it’s nice to just browse through images, videos, and quotes from interesting people that I don’t know. It’s like channel surfing on TV, but better. There are definitely some talented artists and photographers on Virb.

Thanks and Regards

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1 /people/ashdkajsh/ /people/ashdkajsh/following/

Hampers 6 months ago 1 point
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Anything that will keep us in touch is surely a welcome approach and this Virb thing is another way. Great!

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4 /people/Hampers/ /people/Hampers/following/ http://www.bradfordsbakers.com

building_kitchen_cabinets 6 months ago 1 point
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Excellent! Great article, I already saved it to my favourite,

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http://www.buildingkitchencabinets.us/

Purple parking voucher codes 6 months ago 1 point
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Get to copulate Lot's of collection. It's a bonzer article thanks for intercourse. I was undiagnosed to this occurrence. Outlook to get often from you ostensible towards for your inbound article.

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Speicherkarten 7 months ago 1 point
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What you do with Virb is completely up to you, so come on in and show the world what makes you, you." Says in the Virb website but there are so many websites like this on the internet, what is the unique thing in Virb?

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1 /people/speicherkarten/ /people/speicherkarten/following/ http://www.zoombits.de

miami web designer 7 months ago 1 point
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Despite the wonderful UI, content is king, and on Social Networks the content that keeps users coming back is more users. Maybe Virb’s goal is really to be a place for really creative people to well, be creative.

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1 /people/miamiweb/ /people/miamiweb/following/ http://www.evokedesign.com

Enduring Power Of Attorney 7 months ago 1 point
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We are a group of volunteers and starting a new initiative in a community. Your blog provided us valuable information to work on. You have done a marvellous job!

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jaber 7 months ago 1 point
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Thanks for sharing. I know we will have fun using it.

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http://www.98sj.com/blog/14

online poker 8 months ago 1 point
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it's my first time to heard about Virb! and thank you for sharing us the wonderful features of it. Based on your article about the features of it i realized that it's different from other social sites. I hope that Virb will last.

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1 /people/naturessunshine/ /people/naturessunshine/following/ http://www.searchenginemarketingltd.com

real estate mountain lake 8 months ago 1 point
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"Virb is a community and a place for you to contribute the stuff that interests you. Virb is your social network, your photography portfolio and your band’s website. Virb is the collection of all that you share online, from what you find to what you create. What you do with Virb is completely up to you, so come on in and show the world what makes you, you." Says in the Virb website but there are so many websites like this on the internet, what is the unique thing in Virb?

Thanks

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1 /people/mikebason/ /people/mikebason/following/ http://www.smithmountainhomes.com

online poker 8 months ago 1 point
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that's a good question real estate mounatin bike.. what are the unique features of virb?

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1 /people/naturessunshine/ /people/naturessunshine/following/ http://www.searchenginemarketingltd.com

MMA Pound For Pound 8 months ago 1 point
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I am also new to Virb. You have very good informative article. Hopefully it will be successful

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SLR Camera 9 months ago 1 point
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That's was totally awesome,we are so excited to continually grow and build new Virb platform....more power and good luck...

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health insurance coverage 9 months ago 1 point
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This is totally awesome, i'm looking forward for more updates for the Virb platform. You had given info about it very well, you had explained all the features and I think they are cool.

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1 /people/jazs39/ /people/jazs39/following/ http://swbd.com/health.htm

outdoor kitchen cabinets 9 months ago 1 point
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I think it is new social network i will check it out. There are lot of social networking websites on the internet all are competing to get more visitors to their site. I think virb ha great features if anything is unique than others then you will succeed on the internet.

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1 /people/chooseout/ /people/chooseout/following/

Coaching London 6 months ago 1 point
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Well It"s a great way to keep in touch and meet people with similar interests. Use Virb to discover music, videos, cool companies and organizations... then share what you find with your friends.

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2 /people/coaching_london/ /people/coaching_london/following/ http://www.catalystcoaching.biz/

nvaleo 9 months ago 1 point
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Haven't much heard about Virb, well congratulations you had defined it very well and now i'm pretty amaze with all those things you can do with it.

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Oakley Goggles 9 months ago 1 point
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many social media sites no a days are offering new features, for the competition among social media sites is really hard to break, each of them are trying to be above the others

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1 /people/applepink08/ /people/applepink08/following/

Live Lead Transfer 9 months ago 1 point
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Wow! that project is really cool. Hope it'll be a successful one!

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1 /people/jazs27/ /people/jazs27/following/ http://www.tvloanmodificationleads.com

anal hook 9 months ago 1 point
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nice comment, you're right, Great job!!
i think facebook and virb have the same offer for every people
i;m looking forward for your next blog.. good luck!!

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chiropractors marketing 9 months ago 1 point
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wow that was pretty awesome, i'm sure many online geeks are excited for more progressive projects they will offer

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Brad 10 months ago 1 point
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I appreciate the shout out, Warren. We are excited to continually grow and build upon the new Virb platform. Content IS king, yes, and our goal is to see Virb be to the internet what HBO is to cable.

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http://virb.com/brad

warren 10 months ago 1 point
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Great. I suppose you mean that HBO delivers premium content in contrast to the more generic/lower quality content. Interesting analogy. I assume then your audience will be far more niche based than more general sites like Facebook/MySpace. Hopefully that will lead to more targeted ads and higher CPMs.

As a side note, what platform/framework are you guys built on? Or is it 100% custom?

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3 /people/wcolbert/ /people/wcolbert/following/ http://www.cognited.com/ wcolbert

Brad 10 months ago 1 point
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Yessir, that is exactly what was meant by the HBO/cable analogy. Because of that vision, we will always be a little more niche than a FB or MSP; though not to the point of elitism. We believe that every single human being creates something that will interest someone. Good content is born every day. Good content never gets old. Its destiny is to be on Virb.

I'm excited for the new Explore we will be rolling out with our 2.1 update in May; making it even more fun to find things that interest you: http://bit.ly/mh6rm

Regarding the platform, it is a 100% custom, scalable, in-house, magical framework. Thanks for asking.

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http://virb.com/brad