Between Facebook, Foursquare, Twitter and a slew of other social media platforms, one would think there would be enough ways to let people know what you’re doing. Well, now it seems there is yet another service looking to raise the bar. The app has been dubbed HelloWorld, and its premise is simple: find your friends, or let them know where you are. The user submits what they are doing with either a text or a picture and lets other users know from how far away the message is being sent. A post is kept live for 24 hours and is then subsequently deleted.
Ernestine Fu, one of the app’s creators, explained HelloWorld to TechCrunch, saying, “It’s both the very first program you write when you learn a new language… as well as a direct description of what the product does—it let’s you say hello to the world, your own personal world of friends.” And while the app allows users to let their friends know how far away they are, the notifications do not generally give an exact location unlike Foursquare. Users can, however, ping their friends if they want to make that information known.
TechCrunch has compared the new app to the early development of Twitter, an app that is used to communicate with a small group of friends. It’s personal while still being social. The app does not insist on tearing through the user’s data; its creators hope that users will being willing to share on their own. The app has two major interfaces. The first shows a list of the user’s friends and their locations. The second shows each friend’s postings in chronological order.
Fu is the driving force behind the app’s creation. She has already co-authored a book on public service, has received two degrees from Stanford and is currently getting a PhD in engineering. Three years ago, she appeared on the cover of Forbes. Fu does not go into projects half-heartedly, so no one should be too surprised if HelloWorld ends up taking off.
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