From Russia

Does anybody out there speak Russian? Somebody in Russia is talking about Ignighter, but we don’t know what they’re saying…

UPDATE: Thanks to Ignighter friend, Kristin Gaul, for tracking down a translation of that Russian blog article:

It’s a site started by a few recent graduates and it has a social networking component for young people, but how effective it is, will ultimately be up to you to decide…

Russia…always leaving the power in the hands of the people.

My New Bumper Sticker Says – Save the Bloggers

Just last week we reconfigured the design of the Ignighter Weblog and added a couple new posts. At the time it seemed completely harmless, what could possibly be dangerous about spending 4 hours playing around with WordPress blog templates and typing into a box? Apparently, everything. Little did we know that we were skating on ice thin enough to beat out Keira Knightly for the part of a waifish Shakespearean boy. In retrospect, spending that much consecutive time on the blog was one of the most foolish, utterly idiotic things we’ve ever done.

Our newfound appreciation for life comes In light of this New York Times article from Sunday. The article goes into detail about the intense stress that frequent bloggers – most notably Tech Bloggers – undergo as a result of trying to cover as much web news as possible and to be the first to do so. According to the article, constant bloggers have been gaining and losing large amounts of weight, not getting nearly enough sleep, and two prominent bloggers have recently died from what is suspected to be an indirect result of blogging too much. I’m not kidding. Bloggers have actually been dying.

At the outset of the Ignighter Weblog, I wasn’t so good about blogging frequently. Maybe I could inherently sense the dangers associated with a hard-blogging life. But recently I’ve seemingly thrown caution to the wind as I’ve been hitting the blog sauce pretty hard.

So from now on if a couple days go by and I haven’t zealously blogged, don’t think of it as “oh they’re being lazy bums again”. Instead try to take the approach of “ahh those poor guys must be too scared to blog today”. Because the truth is, we probably are. It’s not that we don’t love blogging. In fact, that’s just the problem.

Now that dangers are being associated with the blogger life, I predict that many will have a new found respect for them. Insiders are even saying that on next year’s list of the world’s most dangerous jobs, it could actually come in at number 3; Just behind deep-sea fishing and coal mining, but a hair ahead of Olympic Torch carrier.

In fact I’m feeling like a bit of a daredevil myself, and I love it. Little things like redesigning the blog layout now seem way more exciting, kinda like the modern day equivalent of Michelangelo painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. But also not entirely like that at all.

I guess the real lesson to be learned here is that blogging, like most things in life (alcohol, extra virgin olive oil, books), are great in moderation but fatal in excessive quantities. The Times quoted Michael Arrington, founder and co-editor of Tech Crunch as actually being surprised that he’s physically alright (despite gaining 30 lbs. in the last few years), “I haven’t died…At some point, I’ll have a nervous breakdown and be admitted to the hospital, or something else will happen….This is not sustainable.” These people seriously need to cut back. I mean we all love hearing about what new languages Facebook is now available in, but do we really need to hear about it at 4am?

Maybe for the sake of these bloggers and their families we need to take a stand. If we make a concerted effort not to read their blogs in the middle of the night, then I predict that they’ll stop the nocturnal postings. In the article, Arrington jokes about how it would be great if all bloggers could reach an agreement to not post in the middle of the night, but he knows this is an impossibility. What they’re missing though, is that the power to save these croaking bloggers lies in the hands of the readers. You know what I’m sayin’?

A/S/L Check – An Ignighter Interview Series – Hard Questions, Soft Bodies. #2

Today we’re excited to bring you the second installment of:

A/S/L Check – An Ignighter Interview Series - Hard Questions, Soft Bodies.

We were especially lucky to score an interview with the Ignighter Executive Assistant who asked that we protect his identity and use his fairly well known public alias, Andy Swinehouse. Andy has been a part time assistant in the office for 6 months now and is really an invaluable asset to the company. Especially since he doesn’t get paid. We can always rely on a freshly filled Brita filter in the refrigerator, a replenished stock of doubly-ply TP in the office bathroom, and presents under the Hannukah Bush during the holidays.

Ignighter: So Mr. Swinehouse, let’s dive right into the interview… How do you feel about running out to Starbucks and getting me a skim latte? One sugar.

Andy: How many times do I have to tell you? Just because I’m Dan’s roommate, that does not make me your Executive Assistant.

Ignighter: You know what? Make it two sugars please, I’m feeling saucy.

Andy (defeated): Can I at least wait until the interview is over?

Ignighter: Fine. Can you please explain the process of securing a job at Ignighter to all prospective employees out there?

Andy: Sure. Basically, I signed a lease with Dan expecting to have a nice apartment to return home to after a grueling day at law school, only to have it turned into a makeshift office for you two scrappy, poor entrepreneurs.

Ignighter: Ohhh interesting. Go on…

Andy: At first Adam -you – would clutch your palm dramatically exclaiming “Boy I could really use a hand massage right about now”. I tried to ignore the comments initially, but it became increasingly difficult when Adam started draping a mangled claw-hand in front of my face and holding a bottle of massage oil in his other hand. Before I knew it, I was rushing home from class to give Shiatsu treatments as the office masseuse. I’ve since been promoted to Executive Assistant.

Ignighter: Congratulations on the promotion! I see they like to promote in-house. Sounds like a solid company.

Andy: Eh.

Ignighter: Can you tell us about some of the other contributions you make to the company?

Andy: Well as I mentioned above I’m in law school. So even though they have fantastic professional counsel, they still come to me seeking advice on smaller legal issues.

Ignighter: Such as?

Andy: I remember one time the parking meters across the street from our apartment-

Ignighter: Andy…?

Andy: Ugh fine, across the street from the office. So one time Adam asked me if he could park at the meter across the street after 8 pm on a weeknight. And being as I had just passed the final in Constitutional Law, I was able to provide genuine legal counsel.

Ignighter (miffed): Yeah I think you still owe me $79 for that ticket I got.

Andy: Another time Dan asked me about the process of becoming a judge and if I thought Randy Jackson could ever have his own Judge show, like a Judge Judy. I told him ‘no’.

Ignighter: This is all very enlightening Andy. Let’s shift gears. Have you gone out on a group date through Ignighter yet?
Andy: Yes I have. The part I love most about Ignighter is that even though I’m in a relationship, I can still join a group and go out with my friends. I love playing matchmaker and I’m a great wingman.

Ignighter: And your significant other doesn’t mind?

Andy: No not at all. First of all, I’ve checked the box that says “Taken, but here for my friends” so right off the bat it’s clear that I’m just out to have fun with my buddies. Also, she’s in a group too. One time my group went out with her’s and we were able to introduce our respective friends to each other. It was an awesome time.

Ignighter: Looks like somebody is trying to get promoted to Head of Marketing!

Andy (chuckling): Can we wrap this up so I can get to my reading please? Wait, is there really an opening?

Ignighter: No. OK now it’s time for our closing questions.

Andy: Bring ‘em on.

Ignighter: What is your favorite word?

Andy: Queso.

Ignighter: What is your least favorite word?

Andy: Laundry.

Ignighter: Boxers or Commando?

Andy: Boxers.

Ignighter: Favorite Smell?

Andy: Buffalo wing sauce.

Ignighter: What historical figure would you most like to go on a date with?

Andy: Harriet Tubman.

Ignighter: Well Andy we want to thank you so much for being here.

Andy: We’re sitting on my bed.

Ignighter: Exactly. Keep up the great work and who knows, some day you might even be giving hand massages in a real office!

It’s Not “I Have a Dream”, but it’s Something

Today Cynopsis Digital released an updated list of the top Facebook applications:

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Top Facebook Widgets as of March 30, 2008
Rank Application Developer Installs Active % Active New
1 Super Wall RockYou! 26,799,900 1,875,993 7% -2,739,329
2 FunWall Slide, Inc. 28,919,417 1,735,165 6% 1,567,460
3 Top Friends Slide, Inc. 27,795,133 1,667,708 6% 2,162,276
4 Bumper Sticker 9,771,025 781,682 8% -422,975
5 Friends For Sale! 6,073,130 607,313 10% 348
6 Scrabulous 3,201,044 576,188 18% -33,226
7 Texas HoldEm Poker 8,011,386 560,797 7% 566,523
8 Owned! 3,134,087 470,113 15% 103,611
9 iLike iLike, inc 13,457,700 403,731 3% -400,633
10 R U Interested? SNAP Interactive 9,779,650 391,186 4% 1,369,430
Source: Developer Analytics

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I found it especially interesting to note that instead of calling them “apps” they were described as “widgets”. This is a telling moniker because at least in my head, there exists a large disconnect between the level of functionality you’d expect out of something called an application vs. something called a widget. When I think of the word application, I think of something that requires active involvement. Microsoft Word is an application. When I think of a widget, I think of passive involvement. A desktop fish tank for example. If you look at the list you can see that for the most part, the top ones actually are widgets and they are popular because they work well within the context of Facebook – passive involvement. Since its launch, people have been going on Facebook to fly through photos of their friend’s ski trip or to look up that hot girl they met at a mutual friend’s party the night before.

The current context of Facebook is that it’s a place for a quick fix. A place where you go for a dose of immediate, often mindless time wasting while you sit at your office computer. That’s why the top apps are for the most part all widgets. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to bash Superwall or Top Friends, or any of the other top apps because they are clearly entertaining and viral and if they provided no value to the user, then they wouldn’t be nearly as popular as they are. And for the most part, I love them too! I’m just saying that Facebook and its users have yet to reach the point where they are using Facebook to improve their real lives. Improving one’s real life often requires stepping out from behind the computer and entering the real world. And none of the top apps are encouraging of that.

But that’s ok because apps are young and, like I said, this is the current context of Facebook. There’s a pretty big gap in functionality and expectation between asking a user to “SuperBoink” (if this was a real world action it would probably require consent) somebody else and asking them to plan an offline date with their friends, I get that. But the gap exists because the first, most popular Facebook apps on the scene created a norm. And the norm is a widget that can tell other people “Where I’ve Been” but not actually help them to go some place new.

When Facebook opened up their platform last year and invited outside developers to create apps, many people saw it as Facebook’s mission to become the next popular operating system. Rather than just being a new Friendster or Myspace, Facebook opened their platform in an attempt to be the next Windows. This is a bold ambition with unlimited potential and many may argue that they are well on their way toward achieving this goal. But I will contend that until Facebook and its apps start encouraging people to use the site to improve their REAL lives, they still have a ways to go.

But for now, I need to run, it’s my turn in Scrabulous.

Talkin’ About Ignighter

Today is a slow news day so we figured we’d fill our readers in on a little of the press/blog coverage we’ve gotten recently. Now keep in mind, for the most part this stuff is about a month old. We wanted to post it then, but we were just so consumed with booking guests for A/S/L Check.

Here are some links:

Newark Star-Ledger Article

This article ran on the cover of the NJ section in Jersey’s Biggest Paper, The Star-Ledger. Sopranos fans may recall that this was Tony’s go-to source for reading Mafia news, browsing obits, and catching up on innovative dating sites. Tony, Syl, Paulie, and Bobby would’ve made a pretty solid Ignighter group.

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Great-Dating-Services

This blog basically gives the Cliffs Notes of the Star-Ledger article.

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Killer Startups

This is a pretty cool site aimed at informing entrepreneurs, investors, and bloggers about the newest, coolest startup ideas out there. Each day they have a vote asking their readers which startup (out of 10 each day) will be the most successful. We got 66 votes and the second place finisher our day got 18. We were expecting to win something cool like a DVD player or a Series A VC funding, but no, apparently the winner doesn’t get anything. Apparently it’s not even a competition at all. Oh well, I think we’ll still call us “the winner” anyway.

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Alpha Thesis Blog

We had a chance to meet this charming blogger. What a guy!

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PopGadget

This is a Tech/Innovation blog aimed at women.

Interview with a Danpire

Hello Readers, sorry for the delay in posts. But today we’re totally making it up to you as we present our first in a series of interviews called:

A/S/L Check – An Ignighter Interview Series - Hard Questions, Soft Bodies.

We start off the series with an interview exclusive that Ignighter fought really hard to get; co-founder Dan Osit, 25. Dan is a NJ native with a penchant for cable news shows, talk radio, WSJ Op-Ed columns and anything else that helps him adopt other people’s quasi-informed opinions.

Ignighter: Dan, we’re really honored to have you here today. Thanks for coming.

Dan: Adam, we’re in my apartment. I just buzzed you in 10 minutes ago.

Ignighter: Right. Moving on.

Dan: k.

Ignighter: I think it makes the most sense for us to start at the beginning. Tell us about the night of your conception.

Dan: Well I don’t remember much because I was really young. But I will say that I haven’t been back to Cabo since.

Ignighter: Ok let’s skip ahead a little. Let’s talk about the College Years. Didn’t you think it was odd that Screech accompanied all the kids to Cal U only to become their RA?

Dan: Huh, Screech?

Ignighter: Alright, apparently somebody bailed on Saved By the Bell before it got good. But that’s ok. Tell us about your college years.

Dan: Well I attended Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. My Freshman year I joined a fraternity called Zeta Beta Tau…We affectionately called it ZBT. Hehehe.

Ignighter: Ohhh a frat boy! I bet there’s a lot of dirt to dig up there!

Dan (confused): Adam you were in the frat too.

Ignighter: Hmm seems like I hit a nerve. Maybe we should press on.

Dan: OK.

Ignighter: What was your major at Northwestern?

Dan: Communication Studies.

Ignighter: And do you think that has made you a better communicator in the business world?

Dan: Yes.

Ignighter: Can you give any examples?

Dan: Lots.

<<awkward silence>>

Ignighter: I wanted to bring up a pretty well documented event that happened early in your Sophomore year at Northwestern.

Dan: Oh yeah?

Ignighter: Yeah. Legend has it, that during the first lecture of Theories of Modern Mathematics, you struck up an enlightening conversation with a doe-eyed, breathtaking, young ingenue who for all intents and purposes has left an indelible mark in the forming of the fine young man you are today. Can you tell us about this chance encounter?

Dan: Well I’m pretty sure we’re talking about you again. And isn’t an ingenue a woman?

Ignighter: Is it? Again, we press on. I understand that after graduating you formed a company called Glenpoint Capital Partners. How many partners did you have?

Dan: I had 6 partners.

Ignighter: Sounds like a typical weekend for me. Zing!

Dan: I’m quite certain you don’t utilize the same level of “risk management” techniques with your partnerships though.

Ignighter (crest-fallen): zing.

Dan: Yes and then I left Glenpoint in late 2007 to c0-found Ignighter, a group-to group to dating and social networking service.

Ignighter: Hmmm sounds like a great idea. Well before we go, I want to close by asking you the same questions that we ask all our guests before they leave… your apartment.

Dan: Nice, shoot.

Ignighter: What is your favorite word?

Dan: Dogan.

Ignighter: What is your least favorite word?

Dan: Juice.

Ignighter: Boxers or Commando?

Dan: Boxers.

Ignighter: Favorite smell?

Dan: Cheese.

Ignighter: What historical figure would you most like to go on a date with?

Dan: Golda Meir.

Ignighter: Dan we want to thank you so much for coming here today and honoring us with this interview exclusive! It’s been great.

Dan: I live here, idiot.

Ignighter: Be sure to check back next week when we welcome another very special guest on:

A/S/L Check – An Ignighter Interview Series - Hard Questions, Soft Bodies.

ZZZOMG! We’re Back!

We’re back!!!!

Ignighter should be back to normal. Again any problems, questions, concerns please email help@ignighter.com

Thanks for your patience!

Technical Difficulties!

Hi Ignighter friends! Our Apologies! The Ignighter homepage and Ignighter Facebook app are temporarily down. We’ll be up and running ASAP. If you have an Ignighter Date scheduled for tonight and need to confirm, then try to send msgs via Facebook. If you need the names of the group members you’re going out with or have any other questions, please feel free to email help@ignighter.com.

The Maine Event

The other night the 3 members of my Ignighter group Ignightables went out with a group of 3 absolutely lovely ladies (to protect them, their Ignighter identity will remain hidden) on an Ignighter date. It was a really great time.

We lounged at Barna on Park Ave where we shared many tapas and a lot of red and white sangria. It was a perfect weeknight outing and everybody agreed that it was a wonderful change of pace from the typical happy hour. We had a lot of laughs and managed to keep our cool despite the paparazzo snapping 45 minutes worth of photos (more on that in the coming days).

One slightly funny, and entirely embarrassing story arc of the date started when the topic of colleges came up and one of lovely ladies told me she went to Bates. I was immediately excited because I have a few close friends who went there and as a result I know a decent amount about the school and I knew that would totally impress the lady we’ll call Erica:

Me: Oh I have some really close friends from Bates College, you may know them!

Erica: Hmmm I doubt it…

Me (thinking to myself): Well that’s odd, did Erica never leave her room? OK Adam, get your act together and try a different approach…

Me: So a lot of the students up at Bates – located in Lewiston, Maine of course – are athletes. Almost 60% I believe, right?

Erica: Uhh really?

Me (thinking to myself): How could she not know that? Maybe she’s had a little too much sangria…

I discreetly slide her glass a few inches further away from her.

Me: So tell me, what’s ice fishing like?

Erica blinks a couple times and we hear crickets in the background.

The next day when I looked her up on Facebook to friend her, I discovered that she probably didn’t spend her entire college career locked up in her room and she probably hadn’t drank too much sangria either. The problem was that she went to Pace University (located in NY, of course). NOT Bates College. I just heard her wrong at the beginning of the night and she was too polite to correct me. What can I say? I’m an idiot.

Aside from that embarrassing, drawn out gaffe the night was a great success. Ryan from Ignightables has already planned five more dates between us and them, and in global destinations ranging from a hacienda in Ecuador to the streets of Amsterdam. So I encourage people to start planning and going on Ignighter dates, they are really a great time.

On another note, we had our NYC Launch Party 2 weeks ago and it was so much fun. Thank you so much to everybody who braved the awful weather to show up. When I stepped out the door on the way to the party I almost turned around because it was so crappy outside. So really, we were flattered and so appreciative of all the people who came out to support Ignighter. Many thanks to our friend Allen Murabayashi of PhotoShelter for doing us a big favor and taking such awesome photos. Check them out here: Ignighter Launch Party Photos.

Adam

But I Don’t Wanna be a Pirate

The wonderfully funny, All-American Joe Clabby brought to my attention recently a scene from Seinfeld in which George is talking about a date he has planned.

George: Well I think I’m better off going one-on-one.

Jerry: I don’t know why you want to play man-to-man when you could play a zone.

George is afraid that if he takes his new lady-friend out on a group date with Jerry and Elaine, she’ll see Jerry as the funny one in the group and leave George.

Elaine: He thinks that if a woman sees a guy put on a better show, she’ll walk out on his show, go see the other show.

That brings us to point six in our list of Why Ignighter Rules and Conventional Online Dating Blows: “The Group Setting Helps Weed out the Loners and Boners.” When you’re on a group date, your friends keep you honest. If you are one-on-one with a stranger you met over the internet (a la match.com date) you can misrepresent yourself so that you become exactly what you think your target audience (your date) is looking for.

After charming the attractive attorney earlier in the episode, George is nervous that the group setting will reveal his true identity.

George: You see, this is what I do with women. I start out too strong, now I have to become real, that’s when it all falls apart. What good is real? They don’t want real, they want funny.

In this analogy, George represents just the boners we’re talking about; people who adopt a fake persona to impress their dates. The group setting doesn’t allow for this misrepresentation. It forces people to be themselves because that’s how we naturally act when we’re with our friends.

George is better off on Match or JDate where they play man-to-man and there’s nobody around to call you out when you’re lying. Jerry understands that it’s much more natural to play zone, he’d use Ignighter.

And a quick note on weeding out the loners. Because you can’t start an Ignighter group alone, antisocial loners simply can’t use it. We’re not trying to discriminate, I promise. We are just trying to cultivate a fun, social atmosphere. People who have absolutely no friends to bring along would probably have more fun on a Second Life group date anyway.

Adam