Orem company aims at new form of social networking

Four Utahns have launched a trial of a new social network, one they hope will bridge a gap between those like Twitter and Facebook and the desire for real time, in-depth discussions and information.

Tribalfish.com this week opened itself up for beta use to anyone who wants to try it. It describes itself as “redefining how users complete discussions typically started [yet limited] on Twitter, Facebook or Google+. Tribalfish replaces existing blogs and forums with a long-form content environment.”

The social network was started by Lyle Ball, Chris Crabtree, Brett Haskins and Corey Young, who all have backgrounds in Utah high-tech companies.

“Social media are really good at capturing the attention of new audience members,” said Ball, CEO of Tribalfish Inc. “But when you get into a social media tool today, it’s hard to have a deep discussion. You can tweet on Twitter, you can post on Facebook, you can start to have a discussion on Google+ but there’s a point where you really get into the discussion and there comes a point of frustration: Either this has to become a phone call or it has to become an email thread.”

On the other hand, the providers of blogs and forum software haven’t added tools to help harness the strengths of social media, like connecting and interacting with new people, he said.

“So Tribalfish solves that gap or solves that space between the strengths of social media and the strengths of long-form software like forums and blogs,” Ball said.

Tribalfish allows users to create longer posts that are formatted and that can include graphic elements. It also allows for users to connect their social media accounts and blogs. Crabtree, the company’s chief technology officer, pointed as an example to a blogger who linked posts to a Tribalfish account.

“Anytime he posts new blog entries, they’ll automatically get posted as new topics on Tribalfish,” he said. “It’s a new way for him to expand his audience.”

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The system also allows users to track all of their activities and topics they have expressed interest in and immediately see who is responded to anything you have posted.

“A lot of people are active in different forums across the Web at different sites,” said Crabtree. “It’s hard to keep track of exactly which topics you’ve posted in and who’s responded to your posts. This is a single place you can go and track all of your activity on all topics you’ve published throughout the whole system.”

Beta user Paul Harper, of Orem, said Tribalfish provides more freedom than other social networks for participation and discussion.

“Twitter’s obvious limitation is in the character limit. Facebook limits you by the culture of its use and its interface,” he said in a post on the site in response to a query. “But here, with the large space for viewing stories and posts, I can put a lot out there without people feeling like I’m flooding their space.”

Another user, Richard Esplin, of Utah County, said he already uses Tribalfish as a search engine because he feels that Google limits his selections by profiling him and tailoring the search results.

“Based on my geographical location [Utah County] and my operating system [Linux], Google makes a lot of assumptions about my religion, politics and technical interests,” he wrote in a post. “When I want to get a bead on what the rest of the world thinks, I add it to my ‘Interests’ in Tribalfish and browse what comes back. I’m usually surprised by what I see.”

Users also can message each other privately and have private discussion groups.

Beyond individual users, Tribalfish also is being used by businesses or other entities or even family groups that want an internal-communications system that can be up and running quickly, said Ball.

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HTC Status delivers instant Facebook access

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Facebook isn’t exactly hurting for more access.

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  HTC

  The HTC Status.

HTC

The HTC Status.

The social network has ballooned to more than 750 million users and the amount of data shared each day on the social network is growing exponentially, CEO Mark Zuckerberg has said.

But phone maker HTC is looking to make all this even easier with the Status, the first phone built around Facebook and the first to feature a dedicated Facebook button.

The Android-based Status, first released in Europe under the name ChaCha, was released Sunday in the U.S. and is available for $50 from ATT with a two-year contract.

HTC calls the Facebook button on the front “context-aware,” which means it will pulse with light when the phone thinks you’re doing something that could be shared on Facebook, such as reading a news article online or taking a photo.

Pressing it brings up the Facebook app so you can share what you’re doing with friends.

When the phone is in camera mode, the Facebook button also works as a shutter that automatically drops the image into the Facebook app, where it can be captioned and people can be tagged.

When you’re browsing online, the Facebook button will share the link to your Facebook wall and give you the chance to add a comment above it.

Holding down the button will let you check in to report where you are.

As a safeguard, the Facebook button won’t ever send any content directly onto your friends’ news feeds on Facebook. With each press, you have a chance to confirm that the content you had up on your screen is ready for all the eyes on the social network.

Some things, such as text messages and emails, won’t be shared on the social network if the Facebook button is pressed while reading them.

The Facebook experience here isn’t as good as it could be. When you’re sharing a link or updating your status, friends can’t be tagged so that their names are clickable, as they can on the desktop version of the site.

And if chat messages are sent to a friend on a computer, they’re not there when you pick up the conversation on your phone — just your friend’s incoming messages are.

The physical keyboard on the Status is great, with its spaced-out oval keys that make texting a breeze.

The device is super light, super thin and well-built. The phone’s slight bend in the middle makes it comfortable to hold in your hand and up to your ear. The 2.6-inch screen is a bit small, though, if you’re used to the 4.3-inch touchscreen now standard on most smartphones.

It runs Android 2.3 (Gingerbread), the latest version of Google’s operating system, so you’ve got all the latest features and apps. The Status has a low-quality front-facing camera for video chat.

The Status does not run on ATT’s next-generation HSPA+ network, which the carrier is billing as 4G. Still, the Status’ download speed on ATamp;T’s 3G network easily outmatched phones on the other carriers’ 3G networks.

Bottom line: We still haven’t seen a true Facebook phone. We would need better integration to call it that.

More powerful phones like the Apple iPhone and top-tier Android-based smartphones do everything this phone does on the social network but with a couple more clicks.

The Status is a neat little phone that should be appealing for younger users keen on quick texting and basic social networking features.

The tween in your life will love it.

Price: $49.99 with two-year contract

Software: Android 2.3 (Gingerbread)

Size: 4.5-2.5-.42 inches

Weight: 4.37 ounces

Cameras: Back-facing 5 megapixels with LED flash, front-facing VGA camera

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