Twitter:App Down
We just took v1 of the Facebook application down. v2 is on the way.
To the few people who have been actively using it: we apologize for any inconvenience.
v1 of the application was a bit of an experiment for us. We spent most of our time trying to figure out how to work with Facebook’s data… and not enough time on the design, user flow and overall experience. Because we opened it up to the public, we got much more feedback than we could have ever hoped for. To everyone who sent in their ideas, comments, criticisms, etc.: Thank You!
v2 should be up in the next few weeks.
v1 coming down. v2 on the way
We’re going to be pulling down the current version of the Facebook application. There will be a several week lapse when no application is available.
Development on v2 has been cruising along and it should be out within the next 3-4 weeks. v2 will be a beta and has been entirely rewritten in RoR. It’s faster and easier to use and should be a much more engaging experience.
As the new application is released, we’re going to be looking for as much feedback as possible and will be writing here about many of the challenges. We’ve recently setup a Get Satisfaction account and will be tying it into the application to make the feedback experience as easy as possible.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, but think you’ll be pleased when you see the new application…
Do memories have a timestamp?
CNN.com just wrote “How memories form, fade, and persist over time”. It’s worth a read.
Scientists have found mechanisms for how the brain creates short-term and long-term memories. Source: CNN & Getty Images
Testing post to tweet
Testing whether or not this post shows up in Twitter…
Big Changes Underway
Existory is a very small team with very limited resources. We’ve been working as hard as possible to respond to user feedback and improve our application. Although we’re confident that we know how to adjust our Facebook application to improve your experience, we haven’t been able to respond as quickly as needed. As a result, we’ve been searching (…and searching) for the right group of people to bring in and help.
After talking to many, many developers and development groups, we’ve decided to work with CitrusByte.
CitrusByte is a growing RoR development firm in Los Angeles. They’ve been producing fantastic websites [i.e. CauseCast] while regularly contributing to the open source community [i.e. PoolParty]. They’re a small, intimate team making a name for themselves one product at a time. [expect their website to be updated soon with a slate of new projects]
CitrusByte immediately rose above the rest because of a strong recommendation from Engine Yard. I randomly reached out to Engine Yard and asked if they recommended any firms. To my surprise, they responded and specifically recommended Citrus Byte. Thank you Engine Yard for going beyond the call of duty…
Going forward, we will also be working with Digital Onion. They specialize in scrum project management. Thus far, they’ve been a tremendous help getting everyone up to speed and on the same page. We look forward to their help reducing overhead and more rapidly realizing our dreams.
With a new and larger team in place, expect Existory to re-release its Facebook application soon. We’ve already made significant progress with CitrusByte. You’ll see an entirely reworked design, a more intuitive and simple interface, and more powerful ways to view and filter content… and this site/blog will get an upgrade as well.
Although the future is entirely uncertain, we’re driven knowing we’re building something we ourselves [and our friends] want to use. Wish us luck… we’ll keep you posted.
Back Online
We were down for a few days. The app runs on Amazon Web Services and it simply crashed. We apologize to everyone who tried to access the application. Should this ever happen again… we should be able to respond much faster next time.
Version 0.2 Feedback
Thanks to everyone who sent in their thoughts (and bugs).
Overall, the feedback to version 0.2 has been positive. It’s better than its predecessor, but still needs significant work.
Most feedback has focused on performance and clarity. Pages often take too long to load and don’t inform users that something is happening. Users just wait unknowingly. A few of the links are broken, the messaging is a little buggy, and the process of building your timeline is still confusing. We hear you… (and agree).
Before we roll out additional functionality, we’re going to hunker down and work on some of these essential processes. The queue of outgoing messages is still growing and we aren’t sending them immediately. With a few bugs in the messaging system, it’s still not worth annoying people. In some browsers, uses can’t merge events. Etc. We’re aware of these issues and are working on the.
We’re very grateful the feedback that we’ve been getting and appreciate your patience. As v 0.3 becomes more clear, we’ll write more about the specifics. Overall, expect better performance and clearer processes.
Thanks!!
Version 0.2 Update
We’re excited about version 0.2 and should be releasing it sometime later this week. Rather than rush something out the door, we’ve taken the time to make some major changes that should result in a much better application.
Based on everyone’s feedback, we’ve focused on letting you in and out of the application much more easily, giving you greater control and improving some of the essential processes.
Choice
In version 0.1, Existory automatically built your timeline for you. Now, you may choose how and when Existory accesses your data. Browse timelines, manually create events, write stories, add photos…until you choose to build your timeline.
In & Out
Log into Existory knowing that we won’t access your private data.
Until you build your timeline, all we access about you is your User ID and Friends List. With this information, you can log in and out of Existory.
Zero to Timeline in Half the Time
Going from a new account to a completed timeline and map is priority #1.
In the first version, you were required to edit the full details before you could place events on your map.
You can now fly though the process, entering just the locations for your events so they appear on your map. You can still enter all the details for an event (location, description, tags, etc)… but that can wait.
Wider = Better
Facebook’s new design gives us another 114 pixels. While this might not sound like the biggest deal, it lets us spread things out in a cleaner design. The timeline’s wider, more photos are shown, and there’s more space between different elements.
Bugs
We’ve gone through the application… page by page… killing the bugs everyone sent in.
Editing event details: new venues can be added, calendars are fixed, better help dialogues, more responsive map, deleting tags, and saving in all browsers.
Messaging: no more messaging yourself, clearer messages, fewer sent overall.
Page flow: broken links to load your friends timelines are now working, start at home rather than your timeline.
Merge: duplicate events easily joined
Timeline: sets center on location, wider view, error messages if no location set.
And much, much more…
Version 0.2
After the application first launched, we worked around the clock to fix all of the critical bugs. Given the feedback we were getting and people’s inability to complete some crucial tasks in various browsers, we elected to pull back on the messaging and notifications until we got things fixed.
We’ve since turned our attention to improving the application. During this time we’ve still held back on the messaging and notifications- we want to put our best foot forward when we start to send out notifications and messages.
We should be releasing version 0.2 in the coming days. Once it’s live, we’ll send everyone a Facebook ‘announcement’ notification asking them to come check it out. We’ll also be explaining our thinking behind the updates and any changes to the performance and use of the application.
Thank you to everyone for submitting such detailed feedback. We hope version 0.2 addresses everyone’s suggestions and we look forward to hearing your thoughts for the next release.
Details Form Bug Fixed
The details form came under attack from a few bugs. The calendar popup wasn’t working and the tag auto completes weren’t working. These issues should now be fixed.
Thanks ‘JBiz’ for submitting this bug.