I think 12 is still a big number. I have 200+ Facebook friends. I talk to 5 max, on a regular basis. "You can count your true friends on one hand". But i don't know if groups is a good idea... Look at.. (cough) Google plus (cough)
@tsunaze The app is plenty cool with less than 12 people as well; i only have 8 :) The point of the upper bound is to avoid the generally indiscriminate friending (and ensuing popularity contest) that tends to take place in social media. I love Facebook, instagram, etc. but they've fundamentally geared themselves towards a really wide social graph. As a result people can keep up with the Kardashians, connect with people they met 4 years ago, virtually watch the sunrise from a hot air balloon in Cappadocia .... But not see what their best friends are up to. People become understandably restrained about what they're sharing when hundreds, or thousands, of people are watching, counting the number of likes... So we built a little safe zone to share what you're really up to with the people who really care :)
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As I talk to way more than 12 on FB weekly I'm just curious why 12? why any specific number? Maybe any number with the factor of 4 might give a little play room?
@philipkushmaro I'll let the Maker chime in here but there's quite a bit of research around 12 (or so) being the maximum number of people you can be *very* close with. This is based on evolutionary psychology where 12 (or so) was the average size of our nomadic tribes.
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@joshuapinter I love tid-bits of info like that. Thanks Josh. 12 it is ;)
@philipkushmaro Here's a bit of background: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Du... Digging in, a person's closest circle is around 5 people; the next layer is 15. 150 is the maximum of relationships a person can handle. Naturally there is variation among people. Since we really want to create a safe spot where people can be themselves without hunting likes, we're keeping it pretty tight. The number 12 came out as a good limit in our betas (and it fit the UI :)
@harrystebbings totally agreed. after using facebook for a few years you have a huge index of people, most of which you're not really close to anymore...
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Last question I promise... Are you thinking of an android app?
@philipkushmaro absolutely - very high on our list. we just need to thoroughly demonstrate demand for the concept on one platform (iOS, in this case) before adding android.
Looks beautifully made! One suggestion -- whatever the number, 12 / 5 / 3, I think is still a high barrier for adoption.
If I get on, I'd love the ability to select my group of X members and have it text them my post on Ourglass. It's a great way of giving me the utility of the app without having to convince my friends to join the service. Eventually those texts would lead to my friends converting!
@shwinnabego thanks! it took quite a few trials to arrive at this app. And your idea is an excellent one! I think we'll have to add that very shortly..
I love this concept, though I tend to have several small groups of friends that I interact with frequently, but in a very separate and different way. Is there any thought to supporting multiple groups?
@rwdaigle yup - we're absolutely thinking about that! just wanted to keep everything super simple to start - just one inner circle of the people you are closest too.
@89shruti Here's a bit of background: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Du... Research suggests, a person's closest friends/family are around 5 people; the next layer is 15. 150 is the maximum of relationships a person can handle. Naturally there is variation among people. Since we really want to create a safe spot where people can be themselves without competing for likes or followers, we're keeping it pretty tight. The number 12 came out as a good limit in our betas (and it fit the UI :)
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