Comments on: Yabb launches VOIP micro-blogging service

By: FreddyUSs

FreddyUSs — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 10:59:34 +0000

Hi everyone

I hve been hearing lately about credit repairing companies ande the amount of work they get in their busines . One of my sister is running a creditt repair bussines , I have talked to himn about the business but. I need more more information on this so that I can start my own credit repair busines.
Please do suggest your views on this

By: devushkameshta

devushkameshta — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 16:01:46 +0000

Кто смог бы так сняться как на этом сайте любительское видео?

By: TechCrunch UK » Blog Archive » AOL buys Bebo for $850m in cash

TechCrunch UK » Blog Archive » AOL buys Bebo for $850m in cash — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 14:07:03 +0000

[...] BirthdayAlarm (since sold) with Michael’s brother Paul, who remains based in the UK and recently launched [...]

By: Recursos Gratuitos » Yabb, un servicio de microblogging VOIP

Recursos Gratuitos » Yabb, un servicio de microblogging VOIP — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 10:02:33 +0000

[...] compañía británica Cominded ha lanzado su primer producto, un servicio de microblogging (como Twitter o Seesmic) pero basado en las llamadas de voz realizadas a través de Skype, llamado [...]

By: oto kiralama

oto kiralama — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 13:20:17 +0000

About yabb, I signed up and was at amiss to work out what it was ( maybe I’m just stupid) it took me a while to work out that it was a thread /topic service that integrated with skype and that you could ask people to call you on skype.

Yet it wasn’t clear what it was about which turned me off a bit.

I just couldn’t find an about or mission statement and had to wait until i read this to really understand what you were trying to achieve.

Like I said maybe i’m just stupid but i think it would help.

It sounds like an interesting idea for networking.

By: Ben

Ben — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 21:53:29 +0000

I have to agree we hear more than enough US based opinion on Tech, Its nice to have a voice for it here.

Yet it wasn’t clear what it was about which turned me off a bit.

I just couldn’t find an about or mission statement and had to wait until i read this to really understand what you were trying to achieve.

Like I said maybe i’m just stupid but i think it would help.

It sounds like an interesting idea for networking.

By: Nicholas

Nicholas — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 14:41:01 +0000

I know this is not relating to the article but rather to the last three comments; Mike you are absolutely right, keep it Tech UK/ Europe. There are enough Web 2.0 blogs focused on the US or coming from the US, we need one English speaking blog for Europe.
Keep up the good work.

By: Mike Butcher

Mike Butcher — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 08:31:44 +0000

“Close TCUK” - Thanks for the kinds word about my writing. However, having fought *long and hard* to have a brand like TechCrunch take an interest in the UK, Irish and wider European Web2 business, I think it would be nice to give it a little longer than the mere five months since the relaunch (Sept 07) before shuttering it. And as you’ll notice, some posts - like Yabb - end up going on the TC.com site anyway, put there either by me or by the team there (if they beat me to it, as in Yabb’s case). I would also say that our UK/Irish audience is appreciating this blog as a way of having a conversation closer to home about the issues tech startups face here, without having to wade through a lot of un-informed comment from US-based commenters, as they would have to were everything just posted to TC.com. Just my two cents.

By: TechCrunch Japanese アーカイブ » 近況を喋ってスカイプで流す音声版マイクロブログ「Yabb」

TechCrunch Japanese アーカイブ » 近況を喋ってスカイプで流す音声版マイクロブログ「Yabb」 — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 04:00:51 +0000

[...] ここはSkypeに自分の声を吹き込んでボイスメールが発行できるVOIPベースのマイクロブロギングサービスだ。ブログに書くんではなく思いつくまま喋ると、スカイプの連絡先のみんながそれを購読して聞ける。Seesmicっぽいが動画は抜き。TechCrunch UKが詳しく伝えている。: スカイプの連絡先をインポートすると、Yabbからスカイプへのアクセス許可の確認が入る。要するに何かというと、Yabbのサイトで気になる会話トピックを探し、そのトピに参加した中で面白い考えの人が見つかったらスカイプの電話リクエストを送るとい遊びだ。YabbはスカイプのAPIと連動しているので、Yabbユーザーもスカイプ経由で電話がかけられるというわけ。電話待ちの間は他のトピに参加して自分の意見を付け足したり、電話リクエストをもっと送ったりできる。 [...]

By: From Across the Pond, Yabb: A Seesmic for VOIPmails

From Across the Pond, Yabb: A Seesmic for VOIPmails — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 01:05:29 +0000

[...] and your Skype contacts can subscribe. It is like Seesmic, without the video. TechCrunch UK has the details: Users import their Skype contacts, then are asked to allow Yabb access to Skype. The idea is to [...]

By: From Across the Pond: Yabb, A Seesmic for VOIPmails

From Across the Pond: Yabb, A Seesmic for VOIPmails — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 00:56:08 +0000

By: Close TCUK

Close TCUK — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 21:15:48 +0000

an audience of 4k.

I would prefer to see you write directly on TC.com as do the aussies Duncan Riley and Nik c.

By: Close TCUK

Close TCUK — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 21:14:28 +0000

Mike I like your writing but do you REALLY think TCUK makes any difference for UK companies on the global blogosphere!?

I think it would be better to have you write on TC.com and write about UK companies there. So companies like Yabb would be reviewed by you but would be read by a 600k+ audience instead of a

By: On the fence

On the fence — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 21:06:49 +0000

So thanks I got access to Yabb today. After waiting near on two years for co-minded to release a product I have to say I was a little underwhelmed.

That said everything works on my Mac with Skype’s API import. The conversation element is confusing. I cannot see why I would go back there currently. Skype tried this and it failed, so I am not sure why Yabb will be any different.

As for funding, well Paul has his own money and if he didn’t he would not have got funding in the UK for this idea. Not because the idea is good or bad - I’ll give it time before making that call - but soley because UK’s VC/Angel community are pants.

Would a UK VC have funded Twitter, YouTube, Wordpress etc the answer is no. Would any UK VC have put $29m into Wordpress - Maybe but only because it was an obvious investment with very little risk.

Paul is lucky in that his brother has built Bebo and he gets to bask in the halo effect and luckily he has his own money to waste on his ideas. I’ll continue to use it for a while but feel that it will go the same way as pownce. i.e an early surge of interest followed by a damp squid.

Now looking at the product itself. Where is the support for hatom (conversation thread), XFN (friends), hcard (profile). Twitter supported these from day one.

Bottom-line good luck Paul, I’ll keep an eye on Yabb but it doesn’t excite me and if all else fails maybe a deal to include a white label version for Bebo.

By: jamescoops

jamescoops — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 18:53:34 +0000

sounds interesting (and different) good luck guys

By: Paul Birch

Paul Birch — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 16:24:47 +0000

A few points to make as yabb founder:

1) There is no need to import your Skype contacts to use the core elements of yabb. However, you may choose to do so.

2) We believe there is something ‘magical’ about human 1 to 1 voice conversation. Text has strengths - but yabb’s view is that people spend too much time on the web writing stuff already - we are offering an alternative.

3) Skype has a very large and active user base. Yabb will help existing Skype users to get more use and benefit from Skype.

4) We love feedback - Ideally we need it from people who have used yabb. We need to know from people what needs improving. We plan to iterate our feature set fast.

By: Andy Waite

Andy Waite — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 16:18:22 +0000

I was at the Yabb launch last night and can see it has some value, but so far I don’t see a convincing application for it - the example topics aren’t very inspiring. What did strike me was the potential for it be a micro-consulting platform. As an expert in a particular topic, you declare a value on your time ($ per minute) and invite people to engage you in that area. This would be especially attractive for small start-ups who can’t afford to bring in a consultant on a daily rate, but requires focused expertise on particular areas - they’d effectively have a group of people on-standby for when they were needed. Similar idea to Google Answers (rip) but with richer interaction.

By: sharpshoot

sharpshoot — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 16:12:13 +0000

I guess you guys are missing the point: the idea would be to connect interesting people to each other serendipitously over skype.

The failure of traditional social networks is that you don’t meet someone new and interesting because they are just an aggregation of contact lists.

This is the fundamental problem that paul is trying to solve. Imagine if i could go online meet someone interesting, have a skype call and then meet up. A siggnificantly valuable online interaction which results in a tangible offline one. Sounds like a perfect vision to strive for.

By: Mike Butcher

Mike Butcher — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 15:54:28 +0000

BTW I have updated the post with some new info (see Update).

By: James Heaver

James Heaver — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 15:43:39 +0000

I’m lost aswell. Why would someone want to use this service?

Surely any community aspect is lost as soon as teh conversation is taken onto skype.

At the moment I can go to a forum, have a conversation about a topic, and if someone interests me I can email / IM them.

As far as I can work out, this is all Yabb is trying to do…

By: Yabb, un servicio de microblogging VOIP

Yabb, un servicio de microblogging VOIP — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 14:40:26 +0000

By: Mike Butcher

Mike Butcher — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 14:37:07 +0000

Geoff - As I understand it Cominded has no venture money, only their own, Paul Birch being co-founder of Bebo and all…

By: Geoff Wright

Geoff Wright — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 14:22:35 +0000

BTW, the “You lost me at Skype” was not directed at you Mike : )

By: Geoff Wright

Geoff Wright — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 14:22:02 +0000

You lost me at Skype.

If it was a Seesmic without video, great. Cracking. But comon? How can people put money into things like these?