Show HN: 3months working on this Android app with a friend. Would Love feedback. | Hacker News Reader

Show HN: 3months working on this Android app with a friend. Would Love feedback.

echosystem.im

13 pointsNathanael26 comments

Does these "echoes" ever expire? Are they permanent?

Seems like you use an image for a map, is this true/what's the reason?

Echoes (not messages) expire after 7 days. As long as a message gets echoed it can live on indefinitely.

There's no killer reasoning behind using an image for maps. We could be using the Google Maps API instead though right now it lets you share the actual image. We don't consider the maps to be overly important.

That's a mistake, IMHO. You're pushing a LOT more data over the air by sharing an image versus a URL to a google map. Additionally, Google has partner adverts on those maps that they get revenue from, and if you get enough traffic viewing the maps, you can go to them and get a revshare.

When people start using it to broadcast events like accidents, fires, etc., you're going to want to use URLs, not pics.

Problem with sharing URLs is that people would be able to zoom in and see exactly where the messages/echoes come from. Not all of our users would be comfortable with that.

You wouldn't want to share a location with every message, but rather give users the "choice" to share location for any given message they post.

If they've just seen an accident, they'll want to post a URL. If they're at home, not likely.

You might even ask users to "mark" private locations from which location can't be sent, like school, home, or work.

You could also allow the user to vary the accuracy of the position by zooming in/out, to give them control of proximity for their posted locations.

Great idea. I would test but currently no access to an android device.

Good competition in this category as of late as many people are entering. Think of it as a positive because it is validating your idea.

I love this idea.

Is there a reason why you developed this as android app and not as a "normal" mobile website (navigator.geolocation)?

We're planning on doing a "normal" web app as well. :)

Awesome idea! I'd be quick in developing it for other platforms as these ideas like this don't unique for long :)

Yeah I love this. I think someone at Darden at UVa is working on something similar, or that you?

Not a "So you shouldn't do this" but just a "by the way maybe something to keep an eye on" thing.

It isn't us, do you remember their name?

I'll give them a shout. QUITE possible by the this time their service has become something could be totally complimentary to yours and you guys could connect some dots.

That would be great. We're actually looking for partnerships that might allow us to publish content from sources other than users.

Feedback..

a) Nice clean UI.

b) Move send/cancel to top or side, away from the word-suggestion-list. I kept cancelling when choosing words from the word list as I typed.

c) Any way to allow me to choose the radius? 21km seems arbitrary. I might want just people on my block to see it, or people in Dallas/Fort Worth (50km away). Obviously there should be an upper limit, but that could also be opened for a price, say for political campaigns.

b) yeah that was recently introduced and seems to be causing an issue with some users.

c) the radius is actually dynamic (21km is the upper limit currently) and varies depending on the activity: the more activity, the smaller the radius, so that you always receive a manageable number of messages.

In thinking about this, you're going to want to develop an API that lets advertisers send messages to users within a range of a location, probably referenced by lat/long. Allow users to turn off ads sent by advertisers, and develop some sort of commerce..

For example, you can send 2 messages a day. If you respond to an advertiser, you get 5 message credits... Of course I'd want to choose the advertisers I could get messages from, if any.

Well we're definitely thinking about advertisements and our early users are already using the service to post ads, some business owners even offer reductions (20% off if you come by in the next 2 hours, stuff like that).

I don't know about limiting the number of messages per user per day though. If we go that way, why not just charge to post more messages and forego the need for advertisers altogether?

Well, if I got the app, and some idiot started posting racist rhetoric or links to pics of their penis, i'd rather get fewer than an unlimited amount.

Additionally, people should be able to block posters, and the weight of those blocks can ban a user if there are enough and the velocity is high.

In that vein, it would seem that an IRC approach with "channels" might be better, so that you can have a private "channel" with your friends nearby, or move into the "starbucks" channel to get deals and updates from your local Starbucks.

Perhaps allow people to create "private" channels, by invite only, if they buy the paid version of the app..

We have a reporting system planned and once (if we ever) get enough users/messages adding categories would make a lot of sense.

I like the idea of private channels.

Think about ease of use here. It should allow people to "subscribe" to channels or categories rather than have to click, click, click to change channel/category. What they get is a "stream" of echos that are mixed together that they can filter out.

If it's more CraigsList in nature, I don't think it will have the staying power.

Agreed, a subscribing system is much better.

FYI... I get an "Error retrieving information from server [RPC:AEC:0]" when I try to install this from Google Play.

That's an issue with Google Play unfortunately. :/

It's working now.

This is the beginning of something BIG.

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