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{{Infobox website |
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| name = Spoutible |
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| type = [[Social networking service]] |
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| founded = {{Start date and age|2023|02|01}} |
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| area_served = Worldwide |
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| ⚫ | |||
| key_people = Phil Schnyder (COO) |
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| url = {{Official URL}} |
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| users = 240,000 (June 2023) |
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| current_status = Active |
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| programming_language = [[PHP]] |
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}} |
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'''Spoutible''' is a [[social media]] and [[social networking service]] created by [[Christopher Bouzy]], the founder of the [[Twitter]] analytics service [[Bot Sentinel]]. |
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== History == |
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In November 2022, after [[Elon Musk's acquisition of Twitter]], Bouzy proposed the creation of a social media platform similar to Twitter, but with improvements to what he called its best features "while fixing everything wrong with Twitter", pledging to follow through with the proposal if 100,000 people joined a pre-registration mailing list.<ref name="Wired" /> |
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Bouzy used Twitter to crowdsource details about the platform, including its name. Bouzy initially chose the name "Spout" in reference to the old Twitter error graphic of a whale being carried off by a flock of birds; he said that he chose "Spoutible" instead after the owner of the spout.com domain demanded $1.5 million. Phil Schnyder, a former director of online development for [[Avanquest]], agreed to become the startup's COO.<ref name="Wired">{{cite web |last=Koerner |first=Brendan I. |date=6 June 2023 |title='Building a Platform Like Twitter Is Not Difficult' |url=https://www.wired.com/story/christopher-bouzy-spoutible-race-to-unseat-twitter/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230606105335/https://www.wired.com/story/christopher-bouzy-spoutible-race-to-unseat-twitter/ |archive-date=June 6, 2023 |accessdate=6 June 2023 |work=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]}}</ref> |
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In December 2022, a [[Software release life cycle#Beta|beta]] version of Spoutible was announced, with its launch set to occur in late January 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hays |first=Kali |date=January 9, 2023 |title=Twitter alternatives that got traction after Elon Musk takeover are suddenly seeing downloads plunge. Which has staying power and who is the next Clubhouse |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-twitter-rivals-downloads-plunge-mastadon-hive-social-bluesky-2022-12 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221226100010/https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-twitter-rivals-downloads-plunge-mastadon-hive-social-bluesky-2022-12 |archive-date=December 26, 2022 |access-date=2022-12-26 |website=[[Business Insider]] |language=en-US}}</ref> The launch occurred on February 1, 2023, with nearly 150,000 users having applied for pre-registration.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Laubry |first=Théo |date=2023-02-03 |title=Spoutible, une alternative crédible à Twitter? |trans-title=Spoutible, a credible alternative to Twitter? |url=https://www.slate.fr/story/240682/spoutible-alternative-credible-reussie-twitter-reseaux-sociaux-elon-musk-christopher-bouzy |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230205081018/https://www.slate.fr/story/240682/spoutible-alternative-credible-reussie-twitter-reseaux-sociaux-elon-musk-christopher-bouzy |archive-date=February 5, 2023 |access-date=2023-02-05 |website=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]] |language=fr-FR}}</ref> The website faced many issues after going live, including its API not being adequately secured, which resulted in users' personal information being temporarily exposed. It eventually stabilized toward the end its first week.<ref name="Wired" /> |
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By late March and early April 2023, celebrities such as [[Monica Lewinsky]] and [[Jason Alexander]] had joined the platform, along with journalists from news organizations such as [[The New York Times|''The New York Times'']], the [[Associated Press]] and [[NPR]]. As of early June, around 240,000 users were registered on the platform.<ref name="Wired" /> |
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=== Terms of service dispute === |
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On February 19, 2023, author and former law professor [[Courtney Milan]] expressed concerns about Spoutible's terms of service, saying that its ban on "sexually suggestive" language and links to "sexually explicit content" was so broad that it could prevent her and her colleagues promoting their work. She offered to use her legal expertise to tweak the platform's fine print, to which Bouzy responded, "Milan is more than welcome to start a social media platform and write the terms of service and policies however she likes. But the policy isn't changing, nor is it being rewritten."<ref name="Wired" /> |
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Bouzy's refusal to engage with Milan angered many of her followers and fellow authors, with some vowing to quit the platform in protest. The next day, Bouzy shared a screenshot from Milan's [[Wikipedia]] article detailing a sexual harassment allegation she made in 2017 as part of the [[MeToo movement]], with the sentence "It's clear this person has an agenda." Milan blocked him in response. Bouzy later deleted his spout about Milan and apologised to his followers for writing something "inarticulate"; Milan said she did not receive a personal apology from him.<ref name="Wired" /> |
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According to Bouzy, the incident resulted in a net win for Spoutible, with daily sign-ups increasing by 129% afterward.<ref name="Wired" /> |
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== Features == |
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Spoutible includes the following features: |
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* Posts, which are referred to as "spouts", can be edited for up to seven minutes after being published.<ref name=":2" /><ref name="Wired" /> |
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* Spouts have a character limit of 300, compared to Twitter's 280. If a URL is included in a spout, it can be removed to reduce the character count.<ref name=":2" /> |
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* Users can delete replies that they find offensive.<ref name=":2" /><ref name="Wired" /> |
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* Blocked users cannot interact with the blocking user at all, including in response to comments.<ref name=":2" /> |
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* Integration with [[Bot Sentinel]]'s scoring system to identify problematic accounts.<ref name="Wired" /> |
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* Similar to Twitter, private messages can be sent. Conversations and personal information are encrypted.<ref name=":2" /> |
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* Account verification for people who have [[Twitter verification|a blue check mark]] on Twitter.<ref name="Wired" /> |
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== Operation == |
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Spoutible chose not to seek external investment funding during its development phase. The company's initial funding came from Bouzy and Schnyder's personal savings, and from Bot Sentinel, which relies on user donations.<ref name="Wired" /> |
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Due to the low funds, Spoutible is hosted on [[Virtual hosting|virtual servers]] by [[Ionos]], the same web hosting company that hosts [[Bot Sentinel]]. During its development phase, Bouzy handled much of the frontend development work himself, and relied on a network of low-cost international [[Freelancer|freelance]] developers recruited from sites such as [[Upwork]] for other tasks.<ref name="Wired" /> |
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== References == |
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{{Reflist}} |
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== External links == |
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* {{Official website|https://spoutible.com/}} |
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[[Category:American social networking websites]] |
[[Category:American social networking websites]] |
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[[Category:American social networking mobile apps]] |
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[[Category:Internet properties established in 2023]] |
[[Category:Internet properties established in 2023]] |
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{{R to section}}{{R with potential}} |
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Revision as of 14:19, 24 June 2023
Type of site | Social networking service |
|---|---|
| Founded | February 1, 2023 |
| Area served | Worldwide |
| Founder(s) | Christopher Bouzy |
| Key people | Phil Schnyder (COO) |
| Users | 240,000 (June 2023) |
| Current status | Active |
| Written in | PHP |
Spoutible is a social media and social networking service created by Christopher Bouzy, the founder of the Twitter analytics service Bot Sentinel.
History
In November 2022, after Elon Musk's acquisition of Twitter, Bouzy proposed the creation of a social media platform similar to Twitter, but with improvements to what he called its best features "while fixing everything wrong with Twitter", pledging to follow through with the proposal if 100,000 people joined a pre-registration mailing list.[1]
Bouzy used Twitter to crowdsource details about the platform, including its name. Bouzy initially chose the name "Spout" in reference to the old Twitter error graphic of a whale being carried off by a flock of birds; he said that he chose "Spoutible" instead after the owner of the spout.com domain demanded $1.5 million. Phil Schnyder, a former director of online development for Avanquest, agreed to become the startup's COO.[1]
In December 2022, a beta version of Spoutible was announced, with its launch set to occur in late January 2023.[2] The launch occurred on February 1, 2023, with nearly 150,000 users having applied for pre-registration.[3] The website faced many issues after going live, including its API not being adequately secured, which resulted in users' personal information being temporarily exposed. It eventually stabilized toward the end its first week.[1]
By late March and early April 2023, celebrities such as Monica Lewinsky and Jason Alexander had joined the platform, along with journalists from news organizations such as The New York Times, the Associated Press and NPR. As of early June, around 240,000 users were registered on the platform.[1]
Terms of service dispute
On February 19, 2023, author and former law professor Courtney Milan expressed concerns about Spoutible's terms of service, saying that its ban on "sexually suggestive" language and links to "sexually explicit content" was so broad that it could prevent her and her colleagues promoting their work. She offered to use her legal expertise to tweak the platform's fine print, to which Bouzy responded, "Milan is more than welcome to start a social media platform and write the terms of service and policies however she likes. But the policy isn't changing, nor is it being rewritten."[1]
Bouzy's refusal to engage with Milan angered many of her followers and fellow authors, with some vowing to quit the platform in protest. The next day, Bouzy shared a screenshot from Milan's Wikipedia article detailing a sexual harassment allegation she made in 2017 as part of the MeToo movement, with the sentence "It's clear this person has an agenda." Milan blocked him in response. Bouzy later deleted his spout about Milan and apologised to his followers for writing something "inarticulate"; Milan said she did not receive a personal apology from him.[1]
According to Bouzy, the incident resulted in a net win for Spoutible, with daily sign-ups increasing by 129% afterward.[1]
Features
Spoutible includes the following features:
- Posts, which are referred to as "spouts", can be edited for up to seven minutes after being published.[3][1]
- Spouts have a character limit of 300, compared to Twitter's 280. If a URL is included in a spout, it can be removed to reduce the character count.[3]
- Users can delete replies that they find offensive.[3][1]
- Blocked users cannot interact with the blocking user at all, including in response to comments.[3]
- Integration with Bot Sentinel's scoring system to identify problematic accounts.[1]
- Similar to Twitter, private messages can be sent. Conversations and personal information are encrypted.[3]
- Account verification for people who have a blue check mark on Twitter.[1]
Operation
Spoutible chose not to seek external investment funding during its development phase. The company's initial funding came from Bouzy and Schnyder's personal savings, and from Bot Sentinel, which relies on user donations.[1]
Due to the low funds, Spoutible is hosted on virtual servers by Ionos, the same web hosting company that hosts Bot Sentinel. During its development phase, Bouzy handled much of the frontend development work himself, and relied on a network of low-cost international freelance developers recruited from sites such as Upwork for other tasks.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Koerner, Brendan I. (June 6, 2023). "'Building a Platform Like Twitter Is Not Difficult'". Wired. Archived from the original on June 6, 2023. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
- ^ Hays, Kali (January 9, 2023). "Twitter alternatives that got traction after Elon Musk takeover are suddenly seeing downloads plunge. Which has staying power and who is the next Clubhouse". Business Insider. Archived from the original on December 26, 2022. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f Laubry, Théo (February 3, 2023). "Spoutible, une alternative crédible à Twitter?" [Spoutible, a credible alternative to Twitter?]. Slate (in French). Archived from the original on February 5, 2023. Retrieved February 5, 2023.