Travis Isaacs
Fall is upon us, and so is a new Viewzi.
Boy, time flies. We haven’t pushed a major release in about 4 months (including views). Why? I’ll spare you the excuses but we’ve been really busy on just about every front. Continue reading...
INTERNal Reports
Awesome. The “full-timerâ€s decided to let ME write a blog! You have NO IDEA how long I’ve been waiting to let my voice be heard. I’ve been interning at Viewzi since the end of May, and I just want to say, I was NOT prepared for what I was getting myself into. Most of the people here are giant, towering, bearded GENIUSES....and the few without beards are just as smart. I’m sure if you’re reading this, you may have already read the profiles for each of my co-workers; however, those bios don’t even scratch the surface of these intimidating powerhouses of internets knowledge. Since this is the last day of my summer internship, I'm going to leak the TRUTH about the staff at Viewzi (in no particular order). Continue reading...
I Love Designers
Legendary designers are experts at harnessing creative chaos into a disciplined, consistent, productive process, and the rest of us at Viewzi get to benefit from that expertise in the form of an uncluttered feng shui office, coherent and cohesive keynote presentations, and a well partitioned production process. As the paradigm in consumer internet shifts from data to presentation, the composition of small tech start-ups will be more heavily weighted towards design guys. That is a very good thing for the rest of us. Continue reading...
Ninja Turtle Office
Last week, while chomping down burritos at a nearby restaurant, myself and several members of Team Viewzi™ were discussing the concept of super heroes, and what type of work environment would be conducive to various personalities. I must credit my coworker Stephen Anderson for starting us down this line of thinking, with some of the tidbits from a book he’s been working on. Continue reading...
Hallelujah! A Viewzi Conversion Story.
Months ago, when I first got an invite to the closed beta program to take Viewzi for a spin, it still had some wrinkles to iron out (and, admittedly, it still does). I remember thinking, “Well, this is gorgeous and all, but Google is way faster.†And now I work here. Something must have changed my outlook, huh? Continue reading...
Are You Engaging in Recreational Search?
I’ve long believed even the most ruthlessly task-focused activities can also be emotionally engaging, but my mental model of search is (or has been) that it is a means to an end. The overwhelming response to Viewzi is making me rethink this...
People are clearly having fun using Viewzi. And in the process I’m seeing a new form of search begin to emerge, one that is more recreational than utilitarian. Continue reading...
Playing Midfield
I have just rounded my second month working at Viewzi as a front-end developer, and wanted to share why I enjoy this position. I was trying to decide the best way to describe my job function, for friends and family who might not think in terms of web lingo, and I think the simplest way to say it is: "I am a midfielder." You know those players on a soccer team who run back and forth on the field, in the realm between defense and offense? That would be me. Continue reading...
Viewzi Search Is Live!
The first public version of Viewzi search is available today. Starting at around 7:00 am, Viewzi was available via a special link from TechCrunch and then 12 hours later at 7pm tonight, you will be able to come in the front-door via http://www.viewzi.com. Lots of buzz today. A ton of work has gone into making today a reality. From the "napkin" that started it all back in December of 2006 when Chris and I started talking about ways to change the search experience....until last night at 2am when things were officially "done", life has been a roller coaster. Continue reading...
The Search For Unsearchable Searches
In developmental psychology, the transactional relationship between a parent and a child refers to the effects of each of their temperaments on each other. It is particularly interesting to see how those effects shape future interactions and the overall development of the child. A child with a negative temperament may evoke negative responses out of the parent, which may further negatively affect the child, negatively affecting the parent, and so on and so forth. Continue reading...
Food, Folks, and Fun
The summer after my freshman year of college (1990, for those keeping score) found me living in a run down motel on the strip in Myrtle Beach, SC and needing a short-term job within walking distance. So I hit the nearby mall and applied at several places in the food court. First, the happy ending: I got the job at Chick-fil-a. If you are going to have to eat the same fast food every day for a couple months, it might as well be Chick-fil-a. Along the way, however, I applied for a job at Burger King. And the application asked me why I wanted to work there. I answered "food, folks, and fun". I did not receive an offer of employment. Continue reading...