Smilebox makes me smile

Look at the visuals inside Smilebox. Look at the fact that it’s one of a very few companies who’ve introduced me to its development team (pair programming, even!)

I love a company that puts its developers right in the middle of its office. That tells me it’s a different kind of company right off the bat.

But, there’s a lot more to this company that lets you build cool online greeting-card-like stories with video, photos, and lots of other goodies.

Looking at the walls you can tell that this company cares deeply about experiences.

In Kathy Sierra speak: Smilebox makes me smile. I felt happy while doing this interview and could tell just by looking around that this company was working on experience and on having fun.

Three videos:

1) A edited, short video combining the best of the demo and interview (I’ve embedded that video in my blog below). It’s five minutes long.
2) The full demo with Andrew Wright, CEO.
3) The full interview and tour (meet the developers!)

[podtech content=http://media1.podtech.net/media/2007/03/PID_010674/Podtech_SmileBox_Editors_Choice.flv&postURL=http://www.podtech.net/scobleshow/technology/1404/scoble-show-editors-choice-for-smilebox&totalTime=313000&breadcrumb=3F34K2L1]

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40 thoughts on “Smilebox makes me smile

  1. Finally tried Smilebox the other day. I do like it, and I like the simplicity. However, the choices in Scrapblog are just phenomenal. I’ll probably end up going back and forth between the two services. Using Smilebox when I want to create something quickly, and using Scrapblog when I want a more personalized presentation.

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  2. Finally tried Smilebox the other day. I do like it, and I like the simplicity. However, the choices in Scrapblog are just phenomenal. I’ll probably end up going back and forth between the two services. Using Smilebox when I want to create something quickly, and using Scrapblog when I want a more personalized presentation.

    Like

  3. Robert, not fair: please don’t tell how excited you are about a thing and then in the short version of the video you don’t show that thing …. I’m late for a appointment, just looked at my live bookmarks before I would rush out the door, thought “Smilebox?, I need a smile today, let’s quickly see what Robert is talking about”.

    After reading, I think “I want to see those developers, but I don’t have the time …. oh, the short version is only 5 minutes, I can watch that while packing my things and putting on my coat” but alas, packed and ready to go, some 10 minutes late and no developers 😦

    So I took another 5 minutes to tell you about my dismay.

    But 15 minutes late, I do have to tell you that I’m really starting to like your show!

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  4. Robert, not fair: please don’t tell how excited you are about a thing and then in the short version of the video you don’t show that thing …. I’m late for a appointment, just looked at my live bookmarks before I would rush out the door, thought “Smilebox?, I need a smile today, let’s quickly see what Robert is talking about”.

    After reading, I think “I want to see those developers, but I don’t have the time …. oh, the short version is only 5 minutes, I can watch that while packing my things and putting on my coat” but alas, packed and ready to go, some 10 minutes late and no developers 😦

    So I took another 5 minutes to tell you about my dismay.

    But 15 minutes late, I do have to tell you that I’m really starting to like your show!

    Like

  5. Thank you SO much for Editor’s picks. I have watched more of your videos this week than before. It definitely whets the appetite to come back for the longer versions when I can.

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  6. Thank you SO much for Editor’s picks. I have watched more of your videos this week than before. It definitely whets the appetite to come back for the longer versions when I can.

    Like

  7. you’re right about the developer thing, when i came to pluggd, i made sure that i sat in the office with the developers because it really is all about experience.

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  8. you’re right about the developer thing, when i came to pluggd, i made sure that i sat in the office with the developers because it really is all about experience.

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  9. I can believe VCs and Angel Investors continue to spend millions of dollars in these kind of junk websites/services – so called “Web 2.0”.

    How many people want to buy (by actually paying money) a scrap booking tool. And at 5 dollars a month for the Club Smilebox stuff I don’t think these guys can afford to keep servers running and employees paid. You have to be really really lucky to become the next myspace or the next youtube. Or else someone who’s filthy rich and/or really really stupid like Google to acquire you. But its pushing the luck too much.

    I am pretty sure these guys are going to end up in http://www.techcrunch.com/tag/deadpool sooner or later. Who wants to bet on that ??

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  10. I can believe VCs and Angel Investors continue to spend millions of dollars in these kind of junk websites/services – so called “Web 2.0”.

    How many people want to buy (by actually paying money) a scrap booking tool. And at 5 dollars a month for the Club Smilebox stuff I don’t think these guys can afford to keep servers running and employees paid. You have to be really really lucky to become the next myspace or the next youtube. Or else someone who’s filthy rich and/or really really stupid like Google to acquire you. But its pushing the luck too much.

    I am pretty sure these guys are going to end up in http://www.techcrunch.com/tag/deadpool sooner or later. Who wants to bet on that ??

    Like

  11. I talked with Smilebox at Demo 06 and was very impressed. Their target market is soccer moms.

    They have done their homework. It is a huge and growing market. For example, the Michaels Arts and Crafts store estimated they would generate 3.6 billion in revenue for 2006.

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  12. I talked with Smilebox at Demo 06 and was very impressed. Their target market is soccer moms.

    They have done their homework. It is a huge and growing market. For example, the Michaels Arts and Crafts store estimated they would generate 3.6 billion in revenue for 2006.

    Like

  13. Working on experiences and on having fun. Wheeee. If you are happy and know it, clap your hands.

    But wait till the Angels turn Devils, when the pie-in-the-sky internet lottery fails to materialize. But give it time, after awhile the Scoble Show will become a ‘Blade Runnerish’ curse.

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  14. Working on experiences and on having fun. Wheeee. If you are happy and know it, clap your hands.

    But wait till the Angels turn Devils, when the pie-in-the-sky internet lottery fails to materialize. But give it time, after awhile the Scoble Show will become a ‘Blade Runnerish’ curse.

    Like

  15. They havee done etheir homework. It ies a huge and growieng markeet. Fore example, the Michaels Arts and Crafts store estimaeted they would genereate 3.6 bilelion in revenue for 2006.

    Like

  16. They havee done etheir homework. It ies a huge and growieng markeet. Fore example, the Michaels Arts and Crafts store estimaeted they would genereate 3.6 bilelion in revenue for 2006.

    Like

  17. “Try it, its free…”
    But it doesn’t work.
    A shame – a screen saying “updating” scrolling endlessly when I have just downloaded the programme – no smile there.

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  18. “Try it, its free…”
    But it doesn’t work.
    A shame – a screen saying “updating” scrolling endlessly when I have just downloaded the programme – no smile there.

    Like

  19. I’m looking into using 5 smilebox templates linked to 5 pictures on my website (under construction) and was wondering how do they actually look when clicked in this manner and how long they take to load. Has anyone used it like this, any suggestions or do any of you have a better solution or idea?

    Marisa G.
    ColorWhims
    ProfessionalFacePainting.com

    Like

  20. I’m looking into using 5 smilebox templates linked to 5 pictures on my website (under construction) and was wondering how do they actually look when clicked in this manner and how long they take to load. Has anyone used it like this, any suggestions or do any of you have a better solution or idea?

    Marisa G.
    ColorWhims
    ProfessionalFacePainting.com

    Like

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