December 10th, 2010
We are entering the next stage of our evolution. We wrote in September about our renewed focus on Group Text, and our ambitions to be the default text messaging application on all phones.
We are about to roll out our new Brightkite Android application that includes some exciting new features, notably the ability for Brightkite to be your default text messaging app – handling ALL your messaging from one app, saving you money with free texting while giving you many more capabilities than regular texting:
- Groups
- Photos
- Location sharing
- + More!
For the first time this will be a Brightkite app without check-in, posting or stream viewing functionality. Starting from 17th December, you can expect to see the check-in/posting and streams functions start to disappear from our apps and sites. These features were the defining element to our company 2 and 3 years ago, but we no longer believe they are sufficiently unique or defining to be our focus, so we are dropping them.
We know there are still many of you who use these features everyday and have enjoyed making and strengthening friendships using them, and losing these features is going to be a painful loss. Trust us, we do not take them away lightly, but we also know that we cannot do many things well at once, so believe it is essential to take out old features as we continue to tighten our focus on Group Text.
If you’d like to backup your old posts and check-ins, your data will be available until Dec, 31 2010 via RSS. You can use you favorite RSS reader (needs to support basic auth) to access the contents.
http://brightkite.com/streambackup.rss
This URL will retrieve up to the 1,000 most recent items from your own stream. If you want to go further back in the your stream (or to pull posts in smaller chunks), message us @brightkite and we’ll tell you how.
We’ll be in touch with more details on the new Android app when it hits the store. As always, message us with questions or thoughts.
Team Brightkite.
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Posted by lanky at 9:13 AM in Uncategorized
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+13
pezgrl333
- 306 weeks ago
Gt is not unique. There is no other forum that offers what bk currently does thru streams & posts. Trust us...we've looked. What a huge loss.
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1 reply · active 295 weeks ago
+18
comat0se
- 306 weeks ago
This is completely lame. Good luck with your non-idea, you keep missing the boat.
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+12
Duke
- 306 weeks ago
Laaaaaammmmmeeee!!! I can't believe what's happining. Completely llllaaaaaammmmeeeee!!!
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+12
@lovebeyondwords
- 306 weeks ago
Good luck @Brightkite. You had something unique. Now it's going to be ordinary.
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2 replies · active 306 weeks ago
+17
RubbishParent
- 306 weeks ago
The one reason I and a whole bunch of friends stuck with BK was posts and streams. Jeez. You're killing off the one thing that keeps us here.
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+2
@bauserdotcom
- 306 weeks ago
Location-sharing without checkins? What does that mean? Are you going to become a front-end for Foursquare/Facebook users to check-in to those services (as you hinted in September's blog post), or just going to attach locaitons to text messages?
Also, your dream of becoming "the default text messaging application on all phones" seems improbable to me, given your track record of NOT sucessfully marketing yourself.. If the photo-sharing still supports Flickr & Facebook, I might stick around for that.
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+9
@BartBoniol
- 306 weeks ago
BrightKite, you are mistaken. Your uniqueness is that you built a user base then abandoned it. Your tighter focus is reacting to what your competition does........ Rob, do you feel this business is stronger now or when it began?
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+6
@yoichiro51
- 306 weeks ago
Damn!!!! Why do you deny the points that loved by all BK users. Horrible decision...
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+9
@thedigitalghost
- 306 weeks ago
I respect your decision to do what you think is best for your business, but I think this is not the best course of action. I'm willing to wager that the vast majority of people that use Brightkite do not text one another, but respond and communicate via posts and check-ins. This new decision will kill everything that I love about Brightkite, and I'll have no need to use Brightkite any longer.
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1 reply · active 306 weeks ago
+11
donburi
- 306 weeks ago
Saying goodbye to check-ins, posts and streams means saying goodbye to BK USERS!!
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+12
@donburing
- 306 weeks ago
Saying goodbye to check-ins, posts and streams means saying goodbye to BK USERS!!
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+7
@7_nana
- 306 weeks ago
Can a new meeting and the discovery be hoped for with GroupText?I do not know the method now.
As for Brightkite, information is less than Facebook, and information is more than Twitter. Brightkite keeps a very good balance for me as a tool that enjoys daily life.
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-8
@a0k
- 306 weeks ago
I think i this is a really bold move by BK and shows forward thinking. I use texts! I am sad to see streams and posts go but I want to believe in the vision BK has for its future.
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2 replies · active 105237 weeks ago
+11
@naokinis
- 306 weeks ago
It's a BIG mistake to say goodbye to check-ins, posts and streams. These are the key factors to use Brightkite for us.
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+10
@scarletmandy
- 306 weeks ago
This is a huge mistake and makes me sad. Group text is not and should not be the main focus. I dont use it. Posts comments and checkins r what's interesting. I have countless apps for texting. You are taking the social part out of social networking.
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1 reply · active 105237 weeks ago
+8
Merry
- 306 weeks ago
We're moving already. Bye bye brightkite. You've killed our community, one that really enjoyed using you - and we're off.
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+5
@surfingtrucker
- 306 weeks ago
Well, this signs your death-knell, you're going backward by taking the social aspect out of social networking. Buh-bye BKL, hello Shout 'em
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2 replies · active 105237 weeks ago
+9
@amandaelisabeth
- 306 weeks ago
This is complete crap. We don't need or want another text messaging app.
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1 reply · active 297 weeks ago
+4
kondo3d
- 306 weeks ago
I strongly request BK to keep streams function.
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+6
jaschroe
- 306 weeks ago
You've alienated your users, and worse yet, your developer community who have built apps for platforms you were not interested in, with their free time and passion. /web/20110323020219/http://www.mykite.mobi/ Very disappointed.
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4 replies · active 306 weeks ago
+10
yukari
- 306 weeks ago
the check-in/posting and streams functions are brightkite's perticular point, I think. group text is not that important for me because there are so many messengers already.
you better to concider to stop group text and keep the check-in/posting and streams functions.
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+9
takateru
- 306 weeks ago
I assume POST and COMMENT to be the importance in Brightkite. I cannot believe this decision.
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+7
Corey Harris
- 306 weeks ago
It's really sad. What group text is, is not unique at all. Pingchat does it, WhatsApp does it and TextPlus does it. The only people that use Group Text is spammers. I get a shit ton of spam GT every day. It's also nice to see that BK is in breach of contract with a few of their partners as well. Oh well, it's their asses I guess.
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+3
bebebe0622jp
- 306 weeks ago
I really love bright kite post&check-in stream style! I dislike and don't want to use twitter. Current my connection in BK community is really irreplaceble!!! BK MUST KEEP current service!!
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+7
osagoto
- 306 weeks ago
Please keep Checkin, POST, and Streams ! They are very important function for BK user and we cannot find no mean to use Brighttkite with only Grouptext !
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