Emily Chang - eHub Interviews

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eHub Interviews Delineate

Thanks to Ben Sekulowicz, creator of Delineate for this email interview posted January 1, 2006.

eHub: What is your web application/service about?

Delineate: Delineate is a centralised visitor tracking XML based web service, with an XHTML/CSS/Javascript interface. It is hosted, easy to install and free. It is also an example of social software - all the data collected by it’s users adds to the information it can provide. For example you can get your browser statistics and compare these with the entire community of delineate users.

eHub: Why did you start this project?

Delineate: It started because I wanted a centralised statistics package that could track my traffic through the various domains I maintain. And then it grew. Lots.

eHub: How much time do you devote to its growth?  Do you have a day job?

Delineate: Its taken about 3 months of part time work to reach this stage. Unbelievably my flat is currently without ‘net access so I can only stay late at work and do what I can. I have a full time day-job as a web technologist with Cimex.

eHub: How large is your team and what are your backgrounds?

Delineate: The team is me - I have a Bsc in Computing and IT and about 5 years experience in web development.

eHub: What is your design philosophy?

Delineate: If I need/want it, someone else does too.

eHub: What technologies are you currently using?

Delineate: XHTML/CSS/javascript/XML for front end stuff, PHP and MySql running on Apache 2 on my lovely Powerbook.

eHub: If your project is live, what are the most requested features from your users/community?

Delineate: The biggest feature is present but hasn’t been officially unveiled - Making delineate expandable with an API. The current web based interface is actually just an example of accessing this API.

eHub: Does your user base reside in a primary geographic location or is it distributed?

Delineate: My user base is mainly across the pond in the US of A, although there are quite a few Brits and Europeans too. My friend in Bangkok says he may use it.

eHub: Where do you see the project heading in the next 6 months?  The next 2 years?

Delineate: The project is going to be melting a database in 6 months time, if I don’t work out a good way of archiving the data - after 3 weeks use it is currently running with about a million records. I have no idea if the web will even be around in its current form in 2 years time.

eHub: What is the greatest challenge to your success?

Delineate: Mint.

eHub: What is the one thing you need to get to the next phase of the project?

Delineate: Time. And a MySql database admin.

eHub: Do you have a business model?  If so, what is it?

Delineate: The web pays my bills, it has already given me a career so for the meantime delineate will be free. If I find it is taking a disproportionate amount of my time or I start to enjoy building it less, some sort of subscription based payment model may be developed. Probably a pint a month or something similar.

eHub: If you’re able to disclose this information, how much traffic or usage do you see on an average day?

Delineate: The delineate site is getting a couple of thousand hits a day - there are currently 400+ beta testers with about 200 applications sitting in my inbox (as of October 2005). I’m waiting to see how well it copes at this level before allowing more users in. 

eHub: What is the one thing you’re most proud of about the project?

Delineate: That people genuinely like it and like it enough to write about it. And that the database I designed is actually holding up well.

eHub: How would you describe the shift that’s occurring with the web right now to future generations?

Delineate: Its getting better and easier to use, but the stagnation that older technologies and certain companies are bringing means that the changes are very slow going.

eHub: What site(s) do you visit everyday other than your own?

Delineate: Signal v Noise, Kottke, Engadget, Arsenal.com, BBC Football, ALA.

eHub: How many hours of sleep do you get a night?

Delineate: 7 or 8 - Depends if the missus is elbowing me in the head.

Thanks to Ben Sekulowicz, creator of Delineate for this email interview posted January 1, 2006.

Visit delineate
Originally added to eHub on Sep 24, 05

» More eHub Interviews

eHub Interviews is a series with the creators of Web 2.0 applications and services by Emily Chang, author of eHub, designer, and co-founder and principal of Ideacodes, a strategic web consultancy in San Francisco that she co-founded with Max Kiesler.

Also see eHub Interviews in Japanese at CNET Japan