Emily Chang - eHub Interviews

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eHub Interviews LinkPut

Thanks to Daniel Goodwin, creator of LinkPut for this email interview posted November 10, 2005.

eHub: What is your web application/service about?

LinkPut: LinkPut is a search engine where each result has its own mini-wiki. The community can edit these wikis so that a sites description is clearer to a user performing a search. For instance, if you do a search via Yahoo for “Emily Chang, ehub”, we get the following blurb for your site:

... Emily Chang - eHub. eHub is a constantly updated list of web applications, services, resources, blogs or sites ... be happy to include it. “ Buzz about eHub (updated 9/30)…

However, a more accurate description of the eHub site might be:

eHub is a constantly updated list of web applications, services, resources, blogs or sites with a focus on next generation web (web 2.0), social software, blogging, Ajax, Ruby on Rails, location mapping, open source, folksonomy, design and digital media sharing.

With the wiki interface of LinkPut, any registered user can go in and add this data, so the next time the eHub site comes up in a search result, the text would be more descriptive of the page.  If there is no data for a site, LinkPut uses the default Yahoo blurb.

That’s the heart of the LinkPut service. Additionally, sites can be tagged, bookmarked via del.icio.us, there are all types of RSS feeds for anyone wanting to use LinkPut’s data, even bookmarklets to look up or edit a pages description right from that page itself.

eHub: Why did you start this project?

LinkPut: Strictly for the fun of it, the challenge. As mentioned above, I would often find the description of a site in a block of search results confusing and unreadable. Somewhere along the lines I asked myself what if that blurb was community editable, and just took it from there. As with all my side projects, I started it because it interests me.

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

LinkPut: I usually work on this project 5-10 hours a week. I do have a day job, so the amount of work I put into LinkPut depends on how drained I am at the end of the day. There is a set point I’m working on getting this project to, however, further development past that will depend on its success with the community.

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

LinkPut: This is a solo project. My background started with graphic design in ‘93, moved quickly into multimedia in ‘95, and I built my first web site in ‘96. Since then, it’s been all web development. For web programming, I started with Java servlets, jumped to ASP, and just recently moved to PHP. My professional projects for the last 5 years have been web-based training for the government, mainly the VA and the Navy. Currently, I’m working with Carley Corp. in Orlando, FL where we are doing some really amazing CBT work. On the personal side, I’ve played around with community based groups, browser based games, and project tracking tools. Oh, I also self published a comic book that I co-wrote and drew from ‘98 to ‘00.

eHub: What is your design philosophy?

LinkPut: Put information first, make it easy to access and make it controllable by the user. I try to understand my data and how it affects site users and site owners, especially with this new way of developing on the web. Gathering data, even the smallest detail, on a user, without invading privacy, is going to open all kinds of doors for me and others. One man’s API is another man’s treasure; this is what I find myself thinking about most while developing.

eHub: What technologies are you currently using?

LinkPut: For LinkPut, I am using PHP/MySQL for development, and Yahoo’s Search API for search results. I have RSS feeds sending out data. I’m also working on a feature for the site that is AJAX driven, to test the waters.

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

LinkPut: There’s a lot to LinkPut that requires an account to access, however, I don’t think most people see a need to register for a search engine. I’ve yet to create detailed documentation of all site features, which, once done, will hopefully encourage people to register. I really think the existing TagMarks (working title) feature would be a huge hit with users, and I’m thinking of making that a standalone tool - tying it into tag APIs from around the web.

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

LinkPut: My current tracking software doesn’t give me detailed enough stats to determine this, and we do not ask when an account is created.

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

LinkPut: The next six months will be critical to my participation in this project. By this time, the project will have all the initial features I wanted to create from the start, be fully tested, and at the mercy of the users. If it proves popular, I’ll dedicate more time to it (as opposed to my other personal projects), add more requested features, tools, etc, and continue to nurture it. If the participation is not there, I’ll have to cut my losses and move on to one of my other ideas. I’ve always referred to this project as an experiment, so I am totally ok if it fails, as long as I’ve learned something. As for 2 years ahead, I’d say, with this web 2.0 mentality, that it would be hard to predict. With sites springing up every day offering APIs, there’s no telling what kind of data someone will brew up that can increase the value of LinkPut. I think the data gathered on LinkPut could one day be a good source of URL descriptions for a bookmarking service, so I could definitely see it working closely with those services, maybe even passing off information to other search engines. Anywhere someone hyperlinks text, LinkPut could have data and stats to increase that links value.

eHub: What is the greatest challenge to your success?

LinkPut: User input! A person is working when they perform a search on any engine. They have to think about structuring their query, they have to look through results, they have to go to pages, and come back if their questions are not answered. LinkPuts model requires them to do additional work by editing the blurb, and I don’t think people are particularly interested in more work. As well, I believe it is very hard for a user to switch their preferred search engine, especially to one that asks a user to work. Even as the creator of this site, I still haven’t removed Google as my browser start page.

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

LinkPut: User input! There’s nothing special at all about this project without the community’s input. Without input, it’s a skinned Yahoo, and there’s really no need for that.

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

LinkPut: There is no business model for LinkPut, it’s just an experiment.

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

LinkPut: It’s hard to say exactly, because for the most part, I’m doing stuff on the site (checking, testing, etc) all the time. However, I’m closing in on about 60 user calls a day to Yahoo right now, and this number is growing every week.

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

LinkPut: I’m extremely proud to have it to an almost perfect point, where people can use it. If I had a nickel for every personal project I’ve abandoned in the last 6 years, I could retire! I’m glad I stuck with this one and learned everything I did from working with Yahoo’s API, XML, PHP (this is the first site I’ve ever programmed in PHP). To me, seeing something go from an idea in my head to something that prompts a stranger to email me his positive comments is the best feeling in the world.

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

LinkPut: The technology hasn’t changed, but our thinking has. My past sites locked in customers, and limited me to only the customers I could convince to use my service. Soon, customers will be other sites, and everyone on the web is the user. Someone may only be able to get 3000 people to register to their service, but through APIs a million people may actually be using it. The web, since day one, was about sharing information. So I don’t think the ideology has changed at all. We just create new ways for ideas to filter to the top; I just hope the ads don’t come to crash the party.

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

LinkPut: Techdirt.com, Techcrunch.com, Digg.com, Readwriteweb.com, Planetweb20.com

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

LinkPut: A lot more than I used to! I remember the days of working on something until 2 or 3 am and getting up for my day job the next day at 7, every night! I’m about to be a dad, so I’m working on getting into a more dependable schedule, though I’m told I’ll be getting even less sleep. :)

Thanks to Daniel Goodwin, creator of LinkPut for this email interview posted November 10, 2005.

LinkPut results for “Emily Chang, eHub”

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Originally added to eHub on Sep 18, 05

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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