Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Twitter co-founder Biz Stone spreads the Jelly

Stone launches his latest venture, a Q and A service for mobile that leverages your social network.



January 7, 2014 10:18 AM PST



(Credit: Jelly, Screenshot: Richard Nieva/CNET)


Twitter co-founder Biz Stone has unveiled his latest project: a question and answer service for mobile that allows users to search for answers using their friends instead of algorithms.

In a blog post, the company explained the idea: a user can be walking around when he or she spots something unusual. That person can snap a picture, circle the befuddling object, and ask friends -- who are other Jelly users -- from social networks what it is. The thinking is that if none of someone's direct friends know, maybe a friend of a friend knows. Users can also pass on other people's queries through text.

The company even gives a slight callback to Stone's Twitter days when it explains Jelly's photo functions. "In a world where 140 characters is considered a maximum length, a picture really is worth a thousand words," the blog post reads.


Jelly is just the latest example of tech companies trying to shake up traditional search. Apple is said to be devoting more resources to Siri. Its acquisition of social media analytics firm Topsy could possibly help that effort. And Yahoo is looking to revamp its search efforts with more of a focus on personalization.






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