Social startups need Facebook applications

The GigPark team launched our Facebook application yesterday. The app is completely integrated into our main site so it took some work. Launch was definitively a proud moment!

The GigPark app lets you ask all of your Facebook friends for a recommendation, let’s say you are looking for a plumber, and see all of their replies. The app is not invite only, like the main site, so please feel free to add it here.

So, why build a Facebook application when GigPark is only a few months old?

Two reasons:

1. Services like ours, that get better when more of your friends are involved, need to offer their service where your friends hang out – i.e. Facebook!
2. Short of a miracle, there is no faster way to grow

For us, Facebook is one of a few important places GigPark should be available. Since GigPark is all about finding services with the help your friends, we need to be where friends communicate. Facebook is definitely one of those places but there will be more in the future.

I believe being platform agnostic is the name of the game. Startups should see themselves as services that people can use wherever they like: On a website, within their favorite social network, through IM, on their mobile phone … . This is especially true for social startups.

There was a good quote from James Hong of Hot or Not about this on TechCruch last year:

“I have really stopped thinking of Hot or Not as a destination site and worry about how many people are using our service no matter where they are … People will go where they will go. The world is evolving.”

Shawn and Richard sell Quotiki

Quotiki, a great social quotes site started by Toronto locals Shawn and Richard, announced their sale today to Utora of Yaphank, New York.

I’m a big fan of what Richard and Shawn have done with Quotiki. They chose an interesting little niche to focus on, quotes, and went about creating the best site on the web for quote lovers. I think their pragmatic approach of deliberately focusing on a smaller, under served category for their first major project together was a clever strategy. I’m looking forward to seeing what they do next!

Congratulations Shawn and Richard!

BTW – Does anyone know who Utora is? And why they’re based in Yaphank?