HiMom (YC S12) Helps Your Parents Keep Up With Your Life(techcrunch.com)
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HiMom (YC S12) Helps Your Parents Keep Up With Your Life
http://techcrunch.com/2012/08/12/yc-backed-himom-helps-your-parents-keep-up-with-your-life-one-postcard-at-a-time-and-without-facebook/
15 comments
I get it, it's easy. Few taps on your iPhone and a postcard is on the way to your Mom.
Exactly why it's useful.
I just think that life is too short to subject a relationship as important as the one you have with your parents to a mobile app.
Constant postcards will be welcome (at least by my parents), in addition to the call. Especially useful if you have young kids growing up far from grandparents.
Exactly why it's useful.
I just think that life is too short to subject a relationship as important as the one you have with your parents to a mobile app.
Constant postcards will be welcome (at least by my parents), in addition to the call. Especially useful if you have young kids growing up far from grandparents.
I've been living overseas for over a year now. I video Skype with my parents every week or two on Sundays. Otherwise my parents check out pictures that my girlfriend puts on Facebook every now and then.
I have to admit I am struggling to see this app would work for me. Postcards as emails aren't that useful (I may as well just send an email with a picture attached). Otherwise physical postcards are only interesting if you buy them from the place you are visiting.
I have to admit I am struggling to see this app would work for me. Postcards as emails aren't that useful (I may as well just send an email with a picture attached). Otherwise physical postcards are only interesting if you buy them from the place you are visiting.
I like Pair and I tried this app out. If you are on the run you want to have simple apps which helps you stay in contact with your friends. So far it was a pain for me to send my parents pictures. Now I can keep them up-to-date more regular which makes especially my mom happy. Doesn't mean that I do not call my mom again. It is just an additional way to share easily photos to them.
I agree, but I don't think the two are mutually exclusive. This is not a substitute for calling or spending time with your loved ones. Sending physical media though is often a very nice gesture that people appreciate. In today's age of email and texts, it's nice sometimes to get a letter or postcard.
completly agree. This is just an additional medium for communication. They all have there place.
That's the theory. The reality is we gravitate to the lowest common denominator in terms of ease.
I find out way too much information about my family through Facebook than a phone call or email.
I find out way too much information about my family through Facebook than a phone call or email.
I think this could be huge. I just don't know if it will be in its current fashion.
I just checked my email, and in the last 30 days I've sent my parents 11 emails that were just picture of attachments of things I was out and about doing.
Sure, it doesn't have a cute post card design, but they get the pictures delivered to the only medium I can efficiently get it to them (neither have any social media accounts) and I can add a quick message.
So I don't immediately see a need for an app to do just that. But maybe some people find emailing to be too much of a hassle.
However, I have to think of what this can become. I have a particularly close relationship with my parents, and we talk everyday (actually, we call twice a day...and I'm 25!). They usually know what I've done each and every day.
But a lot of my friends are equally as close with their parents, but communicate a lot less. It could be scheduling conflicts because they live 3-4 hours away, or something other restriction on their time.
But maybe there are parents out there that would love a news feed of sorts in their email about what their children or loved ones are doing.
It seems there would be an upper limit on its purpose as each generation adopts technology more and more. But I think they are on to something. I dig it!
I just checked my email, and in the last 30 days I've sent my parents 11 emails that were just picture of attachments of things I was out and about doing.
Sure, it doesn't have a cute post card design, but they get the pictures delivered to the only medium I can efficiently get it to them (neither have any social media accounts) and I can add a quick message.
So I don't immediately see a need for an app to do just that. But maybe some people find emailing to be too much of a hassle.
However, I have to think of what this can become. I have a particularly close relationship with my parents, and we talk everyday (actually, we call twice a day...and I'm 25!). They usually know what I've done each and every day.
But a lot of my friends are equally as close with their parents, but communicate a lot less. It could be scheduling conflicts because they live 3-4 hours away, or something other restriction on their time.
But maybe there are parents out there that would love a news feed of sorts in their email about what their children or loved ones are doing.
It seems there would be an upper limit on its purpose as each generation adopts technology more and more. But I think they are on to something. I dig it!
Hey slap_shot, thanks for your comment.
You also can send an email with HiMom. Good thing is that we try to enrich the email for your parents as much as possible. We are retrieving automatically Wikipedia information of the place where the picture has been taken. Also we are detecting the location of the picture and displaying that in the email.
HiMom is not focusing purely on postcards. Our main focus is to simplify the communication with the tech-savvy generation. Postcard is one medium of it. The current version is just the beginning..
Let me know if you want to be our beta tester to always test out the newest features.
Cheers Markus
You also can send an email with HiMom. Good thing is that we try to enrich the email for your parents as much as possible. We are retrieving automatically Wikipedia information of the place where the picture has been taken. Also we are detecting the location of the picture and displaying that in the email.
HiMom is not focusing purely on postcards. Our main focus is to simplify the communication with the tech-savvy generation. Postcard is one medium of it. The current version is just the beginning..
Let me know if you want to be our beta tester to always test out the newest features.
Cheers Markus
Is anyone else reminded of Fisheye's explanation of the Mafia philosophy in Snow Crash?
"It's just a thing with us. We like to go person-to-person, the old-fashioned way. Like, on my momma's birthday, I don't pick up the phone and dial 1-800-CALL-MOM. I go there in person and give her a kiss on the cheek, okay?"
"It's just a thing with us. We like to go person-to-person, the old-fashioned way. Like, on my momma's birthday, I don't pick up the phone and dial 1-800-CALL-MOM. I go there in person and give her a kiss on the cheek, okay?"
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I bought Snow Crash because I heard so many good things about it. I really need to get around to reading it.
Wow, this is really going to change the world. YC S12 is probably the best class out of YC so far. A mobile app that allows me to send a postcard to my mom...genius!!! A billion dollar company in the making.
Oh, the irony: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3769997
"(...) and ignore the inevitable onslaught of negativity you read here...its par for course lately."
"(...) and ignore the inevitable onslaught of negativity you read here...its par for course lately."
Can't tell if sarcasm or not. HN has made me a cynical one.
It's sarcasm. Billion dollar company or not, doesn't matter to me and most people out there. It's useful and something people will like. It's perfect for me at least to make my Mum happy from time to time so you'll see me using this!
Poe's law [1] at work. My bet is on parody though.
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poes_law
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poes_law
Contemporary start up culture seems to be in favor of launching with a "minimum viable product" as a way of gauging market demand before you sink too many resources into a product.
Not every product is amenable to this, of course, but HiMom is and you are seeing it in action.
Not every product is amenable to this, of course, but HiMom is and you are seeing it in action.
[deleted]
Hacker tested, Mom approved ("You're so sweet!").
The app looks really good and worked great for me. Whether or not I would send a physical card to my mom, I don't know, but this is really nice to send occasional photos to mom. I know she appreciates and this makes it quite effortless on my part. Just as fast as email, but looks nicer.
I think this app is great! I've always been the kind who's terrible about staying in touch, and it's so nice to have something that I can send out quickly without spending much time, yet still looks nice when it gets there.
Flip it around. Have parents choose things like "Thinking about you. What have you been up to lately?" "Haven't seen the girls for a while - send me a photo!"
Right now, my parents look at my Twitter feed and then text me comments.
Right now, my parents look at my Twitter feed and then text me comments.
I wonder--does it become less special because it's sent in a medium like this? Nearly automating the process seems to take the thought out of it, and it really is the thought that counts with your parents.
For a moment I thought Hipster [1] had changed its name.
[1] http://www.hipster.com
[1] http://www.hipster.com
I think communication between loved ones should be more personal. I don't think these types of relationships should be encouraged.
You should be calling your mother more. You should be taking the time out of your day to send a personal email or letter if they aren't technically savvy.
I get it, it's easy. Few taps on your iPhone and a postcard is on the way to your Mom.
I just think that life is too short to subject a relationship as important as the one you have with your parents to a mobile app. Can you imagine:
"Hi Mom it's Kelsey, here's a picture of me and my new dog, Snookums!"
-This message delivered to you with no effort at all by HiMom, the mobile app for terrible sons/daughters
Just call your parents. They love you and miss you.