Tangler Launches Embedded Forums and Chat
Next generation internet messaging product Tangler has just announced embedding and integration functionality. Tangler is a tool for enabling real-time discussions anywhere on the web. It's part forum, part IM - a hybrid product that uses web services.
Tangler is still in beta - and has been for some time. In fact there's a Tangler forum for web 2.0 betas, where beta products can have discussions with their users. For example here's an (unofficial) Tangler group for Pownce, which Lachlan Hardy pointed to in his Pownce review. Other uses of Tangler so far include 'My Tangle' (using a forum as personal publishing) and using Tangler as a general discussion forum for any topic – e.g. general conversation, travel, gaming, social etiquette, sports. As of July 2007, Tangler claims to have over 1,000 forums, at 9.5 hours per month average usage (3 times Facebook, although of course the user base is much less).
What's new today is that Tangler is enabling embedding and integration of their product into external web sites and services. This will enable topics to be shared across the web, which the company likens to YouTube videos. Tangler calls this "One conversation with many access points." Here's an example of Tangler embedded in a Typepad blog:
Right now this embedding service is an invite only beta, but check this page for the details. In some ways this is similar to the SezWho comments plug-in which we installed on R/WW recently, in that it's a distributed comments/discussions system where you can use your profile across multiple sites.
The theme of embedding web apps into other sites/services is obviously a hot one this year - with Facebook's explosion in popularity and widgets in general becoming a must-have addition to any startup's product range. This product by Tangler extends that theme and it'll be interesting to watch its uptake.
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Nice post Richard, thanks. It's a pretty interesting concept. Is this available for use now? Could really be a nice addition to blogs or other sites.
Posted by: Davis | July 31, 2007 1:03 PM
Forums are so lame. about time someone did something cool. Only problem is they're probably going to be bought by google or yahoo if they compete too much with groups.. then they'll fuck it up.
Posted by: Krane | July 31, 2007 1:07 PM
Thanks for looking at us Richard.
Davis, you can go and set up a forum/group in Tangler right now but we are working on private betas for integrating Tangler into blogs, web apps and web sites. Here's a link to a skinned group which will give you an idea of what integration will be like;
http://www.tangler.com/group/7466/discuss/
Cheers.
Mick from Tangler
Posted by: Mick Liubinskas | July 31, 2007 1:09 PM
Wow, I'm feeling pretty stupid about now. I don't quite get what this glorified forum board is useful for. Enough to build an entire company around? I may be missing something.
Posted by: Mike | July 31, 2007 9:32 PM
I think comparing Tangler to Sezwho is probably doing it a disservice.
Sezwho is probably comments 1.1
Tangler is probably discussion 2.0
@Mike. If you don't get the value and the differentiation of distributed, real time, archived, rich and customizable conversation is - then you probably are missing something pretty fundamental.
Tangler is the first real attempt at updating the forum since Web 1.0.
Posted by: Chris Saad | July 31, 2007 9:55 PM
been following tangler for a while now and this is the break-out feature that everyone knew was needed and it's great that they have gotten to this point now. still plenty to enhance before they leave the beta tag behind, but tangler is good stuff, indeed!
Posted by: sull | August 2, 2007 8:13 AM
This is genius! I joined Tangler soon after reading this post and gotta say that the team behind Tangler has come up with a highly powerful idea that's gonna change the way we use forums today.
For past 14 or 15 months, I've found myself spending more time reading blogs than replying to forum threads. I find spending 15 minutes on a blog much more useful than spending hours in a community forum. But now, when Tangler is here, I'll have to think once again about community forums.
I'm so happy that I read this post. Thanks!
- Avi
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