Tangler To Untangle Web Communication? Tested
by
on February 12, 2007,
We have received an invitation to beta test another innovative product named Tangler. From the moment I signed up for the Beta I was really impressed with the different look and feel of the community. Tangler is essentially a forum, but with capabilities outside the realm of a traditional forum platform.
The browser based UI and controls at the site are really simple and easy to use, and the iconic based organization looks and works better than many forums. Adding images or video is almost impossible to goof up, and group creation is virtually unlimited as far as I can see. Tanger is well on its way to simplifying topical communication to the point where IM may be rendered obsolete for in depth communication. Don't get me wrong, this Beta has its problems, but the potential is there.
Tangler serves the purpose of an instant messenger without requiring all participants to be present as the discussion flows. The “instant groups”, as Tangler calls them, are interfaced with either chat mode or post mode from the text editor. A desktop add on enables members of the groups to be notified when something new happens within the group.
Simple text insertion and editing (which had a few glitches) really round out this versatile tool. Users can link their ongoing group topics to blogs and other web sites allowing for even greater flexibility. A Tangler user can essentially participate in an ongoing forum from inside another task. This is really what delineates Tangler from IM programs. I especially like the ability to watch video while the discussion is going on. Video, text and images are all intact within the chat/posting frame in a sort of running dialogue. Like many of the other Web 2.0 applications we have seen of late, Tangler is well thought out.
Bad Stuff
The problems were not excessive for a Beta at this stage and the guys at Tangler seem to really be receptive to the feedback issues. I could not duplicate any of the 10 issues that were posted most recently. I did notice some small issues which I reported, most of which were textual in nature. The coloring of fonts did not work every time I tried it and text was slow to load a few times. The only other big issue I had was navigation, as I could not easily navigate in between groups (without losing my Place) or find comments that I had made at other groups. I am not sure if bookmarks are existent or if the desktop plug in is supposed to deal with tracking.
We will keep you informed on this innovative community as we continue to work within the Beta test. It looks like the development team is approaching this Beta in a very open and straightforward manner. I will say that it would be nice if there were more information available about the company. All that I know is what I gleaned from Nik Cubrilovic's interview with Tangler CEO Martin Wells at TechCrunch last year. According to that post Tangler is a privately funded enterprise so far, but the site has very little data to share with you. It's a secret, shhhh!
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Svetlana Gladkova
65bus 
Irel Johnson 
Thanks for the feedback Phil, we’ll add it to the list. We’re certainly working hard on a number of areas to get the engine humming. The navigation between groups is crucial.
For anyone else who would like to road-test Tangler, email me at beta~tangler~com or ask Phil to invite you!
You are most welcome Mick
I really like the way you guys are approaching the development. I expected you were on top of the Nav thing, I just try to put as much info as I can in the posts. I will be back to visit in a few days, and good luck with all that you are doing to improve the site!
So when this is released, will it be costful or one of those nice, free programs
Sounds very interesting.. I’d certainly love an invite to the beta to try it out.
Phil, invite please? Thxz. Really wanna try it.
This looks great, been looking for an alternative like this for a while. An invite would be really appreciated if someone has one?
npowel@googlemail.com (not my normal account - don’t mind the spam :P)
Post282 http://www.post282.com is quite similar - nice, too
Whoever invited me, thanks very much
invite would be great!
prengel_ at hotmail.com plz!
invite plz
shaanr at gmail . com
Thanks a lot for the feedback guys! I have sent most of you invitations to this cool new site. Please be sure to let me have a properly formatted email addy, as I have to make sure that your invitations are not wasted on invalid email addresses! Please participate once you get to Tangler, as Mick and the guys there are really responsive to your feedback. It is a chance to make your impression on a really cool site! Thanks, Phil
Invite, please.
network23 at gmail . com
It looks great - I’d love to try it out if anyone has an invite
jskopek at gmail . com
Sounds like a cool site. New tech is always fun. Thanks for sharing this with us, I’ll have to check it out.
This morning, I was thinking that I needed something in between a forum and IM…this might very well be it
If you could send an invite to tangler.5.darkelf109@spamgourmet.com , that would be fantastic.
Thanks.
thanks for the invite an’ all, but my question remains - will the full version when released have a price tag on it? I know the blog-owner guy isnt the one I should be asking, but the guy that would know was here briefly
Or is this one of those dealys where beta testers get it for free, cause that would be equally awesome
Hi Matt, I am not trying to be evasive, just trying to be thorough. My contact (the developer) at Tangler is in the bed! it is like 5 am in Australia dude! Like I said in the post, much about Tangler is not being disclosed as everyone would like, or "it is a secret." I will attempt to make it public knowledge as soon as Australia wakes up! You are welcome for the invitation too
hi.taco at gmail
Invite, please.
Please ignore me, I just realised what this thing actually is
I thought it was some sort of download, or software or something that you might charge for
Never mind
(I’m super-king btw)
Hey guys, I’m Marty, the Tangler CEO.
To answer the question, no, Tangler is a free service. Our revenue model will be based on advertising.
It’s still early days for us. We’re busy working through our feature set — lots to come — but comments and suggestions are really welcome.
Sorry about the lack of info about our plans — we prefer not to shout about what we are at this point. We’ll post a rough roadmap on the blog in the near future with some further details on where we’re going.
Thanks again the interest.
See! I told you I would wake him up! Thanks Marty! We are excited about what you are doing. BTW, how could I ignore you Super King?
Phil, you forget that we are a startup. Which means;
1. We never sleep.
2. We get to work from home two days a week - Saturday and Sunday!
3. We like to write lists…
Hey could I get an invite? Thanks
jmlin84@yahoo.com
It’s great to see such interest to the new service described. I hope you will share your experience about testing the application here in the comments.
The guys are Tangler are getting us some more invitations for you guys. I must say, I spent a bit of time there today and I don’t think I have ever seen a Beta that answered all my questions to satisfaction every-single-time-I-mentioned something. For those of you who test the Beta, I think you will find this a rewarding experience! This is just plain fun!
I did too wake you up Mick!
I would like an invite too
goodspeed gmail.com
Very interested! Please invite?
drzeus at gmail . com
Thank you so much!
Hi,
Looks interesting - could I get an invite maybe?
robertjoleary at gmail dot com
Thanks!
If anyone did not get an invitation please let me know, as I got really behind! Thanks for all your comments and interest, the folks at Tangler are great!