Diaspora, the “anti-Facebook” website announced that the alpha version of the website will be released by October.
This is a clarification made by the Diaspora team amidst the confusion about the release. First, Diaspora will release the open source code and software on September 15, followed by the alpha version set to be on the web by October. It is an update issued for informing interested individuals that the September release is just an open source code for developers to try new things and experiment.
Although the September release of the open source code is beneficial for developers and would be to the delight of programming enthusiasts, the alpha version’s October release seems to be the most significant moment for the project to see its potential of being an alternative for social networking website king Facebook. According to critics, Diaspora needs an impressive front-end that will show web users that they are really a website worth joining and using instead of Facebook, which now has 500 million registered users.
According to an update found in Diaspora’s website, they are giving their time and effort, concentrating on building clear and contextual sharing. They said that it is an intuitive way for users to decide, and not notice deciding, what content goes to their respective group of friends. They also added that it is a hard user interface problem, and they will take it seriously.
The team project of New York University students has now become a potential contender for social networking website supremacy. They have raised a total of $200,000 from people who helped them via the website Kickstarter.
Diaspora’s media exposure and financial aid gave them the chance to work with Janice Fraser, co-founder of Adaptive Path and an interaction designer. She gave them advice about decisions and steps to be made in the future. Pivotal Labs, a software developing company, also aided them in prioritizing components of their project and convinced them to use simple and high value features for their website.
They also said that the team’s original goals remain as is, and the features that they presented before are still included in their timeline.
