Kismet
Consumer and social
social matching
SHOW HN2018
199points
88comments
#181of 2,155 in 2018
Top 9%of 2018 by points
How HN took it
MixedNo clear lean
14 positive, 22 neutral or asking, 7 mixed, 9 critical, out of 52 comments about the project. Thread score +0.14.
Idea: 6 for, 2 againstDesign: 2 for, 4 againstExecution: 2 for, 3 against
The thread, comment by comment
Each row is a top-level comment and its replies, in HN's order. Select a cell to open that comment on HN.
positive neutral or mixed critical about another commenter or something else the maker
What HN said
What people liked
Clean landing page and well executed signup
From 3 comments
Signed up! This is really well executed. I would like to offer a contrary opinion to those suggesting to change the name. Outside of a very niche audience, Kismet isn't confusing…
karanbhangui on HNGreat idea! The landing page is nice and clear.
novni_jack on HNThe landing page is great, you immediately know what's going on and what it's about but I agree with the comment saying that the name is not that great. I also though about the…
dewey on HN
Good idea for meeting smart people without social media noise
From 2 comments
Frankly, this is already a better social experience than Facebook. Text as a medium may be less "expressive" so to speak, but it communicates with such sincerity in letter-form…
coolandsmartrr on HNReally nice. I hate the network growth hack games that social media companies play, so I never signed up for Facebook, LinkedIn and their ilk. This seems like a concept with the…
pavlov on HN
Name Kismet liked
From 2 comments
Please do not change the name, it's great! Last week, I ran across kismet and declared it as my new favorite word. So, it must be, kismet.
burritofanatic on HNSigned up! This is really well executed. I would like to offer a contrary opinion to those suggesting to change the name. Outside of a very niche audience, Kismet isn't confusing…
karanbhangui on HN
Objections
Daily frequency too much; wants weekly or configurable intervals
From 4 comments
Love the idea. But daily seems like quite a lot? I would sign up for a weekly version.
cdubzzz on HNI agree, weekly I can handle, daily I'll end up unsubscribing or ignoring eventually.
jboggan on HNAgreed - I won't want to sign up to daily. It would be a great weekly event I could look forward to but daily sounds like an overwhelming chore - a distraction to avoid. The…
duncanawoods on HNHey, I really like the idea of this, but I don't have time to network everyday, have you considered allowing custom intervals? I.E. 1/week?
JacobLinney on HN
First match sent before profile was filled in
From 3 comments
It is really cool, got a great match right out of the gate! I'd consider embedding people's HN profile right in the emails instead of just a link, it would make the emails more…
Serow225 on HNImmediately after I signed up for Kismet, while I was updating my profile, I was matched with another HN member. So basically, since nothing had been updated, they won't know…
smrk007 on HNI like it so far. The instant first email match is great, but it happens while I'm setting my info, so it leaves introductions to be a little.. barren?
pmiri on HN
Name clashes with Kismet WiFi scanner for SEO
From 2 comments
Kismet is also the name of a popular wifi scanner. 232,000 hits on google. Consider a rename?
imglorp on HNThat was my first thought as well, it will not be so great for SEO.
willstrafach on HN
Mobile iOS copy and profile editing bugs
From 2 comments
I like it! Including the name! Should wait until I fill out my Kismet profile before sending first intro though. Clipboard copy link did not work on iOS/Chrome, had to go back…
trevyn on HNGreat idea. Signed up. Intro'd to someone interesting. For checking the profile, please use shorter codes or increase the size of the <input> that displays the code. I ran into a…
gargarplex on HN
Requests
Configurable match interval
From 3 comments
Agreed. The best solution would be a configurable scale. Something like daily / twice a week / weekly / twice a month / monthly. So I could set it to daily when I’m out looking…
toyg on HNHey, I really like the idea of this, but I don't have time to network everyday, have you considered allowing custom intervals? I.E. 1/week?
JacobLinney on HNCool, I tried it and it worked. I do think a week would probably be a better default setting. Can I take the hash out of my profile?
ioddly on HN
Show matches' HN profile inside emails and make links clickable
From 2 comments
It is really cool, got a great match right out of the gate! I'd consider embedding people's HN profile right in the emails instead of just a link, it would make the emails more…
Serow225 on HNMay I recommend making the links in the emails clickable? (i.e., HN Profile in the intro emails)
eximius on HN
Location info for local meetups
From 1 comment
Frankly, this is already a better social experience than Facebook. Text as a medium may be less "expressive" so to speak, but it communicates with such sincerity in letter-form…
coolandsmartrr on HN
Intelligent matching by interests
From 1 comment
nice! is the matching random or is it based on mutual interests that users indicate in their profiles?
aaavl2821 on HN
Non-ASCII name support
From 1 comment
Neat idea! Sadly, it doesn't seem to handle non-ASCII characters. I entered my name, Cristi Burcă, and it got saved as Cristi Burc?.
scribu on HN
Questions
Is the introduction mutual?
From 2 comments
Is the introduction mutual? That is, if I get user X, does user X also get an email with the same intro for me? I wouldn't want to feel obliged to contact every "match" if they…
petercooper on HNDo two "matched users" both get an email pointing to each other, or does the other not know that they were matched to you?
tomsmeding on HN
Can the verification code be removed from profile?
From 2 comments
Pretty sure I know the answer to this, but: can I remove the code from my profile after it's been verified?
jrheard on HNCool, I tried it and it worked. I do think a week would probably be a better default setting. Can I take the hash out of my profile?
ioddly on HN
Who pays for the service?
From 1 comment
So, forgive the cynic in me, but if this is completely free, who pays for it? We know the model web social networks use.
stephenr on HN
Is matching random or interest-based?
From 1 comment
nice! is the matching random or is it based on mutual interests that users indicate in their profiles?
aaavl2821 on HN
Alternatives named
Facebook
From 1 comment
Frankly, this is already a better social experience than Facebook. Text as a medium may be less "expressive" so to speak, but it communicates with such sincerity in letter-form…
coolandsmartrr on HN
Metafilter
From 1 comment
https://www.metafilter.com It leans left, and the userbase can be quite critical of information technology especially bro culture. Last I checked, Metafilter has active meetups…
mistersquid on HN
LinkedIn
From 1 comment
Really nice. I hate the network growth hack games that social media companies play, so I never signed up for Facebook, LinkedIn and their ilk. This seems like a concept with the…
pavlov on HN