Jive.ly is a new app in full beta, billing itself as a Twitter-like site for mobile. Created by UK-based developer Martin Buhr, the app is designed as a place to update your social network accounts with images and videos from a mobile without having to hook up third party services like Twitpic.
It enables quick, simple posting of video, images and text to your user feed from any mobile device via email or MMS with twitter-like replies, hashtags and trending. In other words it’s quite like Twitter, but this does MMS and video as the site will auto-embed content from Youtube, Vimeo, Flickr and other web sites from posted links and synchronise with your Twitter and Tumblr accounts. Or just post plain text if you like. You can also set up notifications for search terms you are interested in and then have it notify you via mobile. The service also has an API. Here’s my profile.
Buhr wanted to be able to just post videos straight to the web and although it’s possible to do this with Youtube, that won’t update a Twitter or Facebook status with the new media – jive.ly can. He calls it “Twitter, without the $55 million price tag 
.”
Business model-wise Buhr says Jive.ly will offer white-label accounts to businesses that want to have live-media on their own sites for a fee, using the site API (for example News organisations that want instant UGC with little to no development or server costs on their end); “single tweet” advertising and content-licensing. Buhr is looking for funding.
If there are comparisons to be made you might compare it to Utterli or the now defunct Jaiku or perhaps Moblog.net (though the latter does not have the ‘follow’ model of Twitter). However, all of those are a lot longer in the tooth and are wrapped in, shall we say, a much better design.
Hi Mike, thanks for the mention – those bugs are fixed now – whoops…
-Martin Buhr
I thought about doing a branch of twitter for a while and left it alone.
Well done Martin, I hope it works out well for you.
Thanks for the support Jase, will need it…
“…and area wrapped in, shall we say, a much better more design”
Sorry, what did you mean by that?
Traffic has been overwhelming – for those looking for a jively account (once we get back online) you can request one from us by direct messaging us @jively (twitter) with your email address…
-Martin Buhr
Never mind that – Registrations are open now…
- Martin
Just an update the server is back up…
Definitely interesting, going to check it out and play around with it. Thx for posting.
Good idea but it seems you were not ready for the “TechCrunch Effect” . The site seems to be down now.
@Mikes (both of you): Could you do startups a favour by informing them of coverage before posting? The traffic sometimes is just too much!
Thanks for covering the little guys.
Yup – site just webnt down again… the tech support guys must be hating me by now…
I was going to say as well. It seems not accessible.
Jive.ly emailed TechCrunch asking for coverage. Not our fault if they can’t stay up, sorry.
We appreciate the coverage!
It’s excellent Mike, and you’re doing great service for the little guys,
but would you expect anyone who ask for coverage from Techcrunch to be prepared with dozen of servers just for case that techcrunch will do him a favor – and what if not?
Once you’re about to post a coverage, let them know about it, it’s a Win-Win, your readers won’t get error page, and the owner would be able to change the welcome page / ask users to leave email / shutdown certain services, etc..
I told them I was posting.
It is great to see Tech Crunch covering sites like this. Great exposure for them!
My head hurts -
” that won’t doesn’t update a Twitter or Facebook status”
Hahaha.. This is too good… Was copy editor sleeping?
Every success Martin!
So, is it like a tumble log then? Like Tumblr? Quick posting, embedding videos? Sounds familiar…
It is similar to Tumblr – we have added their API so Tumblr accounts can be updated from within Jively.
We want to focus on having the kind of trending power that a data stream like Twitter has with the multimedia capabilities of a platform like Tumblr, while coordinating the whole thing from a mobile device…
- Martin
Sooooo, it’s like Tumblr + “trending power”, whatever that means (it has a strong resemblance to a buzzword, though). How does it differ from Tumblr, or soup.io, or any of the other tumble logs?
Sorry for the buzzword – I mean to say we track how busy hashtags get – the idea is that they turn into news feeds of events, like twitter – but with media.
I’m not sure jaiku is dead… And I think the fact that google released the source code is interesting, somehow
Hey Techcrunch!
make a review of Jisko!
http://jisko.net
I signed up but coudn’t figure out how to access public feeds. The site has potential but needs a lot of work. There isn’t an easy way to find other “jivers” and “jiving” by yourself isn’t as much fun. Tried to use the advanced options to update Twitter from Jive.ly but the password’s not masked? ugh..
Ah, yes – passwords are encrypted in the database though.
Great Post! You might want to give YouPage a try. YouPage is a local microblog system centered around the question “What is happening from where you are?”
Please give it a try. Any feedback is more than welcome.
“But since it has it’s own Twitter-like ‘follow’ model it’s therefore another attempt – probably doomed – to take on the site at its own game.”
So, because it has a “follow” model, it’s probably doomed? Please explain.
No, the follow model itself is not doomed but most attempts to take on Twitter (at this point) will be.
True… I just wasn’t sure if you were implying that a follow model equates to an attempt to take on Twitter.
I’m not sure I understand this “jive.ly” service 100%, but I do believe the mobile SMS and MMS opportunity is growing… something Twitter hasn’t quite conquered efficiently.
Great job Martin;
butyes there is some Techcrunch effect for your site.
It’s nice for you ! attention and visibility are essential.
Thank to techcrunch to promote a single dev.
a “one man team ” it’s a new concept ?? it’s seem that it’s work
Martin do you want to share with us as to the kind of traffic you are getting from Techcrunch?
Hi Albert – will try – using google analytics, so will only have results as of tommorrow, althought we have had a brilliant response – 150 users and counting – Thanks TC
Looks pretty good. I can see there being a market for more mobile platforms.
How come you guys don’t cover YourNight.com anymore?
yeah; i think the VCs in the valley should only invest in companies with a business model.
the technology is simple; it will be copied, and done better by those who’re meaner/leaner.
The technology behind most of these “services” is simple and easily copied.
As for VC’s – agreed, this venture is probably more fit for angel investment… they need a designer FAST.
“this does MMS and video as the site will auto-embed content from Youtube, Vimeo… ”
Mike, as you know Blip.pl does this since 2 years now
Ah – good point, I forgot!
.. not to mention the Twitter Effect
The site is down right now 
Wow, I just cant imagine Tweet getting any better!
RT
http://www.privacy-tools.us.tc
Good work!!
Isn’t this what BluePulse.com is? Or this much better?
One thing is for sure that they have done a really commendable effort and I wish them all the best.