whyttle.com
Our mission is to foster community. Whyttle is a place where people can pursue their passions, explore new interests, and come together to address shared concerns. -- Martin Levine, Founder and CEO of Whyttle
(PRWEB) March 04, 2014
Washington, DC-based startup Whyttle, Inc. just launched with a bold vision – to enrich lives by fostering community. Whyttle provides a free, user-friendly platform for people to share and connect around interests they have in common.
Whyttle’s Founder and CEO, Martin Levine, and his team designed Whyttle to address two common frustrations with existing social networks. First, while any number of current platforms allow people to form groups around their interests, in practice they tend to fragment communities into many overlapping groups. This makes it confusing for users to decide where they belong. Second, existing social networks often limit the types of content that users can share – for example, focusing on photos, but excluding events; or enabling quick bits of text, but providing no place for product offerings.
Whyttle was conceived to encourage people to form sizable communities around interests they have in common. It could be something as unique as climbing to the peak of Mount Kilimanjaro, to as broadly popular as photography. Users can join any existing community or start a new one. Whyttle offers people the ability to share or sort through a diverse array of content: images, videos, links, forum-style discussions, 200-character shout-outs known as “Whits”, events and more. In addition, users can communicate privately and securely on the site with their fellow Whyttlers. Whyttle can also serve as a platform for people to band together to address shared concerns – from local initiatives to improve neighborhoods, to collective action aimed at environmental challenges. Said Levine, “We encourage people to be creative in how they use what we’ve built.”
Who belongs on Whyttle? Everyone is invited. It’s free and simple to register, and no one needs permission to join or form a group. The goal is to attract people with diverse backgrounds and provide a place for them to share and connect in a fun and respectful environment. Users can form communities around local interests, such as their city’s startup or arts scene, or around a global affinity such as World Cup soccer.
Whyttle rhymes with ‘little,’ but the company has big plans. Team Whyttle is already working on its next release, to include enhanced features for sorting and searching content, easier ways to find fellow Whyttlers and to follow what they share, as well as an expanded marketplace for users to post and search products and services. They’re
also planning mobile applications to supplement Whytte’s current web-based platform. Meanwhile, users of the beta site are encouraged to offer their ideas.
Finally, where does the name ‘Whyttle’ come from? “It’s my own creation,” said Levine with a smile. “I was looking for something that would sound playful and intriguing. ‘Whyttle’ sounds approachable and fun. ‘Put a little Whyttle in your life!’ ”
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Whyttle is on a mission: to foster community. It is a unique social network designed for people of all ages and backgrounds to come together around shared interests. This free, user-friendly platform encourages people to join or create communities – sharing images, videos and links, posting comments, asking questions, connecting with others and exploring common interests in a fun and respectful environment.