Sonar Blog

Sonar, It’s Your Birthday, Happy Birthday Sonar!

Hello, beautiful people of Sonar. Brett, here! Today we’re celebrating a whole year’s wild ride aboard the yellow submarine and we hope you’re partying with us! On this momentous occasion, we find ourselves right back where we launched, on stage at TechCrunch Disrupt New York. We have some awesome features for you that we hope you’ll love, but we’re also talking a bit about the bigger picture and vision for Sonar, and what we see as the opportunities and real world problems to solve with this magical technology we’ve built.

Sonar has, since day one, been about building a platform for communication with the people here now. It’s the best way to connect and share with the network of folks—friends and other interesting people—nearby right now. We’re calling it the “here now social network.”

There are three key new features that you’ll notice after updating today: Status, Chat, and Presence.

Sonar Status is like a tweet, but directed only at the people close by. This will let you ask nearby friends questions like “who wants to grab drinks?” or “who’s up for a run right now?” On platforms like Facebook and Twitter these questions are too untargeted and typically go unanswered.

Sonar Chat is lightning-fast private messaging to connect you with the people here now, and makes it easy to respond to Status updates from nearby connections.

Sonar Presence runs in the background, letting you share what you’re up to or interested in with nearby connections, without checking in or opening the application. That’s right. Now Sonar users within 500 meters of each other who are connected (either directly or through shared connections) may be visible to one another without even checking in. Presence can be easily toggled on or off through a Pause button on the Settings screen.

To give you a sense of how powerful this platform can be, I’d like to share a couple examples of how these features have already been used in beta testing.

Each morning on the subway, I set my Sonar Status to where I’m planning to grab breakfast. When I come above ground near Sonar HQ, early risers at the office get a notification letting them know where I’m heading. Our CTO Paul never misses an opportunity to use Sonar Chat to ask me to pick up an iced coffee.

On a recent Sonar offsite trip to Central Park, one of our engineers used Sonar status to notify the rest of the team that we’d set up camp in the southwest corner of Sheep’s Meadow. When latecomers got to the park, their phones gave them exactly what they needed to know without sending a single “Where are you guys?” text.

I’m pretty sure if I had the opportunity last year at Disrupt, I’d have set my Sonar Status to: “Try my new app!” or “Who wants to party tonight?”

Overall, today’s new release represents a big step toward making Sonar the easiest way to connect and share with people nearby, which we hope will free you up to experience the world in front of you. We’ve always been about helping you get off your phones and start connecting face-to-face in the real world.

We can’t wait for you to try out the new Sonar and, as always, welcome your thoughts, feedback, ideas, and suggestions. Thanks for being the awesomest crewmembers a Subby could ask for!

Much Love,

Brett, and the whole Sonar Crew

05/23/12

TechCrunch Disrupt NYC: Day 1

Usually the Sonar Crew suffers from a rather serious case of the Mondays, but today we’re feeling energized and excited for the week to come. Ah, the wonders of startup fever.

Day 1 of TechCrunch Disrupt NY was filled with thought-provoking Fireside Chats from awe-inspiring CEO’s (such as Voxer’s Tom Katis and Tumblr’s David Karp), panels from the best in the biz (read: Gilt Groupe, Foursquare, and Facebook), and the first 3 Startup Battlefield Sessions. Our exhibit was a huge hit and we’re overjoyed with the load of Sonar love from all you TechCrunchers out there.

And what better place to celebrate our one year anniversary than where we very first launched! (We’re proud Startup Battlefield alums!) And so, we’re pumped to be celebrating our birthday here in two days. In honor of our birthday, we’ll be sharing some mind-blowing, top-secret news this Wednesday…stay tuned!

05/21/12

Internet Week Recap!

Dear Friends,

It’s a grave day in NYC as yesterday marked the last day of Internet Week of HQ. What will we occupy our minds with now? We’ve momentarily set aside our tears to compile a list of some of our favorite panelsfrom Internet Week NY:

“The Future of Proximity”

Brett discussed frictionless proximity-based location sharing, aka endless possibilities, on day one of Internet Week; way to kick the week off right! Big ups to the lovely Allison Flood for inviting us to the stage.

“Twitter, Facebook, Google, none of them have really nailed groups. Real world groups are implicit; they ebb and flow. The proximity graph gives a real representative view of whom we’re actually hanging out with.” - Brett Martin

“Digital Distribution, Now + Future”

We got some killer insight from leading content creators at Buzzfeed, GE, YouTube, Vimeo, and VICE on how to create unique content, give back to the users, and tell a story that people want to share.

Tip: “Create an emotional personal connection with your audience, interact with your community, connect with people – it’s a two way street.” We think so too!

Fun Fact! 500 years worth of video content are watched on YouTube every day.

“Brand Recognition vs. Killer Content”

Great discussion from expert social media marketers on creating loyal relationships with audiences.

Tip: “How do you relate to people? You look them in the eye. Brands need to start looking audiences in the eye digitally” We totally agree. That’s why we love hearing your feedback! Here’s looking at you guys!

In between panels we squeezed in time to march around with big yellow balloons and hand out some Sonar merch.We met lots of great folks and caught up with some old friends, and got our glam on courtesy of Vitamin T.

Yep, there we are!

In case you missed it, you can catch videos of Internet Week NY here on livestream.

X to the O,

Sonar Crew

05/18/12

Sonar Spotlight: Oren Bennett!

Well, Happy Internet Week to all you wonderful Sonar fans! We’re super pumped about all the amazing panels (check out this presentation by Brett!), conferences, and classes IWNY has in store; and of course, making those oh-so-sweet Sonar connections. If you’re stranded at home or stuck at work, don’t you fret! We’ll be broadcasting at all of IWNY’s amazing events.

Here’s the latest community spotlight featuring freelance writer and startup founder Oren Bennett.

*Want to share your story? Tweet to @annaphant.

X to the O,

Sonar Crew

A recent resident of San Francisco, Oren has been quite the busy worker bee since his move; attending PayPal CEO Peter Thiels’ classes at Stanford, founding Trustr (a form of LinkedIn for entrepreneurs), and firing up Sonar every chance he gets. Sonar has helped Oren make a number of initial connections that might otherwise be difficult for a newcomer in the start-up world: ”Half of the investors I know, I first met through Sonar,” he says. From interacting with venture capitalists to press opportunities, Sonar has even helped Oren connect with his very first advisor, Michael Yavonditte – CEO & Founder of Hashable.

Oren thinks Sonar is a pretty special thing. “Honestly, there’s no other app that I’m currently using that does what Sonar does for me. I tell everyone I talk to about it.” He’s spread the Sonar love to all his friends and at events like SXSW, and says he opens Sonar “everyday, [for] every event I go to.”

Pretty darn sweet. Thanks Oren! That’s a wrap for today, folks!

05/15/12

Get Ready for an Intergalactic Adventure

Hello beautiful Sonar users!

Anna here reporting from Sonar’s Intergalactic HQ. As Sonar’s new Marketing Intern, I’ll be running Sonar’s blog, Twitter, Facebook, and whatever else it takes to amplify Sonar’s social media presence. As my first week of work comes to a whirling end, I’ve come to one suitable conclusion: this place rocks.

You might think well of course she’d say that. But seriously, where else are you greeted with cake and cannolis on the first day, attend a top-tier conference on the second, and work for a company that’s on the fast track to changing the mobile world? Welcome to Sonar.

What’s the best part? The crew is an insanely friendly and hard-working bunch. When they’re not eagerly helping one another, you can hear the furious clatter of keyboards as the team works to pound out Sonar’s next great idea. Oh! And there are literally no boundaries to senior management; my desk is stationed right next to our founder & CEO – say hi Brett! That’s right, here at Sonar everyone works as one well-oiled machine.

I can’t wait to help make Sonar shine so get ready for an inside look at the Sonar Crew, friendly competitions, and load of Sonar love from yours truly.

Got suggestions? Tweet @Sonar, I’ll be listening.

Heading off for an Intergalactic Quest! More on that later.

X to the O,

Sonar Intern Anna

05/11/12

They code, they blog, they go hiking!

Yes friends, we’re talking about good ole Team Sonar. Earlier this week, the team traded in their Macbooks for some old fashioned maps (on paper, no less!) and left behind the concrete jungle of NYC for the fern covered trails of Cold Spring, NY. We found a fortress, enjoyed babka and other snacks from the small deli Paul packed in his bag, walked till our legs felt like putty, and congratulated ourselves on a hike well done with a delicious dinner at Wynne’s pop’s restaurant in Beacon.

Now we’re back in the city, hitting the ground running and gearing up for some exciting events next week. If you’re in NYC, come visit us as part of Walkabout NYC, look for us on the ground at Internet Week, and of course, if you happen to find us nearby on Sonar, send us a tweet and say hello!

Below, some highlights from our trip!

Charting out our path to hiking glory.

Detour in the savannah!

Wynne the Warrior Princess of UX.

Team Sonar minus Roger, stepping it up as impromptu photographer extraordinaire.

And that’s our show. Till soon, Sonar friends!

05/11/12

Sonar Spotlight: Joyce Sullivan!

In past Sonar spotlights we’ve featured students, activists, and startup enthusiasts. This week, say hello to the lovely Joyce Sullivan, founder and CEO of SocMediaFin, Inc. and a true Sonar power user.

* Want to share your story? Shout out to @xsvengoechea.

X to the O,
the Sonar Crew

Joyce is a finance expert turned social media guru, working on educating the financial services industry in best practices for leveraging social media. Before diving into social media, she earned her MBA in international finance, and racked up over 20 years of experience at major banks like Citi, Credit Suisse, JPMorgan Chase, and Wells Fargo/First Fidelity, often creating an entrepreneurial role for herself within these large companies. (Pretty impressive, huh? But wait, there’s more!) Since then she’s designed classes on how to use LinkedIn and build your network, spoken at a panel at SXSW on financial services and technology, joined the board of the Financial Women’s Association as their Chief Digital Strategist, and of course, founded SocMediaFin., a social media consulting firm for financial services industry.

So why the sudden career change?

For Joyce, the shift to the social media world was an important one. “There’s a moment in time where I can help the industry more by leaving and then coming back,” she said. “[Financial services] have to reinvent themselves.”

With SocMediaFin, Joyce has made a commitment to doing just that. Providing social media strategy means staying on top of the latest trends in social media; Joyce is an early adopter with a penchant for beta testing. She tests a lot of mobile apps, but assured me that her love for Sonar is true. (We’re on the front page of Joyce’s iPhone, so you know it must be serious.)

How did we make it to her front page? “People ask me why I use stuff, and I tell them it’s because I like it, and it meets a purpose or need that satisfies me.” Joyce, a natural social butterfly, enjoys meeting new people and finds that Sonar to serves a real need, especially at conferences.

Pre- Sonar, she recalls having to stand by the name tags table at previous events, in dark locales like Webster Hall, which were unsurprisingly unconducive to meeting people. Enter Sonar, which has helped Joyce make connections at NY Tech Meetups and a number of other events. “I turn Sonar on when I want to find people - and when I do I’m in a networking/social mood. When I want to be socially sourced, I choose to be socially sourced….[Social media] is how people talk right now. I want to be at the forefront of the communications revolution.”

If Sonar can help, we’re all about it.

05/8/12

Team Sonar Does April

Hi friends,

Today is the first day of May - how did that happen? It seems only yesterday we were gearing up for SXSW, and then POOF! May! Things are about to get nutty at Sonar’s Intergalactic HQ, but before we get geared up for some exciting events, in case you missed it, here’s a fond look back at all the fun we had in April.

Here’s what went down:

Paul and Ben gave a talk at Columbia University, and then again at NYU, and the crowds went WILD.

Roger and Brent schooled MIT in what it’s like to be a dev at Sonar, and battled it out with some robots along the way.

Ximena helped spread some Sonar love to foursquare day fans in LA, Seattle, Ithaca, and yes, of course, NYC. Later, the team talked all things internetz, social, and college (!) with our foursquare day scavenger hunt winners over some nom nom nom.

Wynne schooled Katie in photoshop, who is now running like the wind with it, in between making guest appearances on a podcast or two.

Brett gave more talks than previously thought humanly possible, and he’s not slowing down any time soon.

So there’s April for you, a total blink-and-you-miss-it kind of month. (But that’s what recap blog posts are for.)

Thanks to everyone who invited us out to play/chat/demo, etc! Lots more in the works, but in the meantime, here’s a vid from the folks at Wired for a peek at the team in action.

X’s and O’s, Sonar friends!

05/1/12

DAVID NORMAN in the Sonar Spotlight…Get into it!

Hello, Sonar pals. Welcome to another Sonar Spotlight, featuring none other than our most beloved users. We appreciate all of the love you give us, so we’re sending it right back at you. Here’s the latest in our series of Sonar community spotlights,* this week featuring David Norman, a Navy vet and currently a student at San Jose State University in Management Information Systems.

*Super excited and want to share your story? Give our gal @xsvengoechea a holler.

X to the O,

the Sonar Crew

David Norman twitter

Hey David! You’re the first student we’re interviewing in this series, so we’re curious, what’s it like to use Sonar on campus?

Sonar makes it easy to connect with people on campus via social networks. That usually sets the stage for meeting people in real life. I follow everyone I can that I see on campus so I can stay tuned in to what’s going on around me from many different points of view. I feel that it keeps me linked in to the campus in away I wouldn’t be otherwise. When I first came to campus I would search for people using the SJSU hashtag to follow, but whenever I’m on campus with Sonar and I check into a new building it makes it easy to find people who have things in common with me. I’ve found out about many campus events by being linked in to social networks through Sonar.

Tell us about someone interesting Sonar helped you connect with on campus.
I found out one of my professors at school is on twitter as @professorcranky while using Sonar. He’s quite a character, and even though I don’t have any classes with him this semester it’s fun to see what he thinks about news and events.

Nice. Have you ever used Sonar to hit on someone?
Well, I met my girlfriend in my pre-Sonar days (about 4 years ago) so I haven’t had much use for Sonar in that way, but if I had it when I was single I do believe Sonar would be a great tool. Seeing a girl has checked in on twitter or foursquare and instantly being able to see what interests we share would be simply PRICELESS!

Yep, we think it makes for a pretty good icebreaker. So where would you like to see Sonar used more?
I think the great thing about Sonar is that other people don’t specifically need to be using it because its hooked into all the other popular social networks. But If there was somewhere it would be cool to have more people checking in it would of course be SJSU, and probably also concerts, conventions (i.e. Cloudforce), or coffee shops.

Cool beans. Thanks, David!

04/24/12

Sonar @ Ad Age Digital 2012

This week we had the excellent opportunity to speak with some of the sharpest folks in digital advertising and marketing—the clever minds behind some of the world’s best brands—at the Advertising Age Digital conference in New York. Soooo… first of all: thanks, Ad Age friends! It was an honor to be included on an impressive agenda that included the likes of Spotify’s Daniel Ek, Gap’s Seth Farbman, Gatorade’s Randall Brown, Venrock’s David Pakman, and so many more.

Sonar team Water Boy Brett (darewesay a veteran, having presented at Ad Age’s awesome Brand Hack last year), spent an action-packed 20 minutes pontificating on the future of location, proximity-aware interactions, and the two new graphs Sonar is focusing on building. Social sharing is growing at an amazing rate, is increasingly done from a mobile device and is moving more toward the implicit, vs. explicit. At Sonar, we’re looking at the new data generated by and associated with these shifts and seeing two new graphs becoming subsets of social: the proximity graph: who is actually here now, and the reality graph: who people actually spend their time with. Brett discussed some likely impacts of these two graphs, including the ability to begin marketing based on groups, a phenomenon explored in the great new book Grouped by Facebook’s Paul Adams. To a certain set of data nerds, excited about the promise of personalization, accountability, and interactivity in this brave new world, it sounded magical.

Ahem. Where were we? Ah, OK, enough about that. Non-data nerds, pardon the interruption. Back to work we go!

(P.S. We thought it appropriate to share Brett’s sweet new headshots, perfect for such a prestigious engagement; sorry Brett!!)

Photo credit: Aaron Lenhart

04/19/12