Sonar Blog

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

Wed, 23 May 2012 14:18:41 -0400

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

TechCrunch Disrupt NYC: Day 1

Mon, 21 May 2012 22:48:00 -0400

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!

Internet Week Recap!

Fri, 18 May 2012 13:51:15 -0400

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

Sonar Spotlight: Oren Bennett!

Tue, 15 May 2012 14:46:00 -0400

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!

Get Ready for an Intergalactic Adventure

Fri, 11 May 2012 16:18:00 -0400

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

They code, they blog, they go hiking!

Fri, 11 May 2012 12:48:56 -0400

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!

Sonar Spotlight: Joyce Sullivan!

Tue, 08 May 2012 16:35:00 -0400

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.

Team Sonar Does April

Tue, 01 May 2012 18:32:00 -0400

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!

DAVID NORMAN in the Sonar Spotlight...Get into it!

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 10:28:06 -0400

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

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!

Sonar @ Ad Age Digital 2012

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 11:58:50 -0400

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

Live from Ithaca... SonarU Cornell celebrates 4sqDay!

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 15:30:00 -0400

Live from Ithaca, here’s an update from the SonarU Cornell team,* Ian Perry and Clayton Dubin! This was Ithaca’s first official 4sq Day and the team made sure it was a memorable one. They managed to throw together a hopping event in a super short period of time, complete with check in specials, games, prizes, and even a Mayor’s proclamation for Ithaca. *Want to share the Sonar love at your school, too? Get in touch!

Here to tell you all about it, Ian and Clayton:

Foursquare Day was a success! The day started off with a promotion at The Cornell Store, where we set up a table and showed off Sonar to students.

Most people there had not heard of Foursquare Day or Sonar, so we quickly gave them a rundown and wished shoppers a Happy 4/16! The next event was a demo at the Popshop, a newly opened co-working space in Ithaca’s Collegetown.

Sonar Campus Captains Ian (L) & Clayton (R) with David Wasserstrum from 4sq!

We held an informal chat with current and prospective entrepreneurs from Cornell, brainstorming the many uses of Sonar and hearing how some students are already using it! Many students said they used Sonar to scope out nightlife options and see which bars were hopping.

The main event was the Meetup at The Nines, and we had a great turnout of people checking in to take advantage of the special being offered. David Wasserstrum from foursquare joined us and shared stories of Foursquare Days past, and excited foursquarers used Sonar in a scavenger hunt to find connections with people around them. All participants were then entered into a raffle, and the winner, Natalie Lin, took home a $50 gift card to The Cornell Store. Runner up Lilian Loh won a free Foursquare Day t-shirt courtesy of foursquare.

The event brought together students from all different fields at Cornell; undergraduates, business school students, and law students, as well as several entrepreneurs, including Cornell MBA student and CEO of ampcloud, Arthur Soroken. We enjoyed sharing Sonar and Foursquare, and saw a lot of promise for spreading Sonar magic on campus.

We hope people all over the world enjoyed Foursquare Day as much as we did!

Sonar Does Foursquare Day - Spotlight on LA!

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 12:20:00 -0400

Today’s post features some of our pals working on foursquare day. The big day is coming up and we’re pumped to be involved at a few events this year. Things are getting pretty crazy here in the office in NYC, but we wanted to include you in on the fun. Repping the West Coast, our pals running 4sqDay LA sent us an update from California we just had to share.

Reporting from Los Angeles, here’s the skinny from Sarah Cho!

As an organizer for 4Sqday for the second year in a row, I am very excited to be working with Vanessa Bedard, a Social Media consultant and fellow avid Foursquare user, in putting together one of the best 4SqDay events, coming this Monday, 4/16/12.

Sarah (L) and Vanessa (R)

This year’s festivities will be held at Casey’s Irish Pub in downtown LA. There will be food and drink specials and lots of fun activities and entertainment, including a big photo booth for attendees to snap and take home photos, giant & regular size Jenga games, fun giveaways, a themed scavenger hunt and an Ipod Touch giveaway. As in last year’s event, Vanessa will be bringing her famous Foursquare Cupcakes to this year’s celebration as well.

We are also very excited to be partnering with Sonar to incorporate fun ice breaker and trivia games for our attendees to introduce them to Sonar. In addition to having attendees download the app to play and familiarize themselves with it prior to the event, we will also have signs with QR codes posted throughout the venue which will direct users to Sonar’s download link for both IPhone and their Android beta version.

On top of all the fun, Digital LA will be moderating a panel discussing the benefits of using Foursquare in the entertainment and fashion industry. Speakers include Daniel Bedingfield, music artist, Vanessa Bedard, and more.

If you’re in the area, don’t forget to check out all the specials being offered throughout LA by checking in on Foursquare, and of course use Sonar to discover new connections with the people around you!

Sonar Campus Captains at the University of Michigan

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 15:02:28 -0400

Calling all students! Remember that nifty Campus Captain program we told you about not too long ago? Now that we’re officially up and running, we’d like to introduce you to the students bringing Subby to a campus near you.* First up, the University of Michigan.

*Want to be one of the first to bring Sonar to your school? Get in touch!

Nung Yoo, Kahlin Naidoo and Dimitry Slavin of M-Entrepreneurship are our first crop of Campus Captains and are working hard to bring Sonar to UMichigan. Since M-Entrepreneurship focuses on educating students about entrepreneurship, implementing innovative ideas, and helping members gain real-life experiences by working with start-ups, the team is pumped to rep Sonar on campus, and we’re happy to have them on board!

So what’s in store from your friendly neighborhood UMich team of Campus Captains?

Well I’m glad you asked. Within a short amount of time, the gang has already put together a plan to get the word out on Sonar; they’ve whipped up a survey to spec out student interest and are hosting events left and right to spread the Sonar love. Word on the street is they’re taking UMich by storm. But these busy bees still find time to play. Nung, AKA “the Big Boss”, is the founding president of M-E and a member of the Nexecon Consulting Club and the Global Investment Club as well. Kahlin is tight with his bros and serves as the current Fundraising Chair for Beta Theta Pi. And Dimitry is interning at a law firm in his free time. Slackers they are not! We’re pumped to have such an awesome group of go-getters bringing the Sonar magic to Michigan. If you’re a student at UMich and want to join in on the fun, holler at them! The more the merrier.

In this week's Sonar Spotlight, BRIAN FITZGERALD's got it made

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 12:02:00 -0400

Yep, it’s that time again, you beautiful Sonar fans, you. Time for another Sonar Spotlight where we get to know the wonderful folks who make up our Sonar community - you!* Up this week, BRIAN FITZGERALD, head of Digital Networking and Mobilization for Greenpeace International. Throw your hands together, friends.

*As always, tweet @xsvengoechea if you’d like to be featured, or would like to nominate a friend to enter the spotlight!

X to the O,

the Sonar Crew

Brian Fitzgerald lives in Amsterdam working on environmental justice, a field he’s been working in for 30 years now, in what he calls “a weird variety of roles.” Like what?

I delayed a nuclear weapons test in Nevada, sailed aboard the Rainbow Warrior in the North Sea and the Indian Ocean, helped open offices in Italy and the Soviet Union, flown a hot air balloon, saved whales, gone door to door, been arrested, and have done a number of desk jobs.

Brian, you sound awesome. Who are some awesome people you’ve met through Sonar?

At SXSW in Austin, Sonar was pinging like crazy — I’m a regular attendee and it’s probably not surprising that in a geographically concentrated group of early adopters with similar interests in technology, Sonar will find a lot of commonality. But I was looking through the list of folks checked in at an EFF party with a colleague and we both recognized a common follower, @rachelannyes. Neither of us had met her IRL, or were even entirely sure why we were following her. I looked up from her profile picture in the app and there she was at the next table, at a party which was spread out across three floors of a very busy bar. Among our common followers was Kieran Mulvaney, who I’ve known for decades. Turns out she works on oceans issues as a communications specialist with Upwell, a major curator of information on a whole slew of issues we work on with links to the Oceans Conservancy and a bunch of fellow travelers. She was a big fan of Kieran’s work, and we tweeted our meet with a shout out to him. He was amused we’d connected. And I assured him I never mentioned to Rachel the darker elements of his past, including that noodle incident.

The noodle incident, eh? We won’t ask more… Switching gears then, are you naturally social & outgoing?

Nope. I love SXSW because there’s a social expectation that you’ll reach out to strangers, talk to people in a shuttle or on a queue — there’s a permission environment for socializing that’s a bit too rare in daily life. But, as a random Australian I met on the street in Austin correctly challenged: why doesn’t the rest of the world function more like this? Once you get a taste of the richness of random interaction, and discover how quickly you can develop a friendship bond around the thinnest of common interests, it’s hard not to want to take an app like Sonar out for a spin every day.

So how do you take Sonar out for a spin?

So far, as a research project. But it’s starting to fascinate me on all kinds of levels. I’m looking for ways to use Sonar, and haven’t settled on a model or matched it to a campaign need yet. But I can easily imagine pushing it out to subscribers, asking folks attending a major concert or festival or rally to look for one another on the basis of a common follow of the @greenpeace twitter account or a common “like” of the Greenpeace International Facebook account, and perhaps take a specific collective local action. If that local action were something that aggregated into global pressure, woot! #Winning!

Yes! We love that Sonar can be leveraged for a greater social good. How about for personal use? Dating?

I’m off the market, but I can easily see its dating potential. I’m more interested in how Sonar might facilitate connections between people who support Greenpeace or other causes of the same ilk. Of course, people hitting on each other because Sonar exposed them to be the kind of fun-loving troublemakers with a passion for nature that have a Greenpeace connection? That’d be a smooth move.

We hear you on that. Subby can be pretty smooth; some might even say suave.

On that note, it’s about time to wrap up. What are some final thoughts on how Sonar works for you?

At Greenpeace we’ve spent the last few years building up around 17 million online connections with people. Our next challenge is to turn those into 100 million local networks of people who can see one another face to face, know what we’re looking to achieve globally, and take their own local actions in their communities to further our common vision of a sustainable future. Sonar is one tool that could really help them find one another, recognize one another, and start to make those connections.

Brian, we dig it. May Sonar help you reach your wildest, greenest dreams.

Sonar Spotlight, Friday Edition: Leiti Hsu!

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 16:00:00 -0400

Hey Sonar fans, welcome to the second installment of Sonar Spotlight, where we feature stories about fantastic folks like you!* Meet Leiti Hsu, a gregarious pleased-to-meet-you kind of gal who is all about connecting with others. Leiti likes delicious food, beautiful things, and sharing experiences. A former consultant, Leiti switched gears and jumped into the startup world as the 10th employee at Lot18, and is now working at sister company PopDust. She LOVES meeting people (say hi!) and we plucked Leiti from the crowd when we saw just how active a user she had become, and how!

*As always, tweet @xsvengoechea if you’d like to be featured, or would like to nominate a friend to enter the spotlight!

X to the O,

the Sonar Crew

Leiti first joined Sonar after a serendipitous meeting with Sonar’s very own founder, Brett Martin at a Starbucks in SoHo, on the hunt for a solution after her iPhone battery died. As luck would have it, Leiti ended up borrowing Brett’s charger and chatting with him for a few hours, swapping stories about startups and mutual connections. Soon after, Leiti downloaded Sonar, and has become one of our most active users yet.

Sonar is a natural fit for this friendly and outgoing gal. “Connections keep on giving,” says Leiti. “It’s not inauthentic if you’re genuinely jazzed about people. And it’s not just networking for professionals - it’s connecting for life. People are there to help you if you put yourself out there in a positive way. I like to have a snapshot for people as humans, and Sonar helps me do that.”

So what kind of snapshots has she gotten? She learned that she shared a number of Twitter interests with Daniel Leahy, founder of Savored, when he stopped for dessert at an ice cream parlor near her apartment. She said hello to Caroline Lau (Artsy) at a General Assembly event at SXSW, with whom she shares a number of mutual friends. There are of course the occasional missed connections, but Leiti noted, “Even if you don’t meet, it’s a great excuse to reach out and tell them they rock.” She and Gemma Craven missed each other on the Four Seasons Austin lawn at SXSW, but they now keep in touch on Twitter. “The cool thing about Sonar is you’re making real connections. These aren’t strangers from abroad randomly friending you on Facebook. It’s much more organic, especially in New York. Having a shared check-in location is almost like having a shared friend. It means something,” Leiti says.

Her favorite part?

“Social apps (Sonar, FB, OkC) have the effect of a few drinks, as they amplify who you were already offline. That’s why I love Sonar. It helps me to be me — an uber-connector…but with x-ray vision into the shared connections and interests with the fabulous people around me!”

Thanks, Leiti!

Calling all Sonar enthusiasts -- Join Sonar Crew!

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 13:36:00 -0400

Love Sonar? Help us spread the love - become a member of the Sonar Crew! We’re looking for Sonar enthusiasts to test out new features, help us build buzz and spread the word on meeting new people with Sonar. Sound good? It gets better.

As a member, you’ll get to:

Access and test new product features before they go live to the general public
Say cheese for the camera if we pick you as a featured member on our blog
Host meetups for Sonar friends in your city
Have a hand at helping us build a Sonnar community near you
Connect with a private network of Sonar enthusiasts worldwide
Rock some sweet Sonar swag
Contribute blog posts updating the world on your Sonar efforts and extravaganzas
Nominate others to join in and access Sonar perks, too

So don’t be shy, the water’s fine!

Send a message to ximena@sonar.me, or drop her line at @xsvengoechea. Let us know:

Why do you want to join Team Sonar?

What’s something fun about you? Bonus points if it’s something nobody knows.

Who’s someone you’d love to meet through Sonar?

Tweet Love

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 18:36:49 -0400

We asked those of you itching to get our Android beta to write us a little tweet poem about why you dig Sonar, and oh, rhyming tweets never looked so good. Cheers to Katie Gore Waxer for her tweet poem (tweet rap?), below. Finger snaps, Katie! Android beta coming your way.

We’ve got more beta invites to give out - holler at us, future Sonar Shakespeares and Jay-Zs!

OH HEY THERE, KAYLA DANIELS, you’re in the Sonar Spotlight!

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 18:47:00 -0400

Hi Sonar fans! Sonar is all about getting to know people, so we want to get to know you! We love you so much we wanted to start shouting from the rooftops and singing your praises. Turns out blogging is much more effective for that sort of thing, so here we are… Without further ado, we give you the first in a series* of Sonar community spotlights.

*Want to be featured? Holler at your girl @xsvengoechea and she’ll be in touch!

X to the O,

the Sonar Crew

*****************************************************************************************

Everyone, say hi to Kayla Daniels, born and raised in Colorado and currently a media specialist for the Colorado Springs Gazette. She helps businesses promote themselves and lives and breathes social media. She’s also part of our inaugural class of Android beta testers, and quite the power user at that!

We asked Kayla a few question about how Sonar makes her heart sing and this social media sweetheart happily obliged. Below, some excerpts from our chat:

So Kayla, tell us about how you’ve been using Sonar. Business or pleasure?

Both. I used to use Foursquare to track my mileage, via an IFTTT command that posts my check ins to my Google calendar. I replaced Foursquare with Sonar, so it does that for me, but I also use it to tell friends and family where I’m at and what I’m doing. I use it about 4-5 times a day, depending on what I’m doing.

Give us some highlights. Who’s the most interesting person you’ve met through Sonar?

I have a new acquaintance, via Sonar. She and I travel in a lot of the same circles, but never met each other until Sonar showed me that we both go to the same school. I was on campus checking in when I saw that she’d also checked in, reached out via Twitter and we started talking. I was able to strike up a conversation with her based on that commonality, and shazam, we’re really surprised to see how much we have in common. We’re planning to get together for coffee later this week.

How has Sonar changed the way you interact with others?

Sonar is really great for showing me how I’m connected to other people. It’s interesting to see how many complete strangers and I share friends and connections. I live in a city of about half a million people, and it seems I’m connected to a much larger number of them than I’d ever thought.

Sonar is awesome for….

Finding new people, making new friends,showing how you’re connected to people near you. It’s like seven degrees of Kevin Bacon. Only, I’m Kevin Bacon, just less Footloose.

You heard it here first, folks. Thanks, Kayla!

Sonar is hiring a community/content/social media intern!

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 12:22:05 -0400

Are you a social media junkie, fully-networked and fluent with the latest social technologies? A great storyteller who likes to meet new people online and off? If so, we’d love to chat with you.

Sonar is a mobile startup that helps you learn about and connect with like-minded people nearby. We are always on the hunt for talented people, and right now we are in search of a social media intern and community builder that wants to get his or her hands dirty growing and activating the Sonar community.

Your Role: design and execute Sonar’s social media and content strategy
Sonar’s community intern will help senior management design and execute Sonar’s social media and content strategy. You’ll be the voice of Sonar online and off, helping to build our brand, articulating our user voice, writing for our blog, creating and managing our Twitter and Facebook strategies, and preaching the good word about Sonar at NYC events left and right. This will be a great opportunity to get to know all the movers and shakers in the NY tech scene and we are looking for applicants that are excited to jump right in!

Location & Terms
The position is located in Manhattan, New York City (In NoMad, near Shake Shack. Yes!)

Full-time: Monthly stipend. The better you are, the more we will pay you.

Part-time: Unpaid, but our fearless leader Brett will treat you to as much tasty Stumptown coffee as you can handle. Cuban lunches will be awarded for above average performance. If you prove to be a great and reliable writer, we can pay you per post.

We’d love someone full time but if you can dedicate at least one or two days a week, we’d be happy with that. Thanks!

Contact
Please send 1) resume and 2) links to your social media profiles and blog(s) to work@sonar.me - We can’t wait to meet you!

Proud to Have the Best Users in the World… Here’s How We’re Using Your Smarts

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 13:56:00 -0400

Oh, Sonar users, how we love you so. We have been absolutely amazed, astonished and astounded by the excellent feedback we’ve received on the new features and changes to the Sonar app we rolled out last week. Quite frankly, we’d like to give you all a hug. Or a high five, depending on your comfort level with sharing personal space. We love you.

We wanted to take this opportunity to address an issue that some of you have brought to our attention and to give you an update on some upcoming changes. The latest version of Sonar runs in the background, pinging your phone on occasion in order to aggregate the most up-to-date information about the people around you as you go about your day.

Our goal is to deliver you the most comprehensive look at who’s around, leveraging as much data as we can to make the best possible recommendations, and Sonar is always pre-computing so you don’t have to wait. We realize this can have an impact on your phone’s battery life. Sonar leverages some super-useful technologies to significantly minimize the number of pings on your battery, but we definitely should have been more clear about this new functionality and provided an on/off switch to give you full control. We hope you’ll accept our apologies for that. Our next release, coming very soon, will have a Pause Sonar button, which will prevent Sonar from running in the background until you next open the app.

To every single one of you who have provided feedback: HIGH FIVE! We think about your comments, ideas and suggestions every single day as we make decisions about new features and directions and use cases for Sonar. Thanks for sharing your smarts, we wouldn’t be here without you.