Subby and Andy Travel the World!
Hey fellow Subby lovers!
September is a big month for us - we’re taking our Android platform from beta to
Google Play, and not only that, we’ve been working here to make Sonar available in
six other languages. That’s right, Subby is traveling the world, and you can
join in!
But we can’t take all the credit for this big win. Without our international friends who have translated, proofread, and perfected our app, none of this would have happened. With that, all of us here at Sonar would like to thank
Emmanuel, Edgar,
Javaughn, Torsten,
Luca,
Diogo,
Pedro, Omar,
Dunja,
Akshay, and
Sasha, for all of their help in making our app even better.
Thanks to them, we’re so excited to say that Subby is crossing oceans and exploring new places with his BFF
Andy. The pair are having a grand old time enjoying a little taste of a big world, and have even sent us some photos of their trip together.
Take a look at some picture perfect postcards from their journey!
Subby and Andy travel to the Chichen Itza Temple in Mexico.
Future Indiana Jones in the making here!
Subby and Andy continue their trip down South to Rio de Janeiro in Brasil to enjoy the beach!
Subby and Andy travel east to Paris and visit the Eiffel Tower.
Such smart berets. We hope they brought us back some too!
Subby and Andy continue their journey north to Germany and visit Oktoberfest central!
Subby and Andy take their exploration down South in Italy and pose with the Leaning Tower of Pisa. We’re jealous of all the pasta they got to feast on!
Subby and Andy finished their exploration out further east in Russia where they visited Saint Basil’s Cathedral!
We’d like to give credit to photos used in this post, specifically the Eiffel Tower, the French flag, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Italian flag, a scene from Oktoberfest, the German flag, the Saint Basil’s Cathedral, the beach in Rio, the Brazilian flag, the Mayan temple, and the Mexican flag.
Tweet Love!
Subby loves it when users of Sonar send us TweetLove! We’re featuring A. Traviss Corry of Toronto, Canada who is the Director of INcubutor.
Thanks for the tweet and the support! We think it has massive potential too :)
Sonarize Your Summer
Whether you’re packing your bags for an exotic locale or heading to an event down the street, be sure to take Sonar with you this summer! For those of you who will be in New York City, Sonar’s home base, why not check out one of these upcoming events? While you’re at it, use Subby to make connections with friends and soon-to-be friends, and don’t forget to explore our newest updates!
Big Apple BBQ (June 9 - June 10)
Head over to one of summer’s biggest block parties, watch live performances, and meat (ha, get it?) fellow barbecue lovers.
Central Park Skate Circle (June 9 - June 10)
Bring Subby with you as you skate and dance to music spun by local DJs in the heart of Central Park. Who knows who you might skate into?
Museum Mile Festival (June 12)
Visit 10 museums along 5th Ave for free while enjoying outdoor crafts, entertainment, and more. Fire up Sonar to find other Renoir fans nearby, why don’t you?
Sonar Spotlight: Ashwin Desikan
Hey, hey Sonar friends! It’s a gloomy day here in NYC, but we hope to brighten yours up with another Sonar Spotlight! Our latest community spotlight features Ashwin Desikan, an American expat exploring the streets London, data scientist at VisualDNA, and a volunteer for the UEFA and several voter registration organizations.
*Want your very own Sonar Spotlight? Holler at @xsvengoechea
X to the O,
The Sonar Crew
Ashwin, you sound like one busy guy. How often do you get a chance to use Sonar?
I use Sonar at least once a day. I read about the app last year and was eager to download and try it out. In a city like London, with so many Foursquare, Twitter, [and] Facebook users, you are bound to stumble upon someone with a common interest everywhere you go. […] People are genuinely interested in reaching out if they feel you have a common bond.
So, do you generally use Sonar for business or pleasure? (Or both!)
It started out for pleasure, but now that I work in tech I am finding it quite useful for business. Most of the people I’ve met who are Sonar users are early adopters/techies. Sonar has been useful for me in identifying key people at tech events I’ve attended in London and see[ing] how I am connected to them. Even in a city as big as London, you are usually no more than one connection away from someone in the London tech scene…I have found useful business contacts through reaching out to people whether I’m at work (around Soho), at Harrods, or at a railway station.
Glad we could be of assistance. Do you think Sonar has changed the way you connect with people?
Sonar has made me aware of big events in London, as you can see where a lot of people have checked in. When I have a free night, I will check Sonar to find the hotspots.
Yep, we think Sonar is pretty good for finding out what’s going down around town.
Thanks, Ashwin!
Sonar Spotlight: Reeme Idris!
A warm hello to our wonderful Sonar users! We hope you’ve been enjoying our new features but in case you missed it, check it out here! After a wonderful sunshine-filled weekend, we’re feeling refreshed and ready to roll here in the sub. Here’s another Sonar Spotlight to get you through the week!
Today we’re featuring the lovely Reeme Idris – a London-based fashion stylist and producer. After studying Law and PR, Reeme now moves between fashion styling, trends research, and event production. Her biggest project is a young collaborative and creative platform: The Collective by Reeme & Nina. (Check it out! It’s superb.)
*Want your very own Sonar Spotlight? Shout out to @annaphant.
X to the O,
Sonar Crew
Such a creative gal, Reeme! So what’s your main motivation for using Sonar?
I find a great deal of value in the potential for people connecting at the events I help produce. […] I’ve connected with a few like-minded folk via Sonar; it gives me the option to be socially sourced when I choose to be and I enjoy that. When I use it around those who are less familiar with people-connecting apps, it has spurred some interesting conversations, providing [an] opportunity to learn more about the expectations and preferences we have for engaging with other people.
Mind sharing about some of the people you’ve met through sonar?
I was dutifully toasting Shrove Tuesday [English speak for Fat Tuesday] with pancakes at [the original London pancake house] in Holborn when I spotted Paul Mann via Sonar. He described himself as […] YCC thinker and doer [and] an adopted Eastender. As an East Londoner who appreciates a good bit of intelligent advertising and a fan of Young Creative Council, I thought I needed to say hello […] and shared celebration of a carb-filled holiday thanks to Sonar.
Tell us about how you use Sonar in the fashion space.
I’m looking forward to seeing whether we can integrate Sonar during a couple of conferences I’m co-producing this year [such as] TEDxHousesofParliament and the Influencer Conference, of which I’m London Captain. It kicked off in NYC two years ago and has grown to become a global content platform.
Connecting and engaging - that’s what we’re all about! So, what do you like most about Sonar?
My work often places me at an intersection of fields; […] while I’ve experienced lots of coincidences and by chance meetings already, I want to be active in spurring more of the same. What Sonar does is allow [me to meet others] without too much time spent looking down at a mobile device, which is perfect as enhancing (not replacing) what I would ordinarily do in ‘real life’.
The idea that this is might be part of a bigger, meaningful movement in technology that knows me, my tastes, my interests and works for me rather than have me working for it, is exciting.
Sonar is hiring a community/content/social media intern!
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!
Hey International Friends, we’re here for you!
We’ve heard your pleas - never fear, international users, we’ve got you covered!
If you’re a user running your phone in a language other than English, you’ll have noticed a little snag accessing Sonar. Mea culpa, friends! We want everyone anywhere to get to experience the magic of Sonar, so rest assured, we are working on it!
In the meantime, here’s a quick fix for all of our amigos and amis abroad:
If your phone is in a different language, you’ll have to switch language settings on your phone over to English first, and then download and open the app. Open your app, and voilà! you too can start meeting and greeting the folks all around you!
Not a fan of keeping your phone in English? No problem. You can switch back to your preferred language afterwards and Sonar will still run smoothly.
If you’re still having problems, hit us up at feedback@sonar.me and we’ll keep tinkering!
Cheers
Sonar Teams Up with WIRED!
Who isn’t obsessed with WIRED Magazine? We’ve been nerding out over the hard copy—and now we dig the fab iPad issues—since we could read (which was around when it launched, in January 1993…what?). We had the chance to work with WIRED last June when we were featured at NExTWORK, an event they put on with The Economist, alongside Sean Parker, Bre from MakerBot, Jimmy Fallon, Internet Founding Father Vint Cerf, and the freaking CTO OF AMERICA. Ahem. We’d say it was a highlight.
This week we’re introducing our own hot promotion with WIRED, a collaboration around the annual WIRED Holiday Pop-Up Store, opening Friday in New York. We’re pumped to be teaming up with WIRED to create the Retail Experience of the Future. We all saw Minority Report. We all know that one day the future will offer us specific product recommendations and in-store experiences designed and delivered for each individual visitor. Well stand back, folks and hold onto your credit cards. It’s here.
Visit the WIRED Store between this Friday, November 18 and Christmas Eve, pop open Sonar, and take the WIRED Insider Quiz, answering just a few quick questions to find out which WIRED Insider you are (or make guesses about whomever you’re shopping for…if buying presents is something you’re into). You’ll immediately find out exactly what you should be sure not to miss and be able to hop right to the product pages to purchase. Tweet your findings, or post them to Facebook, and who knows… maybe it will be helpful if someone (anyone) is shopping for you.
Last night was the store opening! Here’s the team on the Blue Carpet:
To read more about the event, check out this TNW story.
Feature Focus: The Itty Bitty Goodies You May Have Missed
Last month, we introduced a new version of the app. The BIG news was that we added LinkedIn, but we also made a bunch of small adjustments you may have missed. Here’s the rundown:
See Facebook Likes. This feature is often obscured by people’s Facebook settings, but, when it’s not, you can see someone’s Likes, including what you have in common. Great conversation starter. And a neat thing to uncover - event with close friends!
Carousel. When you’re looking at someone’s profile that has more than one acct linked to 4sq, you can access the carousel feature - located at the bottom of the screen. You can quickly view the person’s different profiles (and connections) by selecting the different views.
Swipe! Once viewing someone’s profile, you can swipe the screen to see other peeps at the venue. Just click anywhere on the screen and drag to the left or right. Like reading in iBooks! It lets you scan the room super fast and decide who you want to meet.
Look for more new features in the upcoming build - coming soon!
Love,
The Sonar Crew
