Interview mit Barbara Yersin von Minsh.net
Letzte Woche hatte ich die Möglichkeit mit Barbara Yersin von Minsh für ein kurzes Interview zu führen.
Nils: Tell us who you are?
Barbara: My name is Barbara Yersin, I am co-founder and CEO of Minsh. I obtained my PhD a few months ago in Computer Science, more specifically in Computer Graphics. Minsh is my baby and I love it since the first day 
Nils: Tell us more about minsh and its purpose?
Barbara: The main problem with today’s social networks is that user profiles are static, shallow, 2D pages that present information as a heavy flow of text. Social networks could be so much more welcoming and entertaining if they were represented in a different, more interactive and intuitive way. But don’t worry, Minsh solves this problem!
We have created an underwater virtual world: Minsh, that opens up existing social networks. As a first step, each fish in Minsh represents a twitter user. In time, Minsh will bridge all social networks in the same ocean.
Thanks to Minsh, users can visualize their network in a 3D environment, rather than a 2D text page. It becomes easy to explore beyond one’s own connections and meet new people all around the globe.
Minsh brings a social world without frontiers, and enables entertaining interactions between users of all networks, cultures, and horizons.
Nils: Why isn’t it such another Twitter client? What is the additional value of minsh to its users?
Barbara: Social games are starting to appear around Twitter. They are however quite basic and interaction between users remains very limited. Even with social games and worlds around Facebook, users are very limited in how they can interact with each other. Most of the time, you cannot directly talk or play with your friends. With Minsh, we have developed a unique technology based on strong know-how of 2 different labs of the Lausanne Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. This strong technology allows users of Minsh to interact with each other at all times and without frontiers: play together, tease the fish of your friends, even if they are offline, breed new baby fish, and so much more!
Nils: When will you go online for the broad public?
Barbara: We are in an alpha phase. Right now, users can only enter Minsh if they obtain an invitation. Before the end of the year, we will launch the 3rd version of our alpha, allowing users to create new baby fish that they can offer to their friends to allow them to enter the system. We expect to invite many new users this way. Minsh will become fully public next year: you’ll be able to watch the ocean even if you don’t have any Twitter account!
Nils: Currently, only Twitter is included. What other networks will be included?
Barbara:We have the plan to aggregate many other social networks. For now it’s Twitter, because it’s the fastest growing social network! But next, we will work on the integration of Facebook and then MySpace too. This integration will allow users from all networks to meet in Minsh.
Nils: Lately, I couldn’t sign in due to the Twitter problems. What will you do in such cases?
Barbara: For now, Twitter has great tools to help their users log in Minsh (most of the time at least ;P). Later on, once we integrate other social networks, users will have the possibility to log in with other credentials (e.g., from Facebook), or even with the Minsh credentials (dedicated login and password).
Nils: Why connecting the ocean to twitter and not facebook for instance?
Barbara: Because Twitter is the fastest growing social network today! And also, we saw the opportunity of becoming the first social world around Twitter, which we are, by the way
Nils: How will you make money?
Barbara: With Alpha3, users will be able to earn “shells”, our virtual currency. The shells can be spent to buy virtual items to customize your fish, but with a micro-transaction (just 1-2$) paid using your cellphone, you can buy special virtual items, like for instance, a new fish model!
Nils: Virtual Goods is a big trend on the internet. Tell us more about some successful exapmles?
Barbara: One of my favorites: Playfish with their Pet Society (social game connected to Facebook and mySpace) has sold over 20 million virtual christmas trees for Christmas 2008. Also, I’ve recently read a study that states that 12% of Americans are buying virtual goods online!!!
Nils: Last question, something general. What is Social Media to you and where do you see Social Media in 5 years?
Barbara: For me social media is the revolutionizing way people are now no longer consumers, but providers. The new media is social: people can generate information and let all their connections know about it. Twitter is really the core of social media: learn what is happening right now everywhere in the world: it’s the fastest way to make information transit.
In 5 years, there will be no advertising like we see it today. You will know what your friends do, what your friends buy, what your friends recommend you, and these messages will have so much more impact on you, because they directly come from someone you know. In 5 years, most information will come through some social media, whether it is Facebook Twitter, or, more certainly: Minsh
Thanks a lot Barbara. Will meet you in the ocean
