Always looking for new technology, we recently discovered Pibb, a new communication utility. We found Kevin Fox online and pulled him aside, Pibb style (you can do this by clicking on a username and having a private chat discussion). Kevin handles Product Development at JanRain, the developers of Pibb, Jyte and MyOpenID. Kevin has graced us with an interview; this the first ever interview discussing Pibb. We are honored with this opportunity to showcase Pibb.

Two things to watch for: an embedded chat here on IslamCrunch and apps for many social network sites.

IslamCrunch challenge: Using Pibb to communicate with others during an Islamic event. Pibb can be used to document what transpires at an event, anyone can log on and read/interact with the attendees.

Here is the interview with Kevin of JanRain:

IslamCrunch: What is your web application/service about?

Pibb is about making it easy for people to communicate online. It has a unique feature set that brings together the familiarity of forums, power of blogs, flexibility of email and convenience of instant messaging all in one browser window.

Pibb is a comprehensive solution for all your communication needs; one-on-one chat, communication backchannel for conferences, support tool, or for community based private/public discussions, Pibb is the answer.

If you have something to say, we want you to ‘Say it on Pibb’.

IslamCrunch: Why did you start this project?

There was a need for an OpenID communications platform to complement our Jyte (claim and credibility engine) and MyOpenID (OpenID account provider) products. The communications space is very interesting and has lots of room for growth.

IslamCrunch: How much time do you devote to its growth?

As much as possible, if you can’t find me on Pibb (https://pibb.com/me/kfox.myopenid.com) there is likely a another JanRain’er who can help on the ‘Pibb Discussion’ channel (http://archive.pibb.com/Pibb+Discussion/General/)

IslamCrunch: How large is your team and what are your backgrounds?

12 people (http://janrain.com/about). Varying backgrounds, I have a Computer Science degree and an MBA, Jason Mckerr has an background in finance and an MBA, tons of awesome engineering talent (Python, Ruby, Perl, Ajax, etc.), Michael Graves and Larry Drebes have both done successful startups in the past.

IslamCrunch: What is your design/service philosophy?

Our goal is to create products that are valuable to people and help to grow communities. Always engage and listen to the community, they are our biggest asset. Our philosophy is to keep things open and make Pibb as intuitive to use as possible. Specifically we want users to own their content and we try to always make it easy for people to get content in and out of Pibb.

IslamCrunch: What technologies are you currently using?

Pibb is built using GWT (Google Web Toolkit), Python, Ruby on Rails

IslamCrunch: What are the most requested features from your users/community?

Better channel moderation tools (which we are working on), more relays (we have an IRC relay) for things like Jabber, other IM services, etc. A Pibb API is also a popular request as well as email notifications when you get new messages. A stand-alone desktop app and ability to upload attachments etc. round out the list.

IslamCrunch: Where do you see the project heading in the next 6 months? The next 2 years?

Our goals for the next 6 months and 2 years are pretty similar, continue to make Pibb a cool place to come together and communicate with your online communities. We would like to see Pibb help to bring together the many fragmented online communities that exist. People are now participating in discussions on blogs, a host of social networking sites, IRC, and yes some people are still using email. Pibb will make it possible to keep track of these discussions in one central place.

IslamCrunch: What is the greatest challenge to your success?

We need to make sure we keep a focus on who we are building Pibb for and keep Pibb from becoming a ‘jack of all trades, yet master of none’

IslamCrunch: What is the one thing you need to get to the next phase of the project?

We are doing well currently and can continue to grow Pibb with our current resources/plan. Though we are seeking outside investment and of course the more people using Pibb the better!

IslamCrunch: Do you have a business model? If so, what is it?

We do though it’s not public at the moment. In general we want to engage with users and allow community leaders to bring their people together on Pibb. Once the communities have been established we monetize with a blend of advertising, premium and transaction services.

IslamCrunch: If you’re able to disclose this information, how much traffic or usage do you see on an average day?

Not able to disclose at the moment, I can say that our ‘Ron Paul’ channel usually has over 2,000 messages a day.

IslamCrunch: Are there any aspects of this project that has made you proud?

I like the IRC relay, seeing communities connected is exciting for me. Pibb was recently used as a backchannel for BarCampBlock (http://barcamp.org/BarCampBlock) and it was great to see people on IRC chatting with people through Pibb and vice versa. Also, with all the content ending up on Pibb anyone who is interested can now download the content and wade through it at their leisure, as opposed to all the great content being lost or hidden away in a single person’s log file, which is pretty cool IMO!

IslamCrunch: How would you describe the shift that’s occurring with the web right now to future generations?

Its getting faster and faster, if cyberspace is 10x faster than ‘normal space’ then the Facebook (web 2.0 space) is 100x faster. I am 26 and fairly technical and still feel behind in some aspects!

IslamCrunch: What site(s) do you visit everyday other than your own? Our own sites are (Pibb; MyOpenID; Jyte)

• Google (News reader, Adwords, analytics, docs, mail)
• Bloglines
• Blogs with relevant news (Marshallk.com, etc.)
• Feedburner
• Our affiliates (https://www.myopenid.com/directory, http://janrain.com/blog/2007/08/23/openid-ecosystem-continues-to-grow/)

IslamCrunch: If you could collaborate with another organization or participate on another project, please list them here.

I am interested in working with anyone who would like to support OpenID and/or embed Pibb in their site. Here is a list of some of the sites who have embedded Pibb already: http://janrain.com/blog/2007/08/23/whos-embedding-pibb/

If I had to specifically name names with the elections coming up I would like to work with any campaign organizers to see how/if Pibb can help them spread the word about their candidate, bill, etc.

IslamCrunch: Any other comments?

We have a general Pibb How To / manual available here: http://janrain.com/products/how-to-use-the-pibb-openid-communication-platform/