What if you could leave a note about anything in the world for others to discover? You just stumbled upon a hidden mural under a bridge. You know where the bison sleep in Golden Gate Park. You’ve documented every spot in San Francisco where Jeremy Novy’s carp are painted on the sidewalk.
That’s exactly what Caterina Fake and her new startup, Pinwheel, are hoping to accomplish. And they’re making it happen right here in Hayes Valley.
As the co-founder of Flickr and Hunch, Caterina and her team have created a new product that will expand how we share the things we discover. She sat down with us to explain what Pinwheel is, why she loves it, and how she sees it being used. We want to give you a sneak peak at what it looks like... and if you keep reading, we have a pretty stellar surprise for you at the end.
example of a note
When asked how she defines Pinwheel, Caterina explained it like this: “The best way to describe (the site) is finding and leaving notes from all around the world. You can find out about your neighborhood or places far away or news or gossip.”
From a user's perspective, the things you can do on Pinwheel are pretty simple: leave a note and find others’ notes. And the way you navigate the site mirrors those two options.
Along with leaving notes for others to discover, you can catch up on all activities in three different ways: The "You" section shows the things you've done, "Follow" is an activity feed for anyone you follow, and "New Notes" allows you to check out any notes recently added on the site.
new notes recently added
“The idea is that it’s a very open container for people to put whatever they want in it,” Caterina added. “The hope is whatever place you’re in, you can find what you’re looking for.”
After you add a note, you can check back to see who’s viewed it, who’s “liked” it, and who’s written a comment. Who knows? Maybe someone’s discovered your favorite purple house on Fell Street. The one you thought nobody appreciated except you.
notes can be left anywhere in the world
Caterina works with a full-time staff of 8 people in a loft-style office here in Hayes Valley. The team loves the area because everyone can either walk or bike to get to the office. As Caterina said, "we love it here... the neighborhood has everything we could ever want."
Speaking of things she likes, we were curious what she finds most enjoyable about Pinwheel so far.
"People are using it for things you'd never expect. Did you know the Safeway on Church was going to be a Frank Lloyd Wright funeral home? I just learned that the other day when I was on here."
And as for the name of her startup -- what made them pick Pinwheel?
“It’s a beautiful thing. Playful, fun, and you stick it in the ground like a pin.”
It’s tangible and discoverable and waiting for you.
hayeswire's page
Speaking of things waiting for you, we’ve been granted 100 invites to give away to anyone who wants to join the private beta testing.
The first 100 people who email jared [at] hayeswire {{dot}} com and ask for a Pinwheel invitation will receive one within the next few days.
Blow us away with the world you've discovered.
(Pinwheel is currently accessible via web browsers and m.pinwheel.com on mobile devices; an iPhone app is in the works and its Android counterpart will come after that.)
As the co-founder of Flickr and Hunch, Caterina and her team have created a new product that will expand how we share the things we discover. She sat down with us to explain what Pinwheel is, why she loves it, and how she sees it being used. We want to give you a sneak peak at what it looks like... and if you keep reading, we have a pretty stellar surprise for you at the end.
example of a note
new notes recently added
notes can be left anywhere in the world
hayeswire's page
