For the past few years, I've been playing Bingo with a handful of friends. We would fill out our cards with things we wanted to do for the year ahead. Small things. Big things. It was up to everyone to decide how challenging they wanted to make it. Some stratigized, some threw out some pretty lofty goals, some (ehem... me) played small. This year, I haven't yet seen my little crew to give them their BINGO cards (Okay, I just made the first one about 3 minutes ago) but I figured I would share the idea with all of you. Don't think about it too much, just toss things up there and play along. Fill a row, but don't stop... see how.many of them you can do in a year - because I promise you this: if you complete the whole darn card, you will definitely win BIG for 2019! (No actual prize awarded, just the awesomeness of doing things you want to do.) So... who's ready to play 2019 BINGO?!?! What are some things you would put on your BINGO Card? #bingo #2019goals #goalsfor2019 #inoneyear #whatwouldyoudo #amwriting #writer #Westchester #northernwestchester #personalgrowth #perseverance #nevergiveup #playalong https://www.instagram.com/p/BsaaDliF3d5/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=xgh75dpvcut0
Today, Hshtags turns one! It has been such a journey thus far, learning from our users and constantly rethinking the experience. As I reflect on the past twelve months, I’m amazed at how far we’ve come. So, it’s time to take a trip down memory lane through my eyes…
September 8, 2013 marks the first day Hshtags was put in front of users all over the world. I hyperventilated like a maniac the first day because it wasn’t a quick and seamless launch. It should have been live by 12am that morning but it took almost 2 hours to transfer the files to the production server, because I was naive to the whole process. Nevertheless, it launched, I grabbed a cider, sat on the couch and kept watch for any action or bugs that might pop up. The first day was a rush and my finger was glued to the refresh button as I watched users visit the site. The first few weeks after launch were spent checking my email constantly to make sure no one was having trouble, sending emails to all the social and tech blogs I followed and stalking my analytics account.
OCT - After getting feedback from friends, family and new users I decided to make a big update to the site in October which allowed users to search without signing up. It made all the difference as it attracted more users to search without any requirements.
NOV - Word of mouth is a powerful thing in the startup world and I learnt that first hand. The first big article review came from Molly McHugh over at Digital Trends(1) on November 20, 2013 followed by one from Barry Feldman on Social Media Today(2) within a couple days. I was ecstatic, because it shared like wildfire in a few hours and the responses were great.
DEC/JAN - As a developer, you are constantly rethinking your codebase and if given the opportunity, updating your code to be cleaner and more efficient. Throughout the Christmas holidays, I decided to rethink the structure of the front-end and started rewriting the code with Angular as the base. It solved a lot of the data-binding issues I had and made the codebase much smaller and manageable. In layman terms, I made the right decision.
Did I mention Hshtags was Netted by the Webbys(3) while I was busy coding away!
FEB - Embeds are a commodity every social media platform has, so it quickly became a priority for Hshtags and was released mid February. It has been very popular amongst our users so I’m anxious to get started on the next update which will allow them to be more flexible and customizable.
MAR - Every other support email I’ve received were requests for access to an API that didn’t exist. However, this wasn’t the only reason I decided to build the API. Some of my future plans included live feeds and a mobile app, and they both didn’t need and couldn’t use the backend of the main web platform so I needed a solution that was state and language agnostic, so I began working on the first iteration of the Hshtags API.
I’m working on making it available for public use soon!
APR - April 24, 2014 was the first time Hshtags was showcased in one of the world’s largest startup events, New York Tech Day and it was exhilarating. With two of my good friends, a surplus of branded materials and two interactive installations, Hshtags was booth #137(a number I will never forget). The number of people that stopped at our booth was more than I imagined. We received resumes, business cards, ideas and feedback all in the span of 8hrs and I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything.
MAY - Marija Kanazir from another prominent blog, The Branding Magazine(4) reviewed Hshtags in May while we were also invited to provide an article for the Launched in the Alley series on Alley Watch(5). It was a great opportunity to get our platform in front of prominent people in the startup world.
JUNE - One of the features that almost made the platform feel incomplete was the ability to respond inline to posts within a search results feed. It was a feature that had a few limitations based on the platforms that were supported but regardless I spent the month identifying those limitations and defining the experience. ‘Conversations’ was finally released on June 23, 2014, supporting 5 out of 8 platforms.
JULY - The #worldcup was one of the most trending hashtags from June to July and after the finals I wanted to share how the tag took over social media throughout those 4 weeks. The idea of ‘Hashtag Chronicles’(6) was born. It is a collection of posts tagged with a specific hashtag, from various social media platforms and curated by the Hshtags team. Relive a single hashtag in its moment of glory.
AUG - As the one year mark approached, I struggled with making a decision between two key product launches and the winner that emerged was the first official Hshtags App. The month of August was then spent redefining certain parts of the experience, so both the website and app would feel the same, and building the app. I am excited to announce that the Hshtags app will be released in the week of September 15, 2014!
And there you have it. An inside look into Hshtags and the first twelve months in beta. From features and site updates to reviews and trade shows, the platform has grown a lot over the past year and there is still much more in store. Bring it on year two!
Luna sat on the bench, silent. She has been every since that happened, only speaking when necessary. Her tired eyes scanned the park, watching the people interacted and play with each other. When her brown orbs landed on a family of five, her soul felt heavy and weary. She broke down in sobs, unseen and unheard to the humans around her.
‘I’m sorry. So sorry. I couldn't save you. I deserve every pain possible.'
Day - 365
“On a count of 3, 1…2…3!” The envelopes in each of the twin’s hand were ripped open, anticipation running through their veins.
“I got in! I got in!” gleefully shouted Jinyoung, the older twin, as she jumped up and down. “Sunyoung-ah, what about you?”
Sunyoung stared at the letter quietly, a blank expression on her face.
“Sunyoung…”Jinyoung frowned. “I…” She didn’t know how to comfort her.
“I got in too.” Sunyoung announced with a grin, showing her the letter.
“Geez! You scared me!” The older twin tackled her counterpart into a hug. “We’re going to college!”
Though we never finished it.
Day 215
Luna sat in one of the seats of the empty auditorium, her eyes closed. She listened to the male singing an unfamiliar song. His voice was amazing as always. He sang like an angel, no wonder why he was casted for the lead for several of the plays. She gave out a soft sigh when he finished singing.
“Will you go out with me?”
“Yes! Of course!”
The sound of a door closing echoed throughout the auditorium, startling the pair on the stage.
“What was that?” Minjung asked fearfully, scooting closer to the male.
“I don’t know…” he answered solemnly. “A ghost maybe?”
Day -164
Sunyoung absentmindedly painted the cardboard cutout of a tree, not noticing that she’s been painting the same branch over and over again.
“I think that part is well painted by now,” chuckled a male. She jumped a little. “Oh…sorry I was distracted…” “Because of the results of casting?” She nodded, a sad expression on her face. “Hey, don’t be sad. You have a wonderful voice! Just a little shaky though and a bit unsure. After some practice and a little tweaks, you’ll get the female lead next time for sure!” She smiled as his encouraging words. “T-thanks. Maybe you should help me next time so that I’ll snatch a lead like you did?” The male smiled. “Anytime!”
“My name is Park Sunyoung.” She turned to bow briefly at the male.
“Yeah, I know! Welcome to theatre!” He greeted cheerfully. “My name is…”
You were my crush...
Day 129
“Hey! I’m talking to you, you stupid wannabe human!” Luna winced in pain as she got the wind knocked out of her and shoved against into rough wall. “I fucking said, ‘What’s your name, bitch?’ Disobeying your seniors, eh!” barked the bulky ragdoll-like creature. Plainly, he looked like a scientist experiment gone wrong. His body made up of the favorable parts of the carcasses of others.
A winged demon shrieked with laughter. “Good luck Nakir. That reaper doesn’t speak at all. You’re lucky to even get a scream from her.”
Nakir chortled. “Is that so!?” His claws came up to tighten over her neck. “She makes no peep at all?”
“None at all,” sneered the other demon. “She does well as a stress reliever since she insists on keeping her likeness as a ugly, foul human.”
“How convenient for us. We’ll make her talk, one way or another.”
Day –82
“Do it. Do it. Do it. Do it. Do it. Do it. You should totally do it, Sunyoung!”
“I don’t know, Jinyoung…” The younger twin looked at the movie tickets skeptically.
“You have to! He already brought the tickets! It’ll be a huge waste of money if you didn’t go!”
“I don’t even have nice clothes-“ “Don’t you even dare!” yelled Jinyoung, opening up her side of the closet. “Helllo!”
Sunyoung sighed before declaring out loud. “Fine! I’ll do it!”
“Do what?” popped in the twin’s older brother, Chi Soon.
“Nothing!” screamed Jinyoung while Sunyoung casually replied. “Going to the movies with this guy…”
“W H A T !”
I'm glad my sister made me go.
Day 51
“What are you doing to my son!?” screeched the mother, coming in to the room to find Luna standing over her son. She jumped back, startled by the yell. He gave out another round of coughs before becoming completely silent. Dead. He was dead, the sickness won. The mother ran to his side, examining him and calling out his name.
“Mama…” mumbled the boy, who was only a soul now, standing next to Luna.
“You…” seethed the mother, jabbing a finger at her. “You poisoned him! You killed him!”
Luna shook her head. No. I did not. It was his time…
“You sick monster! You heartless beast! You should die for what you’ve done!”
She shook her head again, trying not to let the words rattle her. It was her job. She couldn’t help it.
Day -1
“Hey, Sunyoung!” At the familiar voice, she turns around to see (her crush) a male coming towards her. She paused a little to let him catch up. “Are we still up for tomorrow?” He inquired with a smile. Sunyoung smiled shyly in return, nodding her head. “Y-yeah, of course!”
“Good because I’m taking you to a cool place I’ve discovered, obviously my treat.” He winked. “Dress nicely… but not too nicely or else your brother will have a fit with me.”
Sunyoung gave out a light chuckle. “Okay, I’ll dress horribly then?”
It was his turn to laugh. “No, dress in something that’s…you. It’s important that you do.”
“Why?” She blinked.
“You’ll see…I’ll walk you home now!” He took her hand and walked off to the direction of Sunyoung’s house.
I'm sorry I couldn't make it to our date.
Day 1
Her skin was pale and cold. Her eyes were black, the life in them gone. Her chapped lips were in a firm line as she reluctantly followed the hooded figure into the shadows.
‘You are to be a grim reaper,’ she remembered the ominous voice of the figure that first approached her broken soul. ‘Bound to the inbetween, neither living nor dying. Guiding the souls of the dead to their final judgment. This is what has been decided for you.’
