Akokite here. Check out my latest review on lagbook.com. Lagbook.com ... Have you checked out t\hat site? Stop reading now, and check out the site.
Welcome back to sanity, my sibling! The first time I heard that name, the lack of originality struck me as odd. I asked some friends and, surprisingly, they were of the opinion that the name had 'swag'. Swag? Interesting!
Next thing I did was visit the site. I'm a professional when it comes to free website hosting - I know a lot of them. I happen to also know what site is worth my time and which is not. When I got to the homepage of Lagbook.com, their logo and colour looked awfully like that of Facebook. The aim of the site is to connect UNILAG students and give them a way to share their experiences on campus. I have nothing against 'going specific', but if you want to poach on Facebook's territory, you will have to be different, offer something unique. Strike 1 - Bad impression. With your website, you have just 1 minute to make a user want to stay or not. I became disinterested in less than 20 seconds. Bad start, Lagbook!
For your sake, I signed up. Next thing I was greeted with was the recognisable 'ning.com' site template. Wow! He even got virtualnaija.com to design the site for him. The chat toolbar was overcrowded. I found the site very difficult to use. Dummy? That's the point! If you want a site like Facebook, though specific, it has to be at least as easy to use as Facebook. Strike 2 - Not userfriendly. When designing a site, you design for the market, not for yourself. You tailor your dreams to meet the market, and you take into consideration the competition.
After noticing these things, I couldn't for the life of me fathom why everyone was joining. That was when it became clear. This is Akokite's take: we want a site for UNILAG students, and since Lagbook is the only one, we will endure its many inconveniences. Not me! I'm not taking 30 minutes out of my Facebook time for Lagbook, until they give me a reason to. Every single person on Lagbook is surely on Facebook and I don't see how I can connect better with Lagbook than Facebook.
It's personal. Lagbook gets better, I give a better review. I want it to be better. The idea behind it is sweet. Work needs to be done, Lagbook!
Next take - funseekas.com (my review)...
It is simple and intuitive. The reason why everyone is joining is because it is awesome! And don't speak for all unilag students. Speak for yourself. A lot of other unilag students think otherwise. Many believe the network is good as it is. Everybody cannot like something. Some will like it, some will criticise it. That is just how life is. It is unfair and we have to live with it. You not wanting to take some time for Lagbook doesn't mean others will not. So stop the whinning on how much you don't appreciate the network. There is always a first time for something. a time for change. There is nothing wrong in people trying out something new. And that is the beauty of life: Change.
ReplyDeleteIt's personal. Lagbook gets better, I give a better review. I want it to be better. The idea behind it is sweet. Work needs to be done, Lagbook!
Nobody gives a shit about your review. Your reviews won't give Lagbook any extra publicity - that is because you don't have any publicity to share. On alexa.com, you have no traffic rank data, but Lagbook ranks the 62,000 most visited site in the world as of time of writing. I only got to see this blog while searching for Lagbook.com on google and that was how i stumbled across your blog. So it is apparent that Lagbook gave you some publicity and not vice-versa. The idea of the network has always been sweet. No doubt that works need to be done on Lagbook.com. There is always room for improvement no matter how good. Facebook improves regularly and that is the beauty of life: Change. But for the record, more work has to be done on this blog when compared to that of Lagbook.com
You have 4 followers even when you said you will pay them for writing on your blog but lagbook has over 1,500 members on its network from over 40 countries only within a short period of time. And for the record, I own Abokishop.com, which is created by the same people, VirtualNaija.com. And stop reviewing stuffs that are way to popular to crush you down. Their popularity will only overshadow you.
Yes I have, cos I am a member and my profile page is: http://lagbook.ning.com/profile/OkiyaGilbertuchenna. I am Okiya Gilbert Uchenna.
ReplyDeleteYour friends said it all. The name Lagbook is the spark why unilag students are joining the network daily.
You don't have to call yourself a professional. You have to let other tell you that you are a professional. If you think Lagbook has an awful colour and logo like that of facebook, then think again. Because my friends who introduced me to the network think the logo and colour that they adapted from Facebook makes the network ticks. Being interested in Lagbook depends on your personal taste. I know a number of unilag students who check their Lagbook accounts at least once a day. And I myself feels Lagbook makes a lot of sense.
You don't have to give us an excuse why you signed up to Lagbook. You didn't do it for anybody's sake but for your sake. Nobody forced you to sign up. Your blog is created with the familiar 'Blogspot' platform and it shows clearly on the URL of your blog: http://akokite.blogspot.com/, so you don't have to criticise the fact that Lagbook is built on the 'Ning' platform. VirtualNaija.com is owned by the same people that created Lagbook.com and that shows how little you know about Lagbook and its creators. The creator of Lagbook is not a 'He', they are twin brothers and they study physics in Unilag. I found the toolbar helpful. At least I could visit their facebook and twitter fan page via the toolbar. I could search information on lagbook using the same toolbar. I could get latest news on Nigeria with the same toolbar. I could translate the network to a different langauge using the same toolbar. i could chat using the toolbar and much more! I guess it is overcrowded because it has overcrowded functions...too many in one toolbar. And I appreciate their toolbar. Even a member on the network 'CURRENT NIGERIAN JOBS' wrote a blog post on how much he appreciates their toolbar at: http://lagbook.ning.com/forum/topics/we-have-borrowed-a-leaf-from
Well, I checked lagbook before and it wasn't really that inviting. Check it today and compare. Okiya, that was constructive criticism and, though it wasn't for you, I'm surprised at the vehemence with which you opposed The Akokite's criticisms. Well, lagbook before criticism and lagbook after criticism, which is better? Your call!
ReplyDeleteOh, and nice way to advertise your site. I checked it out and it's nice.
Hey, won't The Akokite be commenting on this?
I am a Software Engineer in US with a BS, MS from MIT. I got to know about this website from facebook on Wizkid page. You know what? you guys need to either stop the mess or continue with a unique idea. You have a great idea but this is not original with all the profiles yoou put on the site. Please hide those profile and use a simple about us page instead of telling everyone who owns the website. If you are real, don't publish your self unless you have a strong profile that will make angel's invest your site. This is copy cat type of idea, so i give u comment for the step but please add something unique that makes your lagbook idea stand out....
ReplyDeleteHi folks, I visited another Nigerian Social Network (http://www.pheegoh.com )and i think it surpasses the lagbook.com, only that it's still new and i'm sure that with time, it's gonna be better.
ReplyDelete