Comments on: Jaxtr’s Challenge: Turn Try It Into Buy It http://gigaom.com/2007/12/11/jaxtrs-challenge-turn-try-it-into-buy-it/ Tracking the Internet Evolution Sun, 07 Sep 2008 11:36:33 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=MU hourly 1 By: Jaxtr Ends Beta, Begins Selling Ads - GigaOM http://gigaom.com/2007/12/11/jaxtrs-challenge-turn-try-it-into-buy-it/#comment-863041 Jaxtr Ends Beta, Begins Selling Ads - GigaOM Tue, 26 Feb 2008 05:00:46 +0000 http://gigaom.com/2007/12/11/jaxtrs-challenge-turn-try-it-into-buy-it/#comment-863041 <p>[...] Monday, February 25, 2008 at 9:00 PM PT Comments (0) Social voice startup Jaxtr has reached 10 million users, doubling its user base in less than three months. The company has also announced the end of its [...]</p> [...] Monday, February 25, 2008 at 9:00 PM PT Comments (0) Social voice startup Jaxtr has reached 10 million users, doubling its user base in less than three months. The company has also announced the end of its [...]

]]> By: eM http://gigaom.com/2007/12/11/jaxtrs-challenge-turn-try-it-into-buy-it/#comment-806066 eM Thu, 27 Dec 2007 02:21:55 +0000 http://gigaom.com/2007/12/11/jaxtrs-challenge-turn-try-it-into-buy-it/#comment-806066 <p>Hi Konstantin, Though Skype is free, it gets income by selling skypeout to its users. How is Jaxtr going to monetize its big user base, that's the question. To give free calling time to 5 million users and expect only 1% of it would be paying users?</p> Hi Konstantin,
Though Skype is free, it gets income by selling skypeout to its users. How is Jaxtr going to monetize its big user base, that’s the question. To give free calling time to 5 million users and expect only 1% of it would be paying users?

]]> By: Konstantin Guericke http://gigaom.com/2007/12/11/jaxtrs-challenge-turn-try-it-into-buy-it/#comment-797450 Konstantin Guericke Mon, 24 Dec 2007 05:29:15 +0000 http://gigaom.com/2007/12/11/jaxtrs-challenge-turn-try-it-into-buy-it/#comment-797450 <p>Jaxtr is about giving your phone a link, and one of the benefits is that people abroad can call you for the price of a local call. But this is only one of many benefits--a lot of our users enjoy the ability to route their calls to the phone of their choice, to allow people visiting their blog/profile/posting to call them without having to disclose their phone number, etc. I think the reason we've pulled away from the pack is a combination of a complete set of services and a streamlined user experience. Just like when we started LinkedIn, people didn't think there was any money to be made, but we always felt that if you provide something valuable that members don't have a problem paying for it. Even though Skype is free, users spend billions every year on international phone calls because they like the convenience of making calls from their phone--without having to download anything, requiring a phone with Internet connection, etc.</p> Jaxtr is about giving your phone a link, and one of the benefits is that people abroad can call you for the price of a local call. But this is only one of many benefits–a lot of our users enjoy the ability to route their calls to the phone of their choice, to allow people visiting their blog/profile/posting to call them without having to disclose their phone number, etc. I think the reason we’ve pulled away from the pack is a combination of a complete set of services and a streamlined user experience. Just like when we started LinkedIn, people didn’t think there was any money to be made, but we always felt that if you provide something valuable that members don’t have a problem paying for it. Even though Skype is free, users spend billions every year on international phone calls because they like the convenience of making calls from their phone–without having to download anything, requiring a phone with Internet connection, etc.

]]> By: Moshe Maeir http://gigaom.com/2007/12/11/jaxtrs-challenge-turn-try-it-into-buy-it/#comment-771865 Moshe Maeir Fri, 14 Dec 2007 05:36:19 +0000 http://gigaom.com/2007/12/11/jaxtrs-challenge-turn-try-it-into-buy-it/#comment-771865 <p>Kudos to Anne for exposing the "free calls" scam. Otherwise called - con(vince) investors into giving you millions and then hand then out to your customers as free calls.</p> <p>What do you do when you run out of money? Why worry? Maenwhile you are having fun! There is a market for easy to make low cost international calls. But free calls? What benefit is there from free calls. Your customers as NO loyalty and will leave you for the next "j" (as in jajah, jaxtr, jangl etc...). I have posted about this many times http://www.google.com/search?rawq=free+calls&q=site%3Aflatplanetphone.com+free+calls&submit=Google+Search and it is nice to see from the comments here, that I am not so far off..</p> Kudos to Anne for exposing the “free calls” scam. Otherwise called - con(vince) investors into giving you millions and then hand then out to your customers as free calls.

What do you do when you run out of money? Why worry? Maenwhile you are having fun! There is a market for easy to make low cost international calls. But free calls? What benefit is there from free calls. Your customers as NO loyalty and will leave you for the next “j” (as in jajah, jaxtr, jangl etc…). I have posted about this many times (link)
and it is nice to see from the comments here, that I am not so far off..

]]> By: Rocky Agrawal http://gigaom.com/2007/12/11/jaxtrs-challenge-turn-try-it-into-buy-it/#comment-770650 Rocky Agrawal Thu, 13 Dec 2007 15:30:27 +0000 http://gigaom.com/2007/12/11/jaxtrs-challenge-turn-try-it-into-buy-it/#comment-770650 <p>One of the keys to Jaxtr's model seems to be the way they allocate numbers. If they assigned a DID for each user (like GrandCentral does), the math clearly wouldn't work.</p> <p>Instead the number they assign to you is shared with other users. They look at the incoming number and figure out where to route it based on the number that is "registered" through the Web widget.</p> <p>To see how this works, try calling a Jaxtr number from the Web widget and give them your home phone number. They'll assign a number for that callee for you to use on future calls. Now take that number and try calling it from your cell phone. It won't work because the system hasn't associated your cell phone with that number.</p> <p>They also won't let you make calls through the Web widget to the same number twice from the same phone, further reducing the cost. (No inbound leg to pay for.)</p> One of the keys to Jaxtr’s model seems to be the way they allocate numbers. If they assigned a DID for each user (like GrandCentral does), the math clearly wouldn’t work.

Instead the number they assign to you is shared with other users. They look at the incoming number and figure out where to route it based on the number that is “registered” through the Web widget.

To see how this works, try calling a Jaxtr number from the Web widget and give them your home phone number. They’ll assign a number for that callee for you to use on future calls. Now take that number and try calling it from your cell phone. It won’t work because the system hasn’t associated your cell phone with that number.

They also won’t let you make calls through the Web widget to the same number twice from the same phone, further reducing the cost. (No inbound leg to pay for.)

]]> By: Kori http://gigaom.com/2007/12/11/jaxtrs-challenge-turn-try-it-into-buy-it/#comment-769958 Kori Thu, 13 Dec 2007 06:42:29 +0000 http://gigaom.com/2007/12/11/jaxtrs-challenge-turn-try-it-into-buy-it/#comment-769958 <p>jax are useless pseudo currency. Why anybody would want to buy jax - pure imposting.</p> jax are useless pseudo currency. Why anybody would want to buy jax - pure imposting.

]]> By: Gremlin http://gigaom.com/2007/12/11/jaxtrs-challenge-turn-try-it-into-buy-it/#comment-769932 Gremlin Thu, 13 Dec 2007 06:13:15 +0000 http://gigaom.com/2007/12/11/jaxtrs-challenge-turn-try-it-into-buy-it/#comment-769932 <p>Come 'on. Jajah, Jangl and dozens of voip startups I've read about give away free calling, but none are growing nearly as fast, so Jaxtr must be doing something right! I don't get many calls from my Jaxtr button...quality has been excellent tho. Not sure how much to trust Alexa these days, but Jaxtr's page views are a lot more than any voip startup I typed in, so if anyone can become the next Skype, Jaxtr is a good bet! Hope they give me some choice of buttons coz orange is pretty garish . . .</p> Come ‘on. Jajah, Jangl and dozens of voip startups I’ve read about give away free calling, but none are growing nearly as fast, so Jaxtr must be doing something right! I don’t get many calls from my Jaxtr button…quality has been excellent tho. Not sure how much to trust Alexa these days, but Jaxtr’s page views are a lot more than any voip startup I typed in, so if anyone can become the next Skype, Jaxtr is a good bet! Hope they give me some choice of buttons coz orange is pretty garish . . .

]]> By: spg http://gigaom.com/2007/12/11/jaxtrs-challenge-turn-try-it-into-buy-it/#comment-769760 spg Thu, 13 Dec 2007 03:52:15 +0000 http://gigaom.com/2007/12/11/jaxtrs-challenge-turn-try-it-into-buy-it/#comment-769760 <p>i like jaxtr a lot. by i can not understand why they do not let me buy additional jax. i can't start attaching a widget to every email and posting on blogs and than run out of jax and its useless. they could start making money today if they only accept it instead of limiting me to 100 jax a month. also 100 jax is completely useless if you take your calls on a mobile phone in europe. you only get about 4 minutes.</p> <p>if they no want to sell jax than please let me forward to a SIP URI for free in place of a phone number.</p> i like jaxtr a lot. by i can not understand why they do not let me buy additional jax. i can’t start attaching a widget to every email and posting on blogs and than run out of jax and its useless. they could start making money today if they only accept it instead of limiting me to 100 jax a month. also 100 jax is completely useless if you take your calls on a mobile phone in europe. you only get about 4 minutes.

if they no want to sell jax than please let me forward to a SIP URI for free in place of a phone number.

]]> By: Jack Straw http://gigaom.com/2007/12/11/jaxtrs-challenge-turn-try-it-into-buy-it/#comment-769624 Jack Straw Thu, 13 Dec 2007 02:09:35 +0000 http://gigaom.com/2007/12/11/jaxtrs-challenge-turn-try-it-into-buy-it/#comment-769624 <p>At first blush, 5,000,000 users sounds really impressive. Taking a look at their Alexa traffic and where these users are coming from tells me they will NEVER monotize these guys. Nearly 14% of traffic from India, Egypt in second with 6.1%, Morrocco and Malaysia in the top 5 (US traffic and Western Europe is less than 10%). The UK comes in less than Palestine, Jordan and Pakistan! Only the US, UK and Canada make the top 25 as countries where Jaxtr may actually be able to convert 1% of their users to paying users!!! OUCH. I'm betting tons of those accounts are just the same guys signing up for millions of accounts to get their free 100 minutes per month. Watch you wallets!!! This traffic will kill them over time. When they do start charging, these same users will drive Jaxtr's fraud rates through the roof. DFJ...you're about to lost a TON of money.</p> <p>India13.7% Egypt6.1% United States5.4% Morocco4.5% Malaysia3.6% Dominican Republic3.6% Jordan3.5% Palestinian Territory3.3% United Arab Emirates2.8% Pakistan2.8% Kuwait2.5% Saudi Arabia2.4% Algeria2.4% Tunisia2.1% Philippines2.1% United Kingdom2.0% Qatar2.0% Bahrain1.8% El Salvador1.7% Singapore1.6% China1.4% Colombia1.2% Canada1.2% Sweden1.1% Oman0.9% Other countries24.4%</p> At first blush, 5,000,000 users sounds really impressive. Taking a look at their Alexa traffic and where these users are coming from tells me they will NEVER monotize these guys. Nearly 14% of traffic from India, Egypt in second with 6.1%, Morrocco and Malaysia in the top 5 (US traffic and Western Europe is less than 10%). The UK comes in less than Palestine, Jordan and Pakistan! Only the US, UK and Canada make the top 25 as countries where Jaxtr may actually be able to convert 1% of their users to paying users!!! OUCH. I’m betting tons of those accounts are just the same guys signing up for millions of accounts to get their free 100 minutes per month. Watch you wallets!!! This traffic will kill them over time. When they do start charging, these same users will drive Jaxtr’s fraud rates through the roof. DFJ…you’re about to lost a TON of money.

India13.7%
Egypt6.1%
United States5.4%
Morocco4.5%
Malaysia3.6%
Dominican Republic3.6%
Jordan3.5%
Palestinian Territory3.3%
United Arab Emirates2.8%
Pakistan2.8%
Kuwait2.5%
Saudi Arabia2.4%
Algeria2.4%
Tunisia2.1%
Philippines2.1%
United Kingdom2.0%
Qatar2.0%
Bahrain1.8%
El Salvador1.7%
Singapore1.6%
China1.4%
Colombia1.2%
Canada1.2%
Sweden1.1%
Oman0.9%
Other countries24.4%

]]> By: Howard http://gigaom.com/2007/12/11/jaxtrs-challenge-turn-try-it-into-buy-it/#comment-768886 Howard Wed, 12 Dec 2007 19:20:35 +0000 http://gigaom.com/2007/12/11/jaxtrs-challenge-turn-try-it-into-buy-it/#comment-768886 <p>Hmm...If I stood on a street corner in NYC with a sign that said "Free iPhones", I could take that title of "fastest growing communications service" away from them in a hurry. Hell if I did it for a week I bet I could get more than 5M users.</p> <p>Ohh..wait..but how would I pay for those iPhones. Damn.</p> <p>It's called a revenue time bomb, and it will go off. They are giving away service to get users. And their services have real costs associated with them, as Anne points out.</p> <p>Also, I can't imagine they grew this quickly and I don't know anyone actually using it. When Skype was Skype, every other person I ran into in the Valley mentioned Skype.</p> <p>Looking past the PR B.S., the real test will be if this claim of 5M users holds up under VC scrutiny, because at the rate they are giving away service they likely have burned through their $10M and are about to raise. Convenient timing for questionable PR claims...</p> Hmm…If I stood on a street corner in NYC with a sign that said “Free iPhones”, I could take that title of “fastest growing communications service” away from them in a hurry. Hell if I did it for a week I bet I could get more than 5M users.

Ohh..wait..but how would I pay for those iPhones. Damn.

It’s called a revenue time bomb, and it will go off. They are giving away service to get users. And their services have real costs associated with them, as Anne points out.

Also, I can’t imagine they grew this quickly and I don’t know anyone actually using it. When Skype was Skype, every other person I ran into in the Valley mentioned Skype.

Looking past the PR B.S., the real test will be if this claim of 5M users holds up under VC scrutiny, because at the rate they are giving away service they likely have burned through their $10M and are about to raise. Convenient timing for questionable PR claims…

]]> By: Made http://gigaom.com/2007/12/11/jaxtrs-challenge-turn-try-it-into-buy-it/#comment-767706 Made Wed, 12 Dec 2007 09:47:12 +0000 http://gigaom.com/2007/12/11/jaxtrs-challenge-turn-try-it-into-buy-it/#comment-767706 <p>Still, 5 million is a BIG number. And to achieve that from 500k in 140 days, that's very good. Jaxtr wants to convert 1% of its 5mln users into paying ones. The question then, is 1% enough?</p> <p>@Rawat For asia, you might want to try www.myhometone.com</p> Still, 5 million is a BIG number. And to achieve that from 500k in 140 days, that’s very good. Jaxtr wants to convert 1% of its 5mln users into paying ones. The question then, is 1% enough?

@Rawat
For asia, you might want to try (link)

]]> By: Rawat http://gigaom.com/2007/12/11/jaxtrs-challenge-turn-try-it-into-buy-it/#comment-767353 Rawat Wed, 12 Dec 2007 06:43:57 +0000 http://gigaom.com/2007/12/11/jaxtrs-challenge-turn-try-it-into-buy-it/#comment-767353 <p>Most phone numbers in Asia I tried were not supported. For few successful calls, quality was average and pathetic connection time</p> Most phone numbers in Asia I tried were not supported. For few successful calls, quality was average and pathetic connection time

]]> By: Megan http://gigaom.com/2007/12/11/jaxtrs-challenge-turn-try-it-into-buy-it/#comment-766291 Megan Tue, 11 Dec 2007 20:19:57 +0000 http://gigaom.com/2007/12/11/jaxtrs-challenge-turn-try-it-into-buy-it/#comment-766291 <p>@Dragoljub, please send me a jaxtr text at www.jaxtr.com/megzozo and let me know about the service lag you have been experiencing. I would love to help get this issue resolved asap. Thanks!</p> @Dragoljub, please send me a jaxtr text at (link) and let me know about the service lag you have been experiencing. I would love to help get this issue resolved asap. Thanks!

]]> By: Payam http://gigaom.com/2007/12/11/jaxtrs-challenge-turn-try-it-into-buy-it/#comment-765809 Payam Tue, 11 Dec 2007 16:14:35 +0000 http://gigaom.com/2007/12/11/jaxtrs-challenge-turn-try-it-into-buy-it/#comment-765809 <p>This is an excellent article, while many of the other media outlets and blogs (techcrunch, venturebeat, mashable, etc) are simply reporting the press release put out by marketing department, Gigaom decides to look at the bigger picture and questions Jaxtr's future and points out the revenue aspect of this business.</p> <p>Good job Anne!</p> This is an excellent article, while many of the other media outlets and blogs (techcrunch, venturebeat, mashable, etc) are simply reporting the press release put out by marketing department, Gigaom decides to look at the bigger picture and questions Jaxtr’s future and points out the revenue aspect of this business.

Good job Anne!

]]> By: Cheryl's Office http://gigaom.com/2007/12/11/jaxtrs-challenge-turn-try-it-into-buy-it/#comment-765784 Cheryl's Office Tue, 11 Dec 2007 16:03:49 +0000 http://gigaom.com/2007/12/11/jaxtrs-challenge-turn-try-it-into-buy-it/#comment-765784 <p>I have tried many of the VOIP solutions as I run my business. While I save money with each of them I cannot afford the quality drop I get. The question is not how much do I save using VOIP, it is how may customers do I lose because of the quality drop and popping they hear.</p> I have tried many of the VOIP solutions as I run my business. While I save money with each of them I cannot afford the quality drop I get. The question is not how much do I save using VOIP, it is how may customers do I lose because of the quality drop and popping they hear.

]]> By: Anil Purohit http://gigaom.com/2007/12/11/jaxtrs-challenge-turn-try-it-into-buy-it/#comment-765227 Anil Purohit Tue, 11 Dec 2007 12:36:32 +0000 http://gigaom.com/2007/12/11/jaxtrs-challenge-turn-try-it-into-buy-it/#comment-765227 <p>jaxtr sucks - jajah is lot better</p> jaxtr sucks - jajah is lot better

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