Technology

Lunchtime Links: Get In Line, It’s Worth It

Mailbox, an email management app for iOS, keeps a waiting list for users, but it's worth the wait. Also: Company showcases its annual report via an interactive infographic.

Do you suffer from a over-flooded inbox? Get in line behind everyone else—we’re all in the same boat.

Since so many people rely on email, the folks working on Mailbox want to ensure that any breakage happening is minimal in the early stages.

That and more in today’s Lunchtime Links:

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More exclusive than a country club: Mailbox, a widely hyped email-management app, hit the iOS App Store on Thursday—and according to many tech writers who have tested the app so far, it’s been worth the wait. One of them was TechCrunch’s Ryan Lawler, who believes Mailbox’s swiping features and “save for later” mail options are some of the coolest organizational tools this app has to offer. But the thing that’s getting people talking? The line—there’s a massive waiting list for usage, and developers are only letting people in slowly. (More than 500,000 people are on the waiting list as of Friday afternoon, with people joining the list far faster than invites are being handed out.) “Since so many people rely on email, the folks working on Mailbox want to ensure that any breakage happening is minimal in the early stages. As a result, they won’t say how quickly they’ll be adding users or how soon those waiting in line can expect to get on board,” Lawler explains. Even if that’s the reason, could a similar trick build exclusivity around your association’s initiatives?

It’s all about the delivery: Does your association put together an annual report? Airbnb, a short-term rental website, recently released its 2012 annual report, showcasing its explosive growth to 4 million users and 11 offices worldwide. But the coolest part is how the company showcased the numbers. The webpage works as a long, interactive infographic, where visitors can scroll through pages of graphs, testimonials, images, and so forth. Not only that, the report got tons of attention via social media.

This is how he works: Evernote CEO Phil Libin has a wacky sense of humor and style. But even the creator of the note-taking and productivity app has a routine that tracks his own productivity. He shared it during a Q&A with LifeHacker writer Tessa Miller. Libin talked about having open seating at the Evernote office, taking breaks from productivity during long plane rides, and believing your product is good enough to be a fundamental tool. How do you work?

What interesting things have you found on the internet today? Let us know in the comments below.

(Photodisc/Thinkstock)

Anita Ferrer

By Anita Ferrer

Anita Ferrer is a contributor to Associations Now. MORE

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