Beta Update #1

When we launched in private beta about three weeks ago, we meant private. Truth be told, it was just a few friends. Want even more truth? It was, like, 30% me. Figured I would volunteer to be the brave soul who fearlessly went forth and trooted, back-patted and commented my way to our error page as many times as I could muster. Say hi to rainy cat and umbrella dog. They give their regards.

Altrooist Error Page

But now, just a few weeks later, there are actual people I don’t know using the site. Real live strangers! (Hi, new Altrooists!) For the sake of cataloging the ups and downs of getting started (i.e. what doesn’t work, what we’ve fixed and what we’re working on), I’ve opted to share my update for our testers, old friends and new friends, as a blog post. Transparency! It’s cool! Also: potentially boring.

Dear Everyone,

Hi! And thank you. It’s been about three weeks and we’ve made a number of small updates to the site that I wanted to share.

1) Your logins are no longer case sensitive. Opps, right?! Didn’t mean for that to happen! But as Erik said, no one wants a mischievous @HaIkUgIrL running around back-patting and leaving snarky comments on everyone’s do-gooding. So once it was discovered, it was quickly rectified.

2) Good deed numbering. Since I’m not super-technical, I find myself using the term “The System” a lot to refer to the well organized hamsters that make Altrooist go, but alas, these hamsters were counting deeds and comments like they were one and the same. Not terrible, but not what we had in mind.

Example: When I’d post a good deed it would number it as the 25th, then say the site had completed only 15 good deeds. What were the other ten? Comments.

Everything adds up as it should now. Hamsters, you get a broccoli floret for your good work.

3) We regrouped and renamed the tabs on the user page. At launch we had “You / Following / AltrooList” which was fine except your deeds were off alone, separated from those of your pals. It made for a disjointed feed and, quite frankly, lessened the fun. The tabs are now “Me / Us / Altroolist” and the “Us” is you *plus* who you follow mixed together. It’s the most fun a tab can have.

4) Comments flowed backwards, placing the newest comment on the top. The only bug worthy of a visual:

Hey, your comments are upside down!

Comments are now as you’d expect and will forever remain that way.

5) We’re using an error monitoring app called Airbrake (formerly HopToad) and it’s pretty cool. Whenever an error happens on the site, Erik gets an email with the geeky details. From there we decide if it’s worthy of investigation or a fluke. I like that Altrooist has constant monitoring — meaning if you stumble across an error, we’ll know about it as it happens. Fancy, right?

6) We’re using Chartbeat for real-time analytics. Fun fact: The most people who have been on the site at the same time: 14. I’m actually giddy it was that high.

Here’s what we’re working on rolling out in the next 30 days (or so):

1) Twitter and us, sitting in a tree. Ok, obviously Twitter is completely unaware of our existence but we like them a whole bunch and with our similar character counts we can play quite nicely together. We’re implementing login via Twitter and investigating push/pull stuff for tweets and deeds, deeds and tweets.

2) Deed connectivity improvements: things like #hashtags and @mentions will work. Links will be clickable. Small but meaningful changes.

3) Design tweaks. A little here, a little there.

and

4) Ability to edit or delete your deed. You guys, this is a user request! While it’s been on the list, we moved it to the top because our users wanted it — that’s you! Our first ever response to a request by our first ever users. Makes me all warm and fuzzy. Look for this improvement soon!

We’re taking baby steps on our path to world domination, but steps nonetheless! Thanks again for signing up and helping out with the site. I appreciate it a whole bunch. You guys are the best.

xoxo,
Heather

Do good on the cheap.

Opportunity!

Luckily, being kind doesn’t have to break the bank. That’s good news, because some of us have lofty goals: a good deed a day – maybe a few. If each random act of kindness had a price tag, we might have to give up our morning coffee or skip a car payment. But don’t fear, we have affordable ideas to help you keep up the good works.

Being kind and doing good deeds is really as simple as paying attention. Can you hold the door for someone behind you? Pass along a compliment? Pick up some litter? The opportunities around you are many.

No Cost Good Deeds:

  1. Smile and say hello to a stranger.
  2. Pass along a compliment — there are a lot of cute shoes in this world. Also: smart ideas, great laughs, good taste in snacks.
  3. See some garbage on the ground? Throw it away.
  4. Recycle everything you can.
  5. Hold the door.
  6. Volunteer your time.
  7. Let people merge in traffic and …
  8. Wave when someone lets *you* merge.
  9. Be nice to animals.
  10. E-mail someone who means a lot to you and tell them so.
  11. Call a family member and tell them your favorite memory of the two of you together.
  12. Appreciate the people who help you … barista, store clerk, taxi driver. Lots of people make your life a little bit easier each day, say “Thanks”.
  13. Does the person behind you in line at the grocery store just have two things to your cartful? Let them go ahead of you.
  14. Are any of your friends having a tough time? Give them a call, offer to watch their kids for an afternoon, tell them you’re thinking of them.
  15. On a plane? Offer your aisle mates some gum. Ear popping assistance!
  16. Can you help out a neighbor? What would make their day? Help them take out the garbage? Walk their dog?
  17. Organize a neighborhood bake sale or garage sale to raise money for your local school.
  18. Share your garden’s bounty with your friends, neighbors and co-workers. All that zucchini isn’t going to eat itself.
  19. Leave a note in a public bathroom that says something encouraging. “You are beautiful” is a favorite, or how about “You have good things all around you!” I’d like to find those notes!
  20. Walking by an elementary school? Have a penny? Drop it on the sidewalk — kids get *crazy* excited about finding a penny!
  21. Does someone look lost? Ask if they need directions.
  22. Use public transportation, bike or walk whenever you can. Save the earth *and* a little gas money.
  23. Do you pack a lunch to take to work? Toss in an extra cookie and share it with a co-worker.
  24. If you have a co-worker or family member who is difficult to be around, can you work on ways to meet those situations with compassion and openness?
  25. Text someone a compliment. Tell your friend you think she’s awesome. Ping your cousin and let him know you think he’s a great dad. This is day-making stuff for the recipients!
  26. Attend the school or sporting events of the kids in your life. It makes them feel special.
  27. Have a friend who travels a lot for business? Offer them a ride to or from the airport. It’s nice to mix in a friendly face between cab drivers and public transportation.
  28. Clean out your closet/basement/garage/storage and donate things you don’t need to charity.
  29. Drive your grandparents or great aunts and uncles to their appointments. They’ll appreciate the lift as well as the company.
  30. Donate blood.

Low Cost Good Deeds:

So you have a little money that you’d like to throw at the cause of making the world a better place. Here are 25 ideas, all under $10.

  1. Buy a coffee for a friend or co-worker. Or …
  2. Buy coffee for a stranger! This has been known to start a chain of people paying it forward, especially in drive-thrus!
  3. Stamps + notecards + a list of people who mentored you = a great opportunity to spread some love.
  4. Know someone who’s down with a cold? Bring over some soup or OJ!
  5. Donate money to your favorite charity. Any amount makes a difference.
  6. Remember birthdays! Get a card, cupcake or little gift.
  7. Visit your neighborhood farmer’s market and buy your produce local and in season. Or sign up for a CSA, community supported agriculture, and support a local farm.
  8. When a friend says they are running a 5K for a cause, always give a little. It’s an easy and affordable way to support your friend’s good deed.
  9. Recently read a book that inspired you? Buy a copy or two for friends and inspire them as well!
  10. Bake cookies and bring them to your local fire station. Tell them “Thank you” for all that they do.
  11. Buy a gift for a great teacher. It will make their day!
  12. Speaking of teachers, help fund a classroom project via DonorsChoose.org.
  13. Speaking of doing good online, check out Kickstarter.com and support the work of an independent artist.
  14. When you’re grocery shopping, get in the habit of picking up a few extra items for your local food bank.
  15. Have an elderly family member or neighbor on a fixed income? Make them dinner once a month or help do small repairs on their home. If they like to garden, bring them some plants you know they love.
  16. Shop local! It supports small business and your community.
  17. Ready to bring a new pet into your life? Choose an adult dog or cat from your local shelter. You’ll be giving them a second chance and they’ll return the favor by letting you pet them.
  18. Love animals, but have all the pets you can handle? Most shelters have wish lists! Buy some food or toys for a few furry friends who need them.
  19. Think your waiter or waitress was awesome? Blow their mind by adding an extra $10 to your tip.
  20. Buy flowers for a neighbor.
  21. When you see a kid selling cookies or wrapping paper or candy for their school, place an order!
  22. What extracurricular activity did you enjoy as a kid? Were you sporty? In band? Contact the coach or teacher at your local school that leads those programs and ask if they need anything. Maybe it’s new sheet music or reeds; maybe it’s a few new baseballs. You know your gift is needed, appreciated and will get used.
  23. Do your parents or grandparents need a little computer help? Do they have far-away grandchildren they’d like to see more of? A basic webcam is $10-$20: hook one up and teach them how to Skype. While you’re at it, show them how to use A Story Before Bed, too. It’s a super cool site that lets them read bedtime stores to the kids they love.
  24. Leave your change in the vending machine for the next person to discover.
  25. This one costs more than $10, but if you need shoes, consider Tom’s. Buy a pair, give a pair. It’s good.

Have other ideas? Leave them in comments or link us to your post on increasing everyday kindness. Ready! Set! Go!

It’s alive!

BWA HAHAHA!!

I’ve wished for the opportunity to give software a code name, you know, while it’s being developed. Like how Google’s Android OS was called Cupcake. The name I would pick is Xanadu, solely for the launch party theme. How much do you think it is to get E.L.O. to play a gig these days? Also: roller skating! But alas, Altrooist’s code name was Altrooist. We’re incredibly clever that way. However that won’t stop me from likening Altrooist to a little monster and the people that brought it into being as Dr. Frankensteins. It is, after all, alive.

No need to gather the townsfolk and grab pitchforks though. We’re here to do good.

Altrooist is a social site for do-gooders. It’s a place where you can share your random acts of kindness, good deeds, donations and volunteerism. Your efforts are added to the ones of your friends, neighbors, city and world. What then? You feel part of something. You can see how all these everyday niceties work together to make things a bit better. You’ll be inspired by your friends to do more. You’ll inspire your friends. Altrooist is just the record keeper, you’re the ones that give it meaning.

There has been a lot of really cool research done on happiness, kindness and the positive effect they have on your brain. Did you know that just witnessing a good deed will elevate your mood and sense of well-being? It’s true! Witnessing kindness inspires you to be kinder. Also true! And you know what else? Being kinder makes you even happier still! Let’s hug! And then troot about it! Troot! I just made that up. You don’t have to use it. It’s terrible.

But it is simple.

Do a good deed. Share it. Inspire someone to do the same. It’s a happiness and well-being feedback loop and we’re absolutely thrilled you are a part of it.

Welcome to Altrooist. Now, let’s go change the world.

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