TECHNOLOGY FOR CHANGE

Akibot Microblogging Groupware Launches Beta

Stan Gibson | Date: 07-22-09 | Comments

Akibot is trying to answer the question first raised by Twitter three years ago: Is there a business purpose for microblogging?

Take microblogging, add a dash of artificial intelligence and voila � you�ve got Akibot. Now in a private beta program that was launched on July 19, Akibot is trying to answer the question first raised by Twitter three years ago: Is there a business purpose for microblogging?

�Akibot incorporates a natural language processing module. It understands your update. And it also has a text analyzer � it looks for structure, including nouns, verbs and pronouns,� said Akibot founder Marcelo Pham. The result: Akibot can understand and act on messages. �Akibot is like another user, like a person,� said Pham. �Knowing your location and that you fly every month, it can tell you to check out low fares,� he explained.

Pham, who has been running a software consultancy in West Palm Beach, Fla., called Software Solutions sine 2005, had not even heard of Twitter until March, 2009 when one of his clients suggested he follow him on it. �I liked the idea � but I didn�t see any use for myself because I�m kind of a private person. Twitter is for the masses � perhaps for celebrities to be in contact with their fans. However, the micromessage concept forces you to be brief � and encourages you to be frequent. I saw a use for corporate applications,� Pham said.

Akibot is not alone in attempting to adapt microblogging to corporate purposes. Yammer, Present.ly and Socialtext all have the same goal in mind, but are taking slightly different approaches.

Akibot is hosted on Google App Engine. Pham envisions it developing into a communications hub that interacts with enterprise software. User charges, when instituted, are likely to be comparable to those of other microblogging tools, said Pham.

Not yet incorporated, Akibot has three employees and is self-funded, although Pham is on the lookout for venture capital. Business scenarios include getting acquired by a bigger player, Pham said.