If you are a social media hack you are bound to have come across politicians using Twitter or Facebook, either by accident or through your own research. However, the vastness of both social media and Politics means that there are literally thousands upon thousands of political social media accounts. Most notably Barack Obama and his 9.1 million followers on Twitter and 22 million Likes on Facebook.
Trying to see, follow and understand all this content is nigh on impossible and that problem alone is what inspired us to establish Yatterbox; a company which aims to make it easier for people to see what politicians are saying and doing using social media.
We first dreamed up the idea back in May 2010 during the UK General Election after stumbling upon a few websites that were aggregating Twitter accounts for all the UK MPs. Back then there were only about 180+ out of the total of 650 MPs using Twitter, so it was quite a niche thing to do. However we also knew that MPs were using more than just Twitter; they had set up Facebook Pages, were uploading photos and videos and also pushing out more traditional blogs. The problem was, as a user it was impossible to track and see all that content, even as a political hack; there was too much information spread across too many formats.
The idea was simple: why not create a website that presents the information from every social media account for every politician in the UK?
By the time we got round to building and launching the site in mid-February 2011, we had missed the UK General Election; but that didn’t really matter as we knew that the next few years would be very interesting with the new coalition government in power. Moreover, we had always planned to expand to cover more countries, which we did launching a US version 46 days after the UK soft launch.
To do all this we managed to rustle together a bit of start-up money and found some incubation space at the University of York, where I and some of my friends had just graduated from. On top of this we found a great local web developer and out-sourced the project. Since then though we have moved everything in house and have started to build a small tech team of talented computer sciences students from the University. The current Yatterbox Team comprises of about 15+ people, ranging from programmers to business development experts along with the all-important Board of Directors. We are very lucky, as the building we are based in is next door to the Computer Science Department, and we have got a really good working relationship with the head of the department, John McDermid. For me, that relationship is essential in making sure I can find the right people I need to move the business forward.
Yatterbox is using free Windows Azure instances as part of Microsoft BizSpark to test scalability of the website and simulate features in a “production-ready” environment. Other Microsoft products such as Visual Studio 2010 Professional, Expression Studio, and SQL Server 2008 are helping the Yatterbox team deliver professional-grade features and extensions to the website, including the soon to be launched, Windows Phone 7 app.
Whilst we have had some really good press through BBC Click, The Guardian website, The Local BBC Politics Show and also at a TEDx event held in York, we have not been specifically looking for press and publicity. However, it does seem to find us every now and then and we are pleased with the opportunities that it provides. It has really increased awareness of the project and has resulted in some invaluable feedback.
Over the next few months and into the new-year, the team are building a number of new products, the first of which are Windows Phone 7, iPhone and Android apps. These are being built by a York Student (also a Microsoft Student Partner). Furthermore, a new User Interface is being designed for the existing website and is set to be launched around mid-to-late August. In addition to this release schedule, the team is also spending the next 5 months expanding the project to cover over 15 countries; the idea being that Yatterbox will be the preferred hub for following political social-media during major world events such as the 2012 US General Election.
The team is carefully crafting the services provided by the Yatterbox website so that it is the best place for online interaction with the leading legislators and agenda drivers in Politics across the globe.
Microsoft BizSpark is a program which offers new software businesses and entrepreneurs access to Microsoft design, development, and production tools with no upfront costs for up to three years. Members can also connect with a nationwide community of Network Partners – investors, incubators, service providers, and entrepreneurial organizations – who are keen to help.
Matt Freckleton (@Yatterbox) is CEO and Founder of Yatterbox, and recent University of York graduate. Founded in 2010, Yatterbox provides users with an unprecedented level of transparency and access to Members of Parliament in the United Kingdom and Politicians in the United States.
