MightyBell - Build your Own Social Networking Application

Mighty Bell's Founder, Gina Bianchini

Mightybell allows for entrepreneurs to create social media networks based on a shared interest or shared identity. Instead of having using a group messaging app or online chatroom, Mightybell group administrators are able to create a robust network with a central network activity feed, user profiles and direct user-to-user messaging.

After founding Ning with investor, Marc Andreesen, in 2005 and leaving in 2010, Gina Bianchini went on to start Mightybell in order to provide individual entrepreneurs with ways to connect people together in cost effective and scalable ways.

For those seeking to build a network or a community around a particular interest or identity, you will want to learn more about Mightybell and why it stands out from current group messaging tools.

How is Mightybell different from Meetup.com?

• Mightybell is much smarter in terms of software. It plays the role of host through a robust administrator console. Mighty Bell, at-scale through the software's algorithm, allows for users within the same MightyBell group to discover which members are geographically close to you and engage with new members who have just joined (receiving a unique welcome from the group admin). These algorithm based interactions allow for less manual work for the group admin.

• Branded mobile applications and communities allows for creators and admins to have a standalone application under their own name (for example a mobile app named "Kulchah"). This differs from Meetup groups which will forever be a "meet-up" group.

• Their paid membership feature allows for free trials and free periods for new members, while Meetup only allows for an initial fee for joining.

How does Mightybell create a longterm online social group, avoiding what Jason Calacanis describes as the proverbial social network collapse wherein the wrong people hijack the dynamics of the group or the group becomes a ghost town?

• The software does more of the admin work and allows for the actions of the group's manager to be executed and replicated at scale/with automation

• In-app push notifications allow for the different users to get connected to new or like-minded members. These members can also be interfaced with only the conversations which are most relevant to them, instead of being pinged by non-stop notifications which they may not care about.

• Again the paid-member-ship feature helps to filter out the common troll who generally is not interested in spending money in order to terrorize and antagonize other people.

• The payment feature also allows for the community founder and admin to create a business model around the community, allowing for better management and long-term sustainability.

How is Mightybell different from Slack?

• Mightybell is built on a content feed instead of a chat feed, including different formats of content based on a member-centric algorithm. This allows for group members to not have to follow different chat lines.

• Users do not need to be invited into a Mighty Bell Group. The means or logistics of the group's admission process is decided by the rules set one time by the group admin. Members in some groups can "just join"- in others there may be more steps.

How much does Mightybell costs?

• Free - See Image Above for features

• $49/month - Growth Plan (Unlimited members, Downloadable member list, Email Support, Google Analytics integration, Advanced analytics)

• $99/month -Business Plan Charge for membership, Sponsor advertising, Custom SSL domain mapping)

• Project-based Fee - Professional (branded mobile community apps without custom development. With our Professional Plan, you get your own branded native apps on iOS, Deep user information and analytics- going beyond just a username). Plus features below

Watch Gina Bianchini on This Week In Startups

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Medvis Jackson is the curator at Kulchah, co-founder of #TheDigilogue and avid cricket fan. You can follow him @medvisjackson for his random thoughts. He primarily covers startup, tech and small business ecosystems and resources.

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