I use Flock 2 and was excited when Beta 2 was released a few months ago. Somehow I fubared the system after a while and none of the social features worked anymore. Essentially, no matter whch social network I logged onto, the People Sidebar never activated anymore. I searched in vain for a solution, and while I found other people with the problem, nobody had an answer.
I sufferred in silence for a while until the Flock 2 went out of Beta. New download, but still no luck. After submitting a tech support request; however, I did eventually find a solution to the problem in a user forum. I applied the suggested steps and all was good!
Yesterday, several weeks after my tech support request, I finally get a response from the guys at Flock. A few weeks late, but at least they’re reading their e-mail and had a good response.
My point is: If you get ready to launch, you must also be ready with speedy tech support. Now, the positive thing is the folks at Flock offer the support, do so for free, and must just be inundated due to their success. These are all GREAT things! Still, during my wait for a solution, I explored plenty of other options besides using Flock for lifestream and social network interactions. My inability to find or get a quick answer to a software problem led me to look elsewhere, and that’s what late service means on the web. As my friend Isabelle says “You only have one shot” when it comes to a Web 2.0 launch.
Personally, I think the folks at Flock did pretty well with this launch, and more power to them for making a great product. But there’s a lesson about execution here that shows everything must be in synch at launch, especially when it comes to the techncial support aspects of your product.
