We use our desktop computers a lot, as web developers and researchers as well as for entertainment. We needed a quick and easy way to use the browser to recall content or point something out. And we wanted it to be relevant.
Sometimes it was for our own benefit, like a reminder of an upcoming movie. For example, if a preview on IMDB caught our eye, we’d make a note of it.
But we also wanted to share our thoughts with others.
Were we to stumble upon a great product (or a lousy service), we needed a way to explain what we appreciated (or despised). And we were curious what others might think. Posting our views right on the page made sense, and made it social. That’s the connection. That’s the relevancy.
Behemoths like Facebook will never run out of users, but it’s not for us. Our goal was conversation for its own sake, in context—not where the platform subverts the discussion. We’ll probably always have endless wall-scrollers (they have their place), but we went a different way.
Treating web pages like “bulletin boards” is empowering. Placing digital sticky notes all over the internet can be magnetic: It’s the thing to do. And when you start posting Notes, we think it will become your thing too.