Pownce

Its launch, on June 27, 2007, was covered by Wired,{{cite magazine |url=http://blog.wired.com/business/2007/06/pseudo-launches.html |title=Pseudo Launches: Kevin Rose Announces Pownce Private Beta |access-date=2007-07-15 |date=2007-06-28 |last=Strangle |first=Adario |magazine=Wired |publisher=CondéNet, Inc. |archive-date=2009-01-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090108053354/http://blog.wired.com/business/2007/06/pseudo-launches.html |url-status=live }} Business Week,{{cite web |url=http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/jul2007/tc2007079_099992.htm? |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070711001043/http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/jul2007/tc2007079_099992.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 11, 2007 |title=Investors Digg Kevin Rose |access-date=2007-07-15 |date=2007-07-10 |last=Ricadela |first=Aaron |work=BusinessWeek online |publisher=The McGraw-Hill Companies}} Webware,{{cite web |url=http://www.webware.com/8301-1_109-9743653-2.html |title=Pownce invites and the rise of Adobe AIR |access-date=2007-07-15 |last=Butler |first=Peter |date=July 13, 2007 |work=Webware |quote=Pownce--cofounded by Digg frontman Kevin Rose--is essentially a "microblogging" tool, or Twitter on steroids. |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927210559/http://www.webware.com/8301-1_109-9743653-2.html |archive-date=September 27, 2007 }}{{cite web |url=http://www.webware.com/8301-1_109-9739958-2.html |title=How to choose between Twitter and Pownce |access-date=2007-07-15 |author=Rafe Needleman |date=July 5, 2007 |work=Webware |quote=if you're starting from zero, give Pownce a serious look, especially if you're thinking of using it in a work setting |archive-date=2020-12-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201224180905/https://www.cnet.com/ |url-status=live }} and the San Francisco Chronicle,{{cite web |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/detail?blogid=3&entry_id=18074 |last=West |first=Jackson |title=Future Fresser: Social Network Fatigue |access-date=2007-07-15 |work=SFGate |publisher=Hearst Communications |date=2007-06-28 |archive-date=2020-12-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201224180903/https://blog.sfgate.com/culture/2007/06/28/future-fresser-social-network-fatigue/ |url-status=live }} with most of the coverage focusing on Rose, known for his involvement in Digg, Revision3 and TechTV. Due to this media exposure, invitations for Pownce were in high demand and were being sold on sites such as eBay.

On October 30, 2007, Pownce launched their public API.{{cite web |title=Pownce Public API |publisher=Pownce Blog |url=http://blog.pownce.com/2007/10/30/pownce-public-api/ |access-date=2007-10-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071031023427/http://blog.pownce.com/2007/10/30/pownce-public-api/ |archive-date=2007-10-31 |url-status=dead }} The developers have also created a Pownce API Google Group.[http://groups.google.com/group/pownceapi/ Google Discussiegroepen] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201224181001/https://groups.google.com/access-error?continue=https://groups.google.com/g/pownceapi |date=2020-12-24 }}. Groups.google.com. Retrieved on 2013-11-24. Originally, it was primarily for discussing the release of the API, but it later served to gather feedback and help developers. On November 12, 2007 Pownce launched a custom theme editor for Pro users.{{cite web |title=New Themes and Custom Themes! |publisher=Pownce Blog |url=http://blog.pownce.com/2007/11/12/new-and-custom-themes/ |access-date=2007-11-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071113145318/http://blog.pownce.com/2007/11/12/new-and-custom-themes/ |archive-date=2007-11-13 |url-status=dead }} They also added eight more preset themes for non pro users to use. On December 20, 2007 Pownce launched a mobile version of their service.{{cite web |title=Pownce Mobile! (beta) |publisher=Pownce Blog |url=http://blog.pownce.com/2007/12/20/pownce-mobile-beta/ |access-date=2007-12-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071226043315/http://blog.pownce.com/2007/12/20/pownce-mobile-beta/ |archive-date=2007-12-26 |url-status=dead }} This version could be accessed from a variety of mobile devices at m.pownce.com.

On December 1, 2008, Pownce announced that they had been acquired and were shutting down the site,{{Cite web |url=http://www.sixapart.com/pownce/ |title=Movable Type - Content Management System, Blog Software & Publishing Platform |access-date=2008-12-02 |archive-date=2020-12-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201224180959/https://movabletype.com/ |url-status=live }} due to a lack of revenue, stagnant growth, and an inability to compete with Twitter.{{cite web |url=http://biztegra.com/pownce-closing-down/ | title=Pownce Closing Down | date=December 10, 2008 | last=Izenwasser | first=Murray}} Two weeks later, the site was taken offline.[http://www.crn.com/software/212201417 Pownce Bounced: Twitter Competitor To Shut Doors] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090324091953/http://www.crn.com/software/212201417 |date=2009-03-24 }}. Crn.com. Retrieved on 2013-11-24.

Pownce was compared favorably to other websites with similar functionality such as Twitter, and was called a "Twitter on steroids". CNET's Rafe Needleman recommended Pownce over Twitter in a work setting because of its discussion-tracking capabilities.

Pownce was built on a variation of the LAMP stack: Debian Linux, Apache, MySQL, and Python. The web application was made with Django, an open source web application framework, written in Python. File storage was supported by Amazon S3. The desktop application was written in Flex for Adobe's AIR platform.

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Category:Adobe Integrated Runtime platform software

Category:Blog hosting services

Category:Defunct microblogging services

Category:Defunct online companies of the United States

Category:Defunct social networking services