On the 3rd of November, I returned to Lagos from Abuja where I went to present to some people at the presidency on some software deals. While in Abuja, I had over two weeks to reflect on a lot of things, and strategise on what next to invest my time after my last startup ended abruptly, please don't ask me why, just guess or assume. I had that much time to reflect because the OGA AT THE TOP I went to see informed me he was travelling with Mr President to the States for the just concluded UN Summit when I was already in Abuja. So I had to stay back and wait, do I have a choice? thank God I've a bachelor cousin brother Jose, who together with his friends and girl, made sure I enjoyed my stay . . . and the rest is now history.

So I returned to Lagos on a Saturday. Took Sunday and Monday off. When I say off, I mean my laptop being turned off not because Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company refused to give light to my street but because an Igbo proverb says beta anu, beta anu bu n'ahu nnama (translated to: cut meat cut meat, na from cow body) . . . So while off and weighing which of my ideas to kickstart next, I had some challenges zeroing in on one because all of them seem pretty much worth giving a shot. But then I remembered something Jonny Ive, the genius heading Apple Designs said about Steve Jobs' definition of focus, so I quote him verbatim "What focus means is saying no to something that with every bone in your body think is a phenomenal idea, and you wake up thinking about it, but you end up saying no to it because you're focusing on something else." So with that help from Steve Jobs via Jonny Ive, I shelved the other ideas and decided to work on what has now become AMADESK.

. . . . so permit me to introduce Amadesk to you, launched on 22nd October, 2015.

Amadesk is an interacting and engaging platform that enables anyone to share their experience and knowledge by requesting Ask Me Anything (AMA). Users post AMA using hashtag to indicate what they want to be asked about, and encourage other users to ask them questions, which they reply thereby creating a question and answer interaction.

The idea behind this came from several not so good experiences I always have when trying to call on several radio and TV programmes to ask questions and not being able to get through, then I figured I can actually solve this problem which I realized others are experiencing too, by create an online platform where everyone can be able to get through to anyone who is hosting a question and answer session, and have their questions answered.

At first, I just wanted to build for people that go on TVs and radios but on a second thought, I decided to open it up for everybody. This is because everyone has some knowledge or experience that could add values to others if shared. This could be how you successfully executed on your idea, how you lost some weight, how you overcame an addiction, how you helped your kids improve their grades, how you improved relationship with your spouse, how you turned around your career, what it's like being the Media Adviser to former President, Goodluck Jonathan or on a lighter mood, what it's like being a molue conductor in Lagos . . . Just about anything worth sharing.

And to make every conversation on Amadesk easy to classify, group and track across the platform and in the future when users start growing rapidly, hashtags are used to specify what every AMA is discussing and for emphasis. This hastagging is a core functionality of Amadesk as the site is built around people being able to auto discover and join conversations around their interest globally without following, or friending anyone on Amadesk.

Some cool fellows are already having good time in this website, so hop in and join the conversation visit http://amadesk.com

From
Nwosu Friday

So what differentiates your startup's business from what twitter and nairaland already do?
I can start an AMA on twitter using a hashtag and open a thread here asking people to give opinions on a matter.

A character limit should get implemented just like twitter if not you'd see people sending irrelevant epistles of copypastas for questions which need short answers - same as we see here.

charix:
So what differentiates your startup's business from what twitter and nairaland already do?
I can start an AMA on twitter using a hashtag and open a thread here asking people to give opinions on a matter.

A character limit should get implemented just like twitter if not you'd see people sending irrelevant epistles of copypastas for questions which need short answers - same as we see here.

There are lots of differences between Amadesk and Twitter. Twitter is a social networking site, Amadesk is not. There's a character limit.

fanwosu:


There are lots of differences between Amadesk and Twitter. Twitter is a social networking site, Amadesk is not. There's a character limit.

So far it involves passing information from many points(people asking) to one reciever(original asker), people would find inventive ways to chat with it - that in itself would add it to the classification of social media.
Good thing you're the developer and can't abandon the thread saying its a friend's idea or you read it up somewhere.

So now tell me, why should I use amadesk as opposed to doing the same on nairaland or twitter?

charix:

So far it involves passing information from many points(people asking) to one reciever(original asker), people would find inventive ways to chat with it - that in itself would add it to the classification of social media.
Good thing you're the developer and can't abandon the thread saying its a friend's idea or you read it up somewhere.

So now tell me, why should I use amadesk as opposed to doing the same on nairaland or twitter?

Good you asked. On twitter, your reach is only limited to your followers.

fanwosu:


Good you asked. On twitter, your reach is only limited to your followers.

So why use it over nairaland where I don't face the same limitation both in followership and word count?

Don't forget on twitter assigning a query to a hashtag adds that query to a string of similar posts worlwide attached to the hashtag. My #ChildNotBride contribution was viewed by random people not on my timeline by just searching up the hashtag.

charix:

So why use it over nairaland where I don't face the same limitation both in followership and word count?

Don't forget on twitter assigning a query to a hashtag adds that query to a string of similar posts worlwide attached to the hashtag. My #ChildNotBride contribution was viewed by random people not on my timeline by just searching up the hashtag.

Amadesk is not meant to be a replacement to or compete with Nairaland. While I wouldn't go into the specifics of what Amadesk will achieve, I guess you should watch as they unfold. Moreover, who needed a facebook when Myspace and Friendster were there.

Yes but do people really come to twitter to search for your hashtags?

fanwosu:


Amadesk is not meant to be a replacement to or compete with Nairaland.

You're a tech startup, in theory you're competing with every other established tech company and startups alike. Not putting this in mind is a failure waiting happen as the examples you gave show.

While I wouldn't go into the specifics of what Amadesk will achieve, I guess you should watch as they unfold.

You should, these simple questions I'm asking act as a gauge on whether I or other potential consumers should jump onto your platform. Businesses don't unfold magically - hardwork, patronage and direction make them grow.

Yes but do people really come to twitter to search for your hashtags?

Of course they do especially when there's a cause at stake. How do you think occupy protesters and people during the arab spring communicated? Don't tell me you'vnt heard about #Our5k?

charix:

You're a tech startup, in theory you're competing with every other established tech company and startups alike.

As a startup, you challenge yourself.

charix:

Businesses don't unfold magically - hardwork, patronage and direction make them grow.

Point well noted.

charix:

Of course they do especially when there's a cause at stake. How do you think occupy protesters and people during the arab spring communicated? Don't tell me you'vnt heard about #Our5k?

Amadesk is not built for moments when there's a cause at stake.