This entry is the 3rd in a series exploring possible answers for questions on some surveys in development. Because we want the surveys to be as complete as possible, we are soliciting information from you, the BitWise users.
What could be some possible choices for the following questions:
1) Why did you originally sign up for BitWise? (Check all that apply)
2) What have been your experiences meeting other people online using BitWise? (Check all that apply, one choice being "I have not tried to meet new people")
Just to be sure everyone is on the same page, here are some possible answers for each:
1) Recommended by a friend, encryption
2) I have been unable to find anyone, I have found some people but they never sign on
Don't worry if you give the same answers to multiple questions: if the same answers come out of different questions, we know that we don't need to ask both!
Thanks in advance!
1) I can't remember! Did it have something to do with you?
2) I haven't met any people that I have talked to more than twice or thrice
1) Why did you originally sign up for BitWise?
I enjoy testing new software and liked the idea of encrypted chat. I have a second-hand previously abused Win98 computer and like finding software that runs as fast as it can under the system. I like Trillian but it is not fast and BitWise is faster.
2) What have been your experiences meeting other people online using BitWise?
I've chatted with a few new people on BitWise who are good to chat with and computer savvy, and I got only one "asl" mentality person whom I promptly blocked. I got a friend to sign up and we've chatted quite a bit on BitWise because for awhile there I refused to sign in to the other IMs, and he got on BitWise as there was no other way to talk to me. Most people don't sign up or download as they want their AIM/MSN buddy list.
1: I was first looking for a new soft (I was fed up with trillian, which contained too many bugs, msn was good, but it was not enough, there was problems with file transfers etc...). So I searched for some new programs, FREE AND AD-FREE over betanews.com, and one day I saw a link pointing to bitwise. I read briefly the article, then visited the website. The presentation of the program seduced me, I immediatly signed up (it was in november 2003). I downloaded it (the current version was belonging to the fire & ice series if I remember well). I used the program, and I knew it had something special (a lot of features were missing). I kept using it, and was really happy to be able to share some ideas with kevin. This way, I had the chance to translate the soft into french, and was very pleased to help a bit. I know this soft one day will be used by millions of people over the world (It deserves it better than MSN, or other AD-ware IM programs).
2: I must say that I haven't met a lot of people, mainly because I'm not very talkative. And I'm not used to go toward people to meet them. But the few people I met using BitWise were very kind, and at least as curious as me about this program.
1) Testing different freeware. I know I wasn't looking for another chat program when I found Bitwise, But I did somewhere, read the Reasons to switch, and said "Well, I don't need another but I don't really like the ones I got" (MSN being my best) so I gave it a try, none of my friends switched over Though I really don't IM with people I see everyday anyway.
2) My experience has been good. One not so nice when he didn't relize that I wasn't online at the time.
1. Ad-Free, Spy-Free, Cost-Free. This is a good way to get people together. The ones I am trying to help are aged over 50 (some well over). I need something that is easy to use (I can help set up). They have some friends and relatives in other parts of the world so at the moment they use email. Instant text and voice should help a lot.
2. When I search for users with similar interests to mine I find that many of them have not been on line for 1 - 2 years. Perhaps one question could be "Have you used the service lately?" (Or some other such follow up.)
1. File Sharing of any size option got me here (I remember Kevin saying to me when he first said hi- "Why would we limit you" well I used to use Yahoo m8.)
2. Not really spoken to anyone I did'nt know personally before. A couple of users, but only briefly.