Sometimes a subsequent version of an application absolutely destroys a service. Think Digg 4.0, the new Twitter application for iPhone, and countless other services that managed to completely miss the mark in an update. Path, an application that’s yet another social network, has done completely the opposite of what Digg, and others before it have done. Instead of illustrating a complete misunderstanding of what its users were looking for, Path managed to redefine its service in a fantastic new way, the net result of which has been the doubling of its user base.
All Things D is reporting that Path has managed to grow to 2 million users in just the two months since its relaunch. The path to one million took a full year, but growing from one million to two million took all of two months. Clearly Path is doing something right.
From All Things D:
On the engagement front, he said 70 percent of people who use Path in a week return the next week. Path users have created over 50 million items of content and half a billion pieces of feedback. The latter is a somewhat inflated stat, because “feedback” is created every time a user looks at content on Path. But for reference, there are 15 million pieces of feedback created on Path per day now, versus 10 million total in the first year, Morin said.
As time goes on, I find myself wanting less of what Twitter and Facebook are offering, and more of what Path offers in a social network. Twitter is undoubtably great at reaching out and finding interesting new people to follow and interact with, but it doesn’t do a very good job of connecting me with people I know, and allowing me to interact with them in a personal, face-to-face social setting. Path limits you to only 200 followers, and forces you to really question whether or not people are worth following before you hit the follow button. Personally, if I’ve met you in real life, there’s a good chance I’ll follow you on Path. I use it in a different, more personal way than I do networks like Twitter and Facebook.
For some reason I have no problem sharing photos of my newborn daughter on Path, but avoid it at all costs with Twitter and Facebook, and that speaks volumes about the interactions I have with the people on Path versus other networks.