Yet-to-launch Blummi blows it with mass e-mail snafu

Here's a tip to fledgling start-ups: If you've got a huge list of e-mail addresses from people who are interested in trying out your service, don't forget to send out your pre-announcement as a blind carbon copy (bcc).

Blummi, a service that's due to open up its public beta in "the next few months" did just that Friday morning. Now I've got more than a hundred strangers able to send me, and everyone else on the list an e-mail with just a click of a button--a few already have.

The service is reminiscent of Brightkite, a location-based social network that we checked out back in April. Where it's got potential is for both providing a way to sort out Twitter contacts by group, and help you discover people nearby who share your interests. If Tapulous' Twinkle has proven anything, this can make discovery both creepy and engaging at the same time .

Here are some of the other planned features (via the mass e-mail):

• Organize your followers in groups like family, friends or contacts

• Create different kind of 'spreads' like message, poll, link, review, event

• Share your 'spreads'/tweets

• Comment images, links, polls and see who will join your events and what your followers are planning to do these days

• Discover how far away your followers are or what they are interested in

• Meet new friends with same interests (Blummi will bring you together)

• Use your mobile device to stay in touch with your followers, to take and share images, to shout out where you are

• Add privileges (e.g. can see my exact location or can see only my city) to your followers groups

• Control if your followers have read your tweet

• You will be informed if a follower is close to your location

• Discover what's going on around you

• Threaded discussions

We'll have a hands-on when Blummi launches later this year. In the meantime, I think it's safe to use the beta sign-up form, as the creators have issued a smart apology--with bcc on.

[binaryknight]

I was on that email list as well but i didn't feel the need to point out someone's mistake (for which they apologised) and then obnoxiously tell them how to do it right.

You said: Now I've got several hundred strangers able to send me, and everyone else on the list an e-mail with just a click of a button--a few already have

If i was concerned about the "Several Hundred" (bit high btw) strangers getting a hold of my email address, I might want to take my email address off my personal blog in which I welcome contact :S

Must have been a slow news day for Webware and now I am concerned about what cnet will do to my email address now I signed up to make this comment.....

[Josh.Lowensohn]

We never do anything with your e-mail address unless you've signed up for membership for one of our newsletters--in which case you'd get said weekly newsletters until you did not want to.

[chrisbrennan]

its called privacy. that is an issue webware should be writing and teaching its readers.

[hoverrick]

I agree with you, completely binaryknight. There is no need to point out someone's mistake for with they apologised. Errors can happen and nobody can avoid them. But it seems also that you "Josh" haven't understand what Blummi exactly does, because I think that Brightkite is neither a social network nor does it offer a native mobile client for their services. The only thing that seems to be equal is the fact, that both services provide location-based services.

Curious to know how Blummi will work ...