Gibut was an ambitious social networking platform I co-founded with Jason Spriggs and Abel Garcia. Unveiled at SXSW 2012 under the name "gotsi," the project captured the interest of audiences, including representatives from Dell. Our goal was to create a unique social network experience that stood apart from platforms like Facebook and Twitter by offering innovative features and capabilities.
Key Contributions:
Platform Development: Led the design and implementation of the platform using PHP 5, MySQL, JavaScript, and various APIs.
Scalability & Performance: Engineered efficient, scalable database structures and optimized backend code to handle high traffic while maintaining platform stability.
Leadership: Oversaw the technical direction of the project, managing development priorities and ensuring the timely delivery of features.
Challenges Overcome:
Scalability: Addressed the complexities of creating a platform capable of supporting a large number of users while maintaining performance.
Innovation: Worked to differentiate Gibut from existing social networks by integrating unique functionality and user-focused design; being one of the first social media sites of the time to have rich sharing of media such as music.
Although Gibut was a short-lived project, it was a valuable learning experience for both our team and our stakeholders. While the platform is no longer active, I’m proud of the technical foundation I helped build and the insights gained from leading such an ambitious project.