Tattletech Hot Seat with Tobias Kemper, Nimbuzz

It’s here! The hot seat interview even I have been waiting for and I did the darn thing. Tobias Kemper, Head of Communications & Social Media, Nimbuzz. I love this company, yes I am going to say this outloud. LOVE THEM! Why? Well maybe because they are made up of some of the smartest and nicest fellas I have met in a long time or the fact that they believe in their product without being arrogant or pushy. Maybe it’s just the fact that they have a good product and it works. Well we caught up with Tobias at Plugg before he jetted off to Japan for holiday and here is what we got.

Tattletech: What is Nimbuzz’s overall selling point Twitter style?

Tobias Kemper: The ultimate app to keep up to date with all your friends in one place. Best mobile social messenger for your  hyperconnected lifestyle!

TT: Free mobile calls? We’re all over that. But how do you get around using the minutes from the wireless operator?

TK: We use the mobile internet, or Wifi to provide free mobile calls using the phone’s data connection. We recommend an unlimited data plan (which is the norm with most new tariffs), and your Nimbuzz experience is golden! No hidden fees, no worries, and arguably the best VoIP calls all over the world.

TT: Does your “Locate Your Friends” feature replace services like Brightkite, Loopt and Google Latitude?

TK: No, and it isn’t supposed to either, it is just one of the popular tools in our extremely feature rich application and can be used in conjunction with our other calling and messaging options. For example, it’s great when arranging to meet up with a group of friends and finding a location that will suit everyone. We are about openness and sharing, integrating over 20 of the most popular communities, and our Locate Your Friends solution is actually a Google Maps mash-up.

TT: We couldn’t help but notice that Twitter is not listed on your site. When do you expect to implement it into Nimbuzz?

TK: We are experimenting with it via the Personal Message feature, but it isn’t a proper implementation yet. It is coming though so stay tuned! We love the Twitterati and do not want to dissapoint!

TT: What has been your biggest technological obstacle and how did you overcome it?

TK: Scalability. We needed members to get the best out of Nimbuzz. We have now proven what we can do, a landmark for us was when we added StudiVZ support for 12 million users. To give you an idea of our current scale we are now adding over 600,000 new users a month – that’s more than one new user in less than four seconds!

TT: How does Nimbuzz stack up against competitors?

TK: We have a bunch of great competitors out there, and they were all there before us and pioneered the space. We are happy to have them help us build the market, and I think we have done an amazing job in setting ourselves apart, thanks to our loyal users and huge word of mouth spread! We also get massive uptake by winning peer award titles like Best Mobile IM app, Best VoIP app, Best Free app, Best All Round App from Top Mobile 20 and global recognition from Red Herring as the only mobile social messaging aggregator to ever win the prestigious Red Herring Global 100 award.

TT:  Do you have any insider tips for Nimbuzz users?

TK: Yes, on the iPhone and iPod touch, you can use the landscape-mode chat from any angle, even while hanging upside down from a tree! Just in case you should ever find yourself in that position. Otherwise, for the latest and greatest, we send daily facts and figures on twitter.com/nimbuzz. Follow us there.

TT: What trends do you see among Nimbuzz users?

TK: The Nimbuzz iPhone app is huge for us in terms of popularity and also new users, but the Symbian client is still in the lead – they are both awesome products that I am super-proud of. We see massive uptake in Europe and North America, as well as in developing countries and Asia. Our Skype solution is used to near breaking point of our system, it’s insane. Especially when the US wakes up. We enjoy massive word of mouth, and 98% of user recommend the product to a friend.

TT:  What do you predict to be the next big thing in social networking?

TK: If I knew that I’d be on my way to becoming a very rich man! If you look at the most popular new social networking tools simplicity is key – whether that be a short Twitter status update or a fantastically intuitive and easy to use interface whilst still doing everything you want from one place. People’s expectations are higher than ever so whatever it is it needs to live up to these demands, our users are a guiding light and we will continue to work on a product that fits in everyone’s lifestyle without a paranormal learning curve to adapt to first.

TT: What’s next for Nimbuzz?

Infinity and beyond! We are a mass market product for the hyper connected lifestyle and we are still building the market. We are announcing more revenue sharing partnerships worldwide (today we announced a partnership in Italy  and will deliver the next über-app for Android and Blackberries. New features across the board of course and focus on usability. We listen to our users and we are on the right track. Check our new iPhone app that just came out, as an example, it is HOT!

TT: Who is your favorite superhero?

TK: The Big Lebowski – he came out of nowhere and is a “hero” to so many loyal, loyal followers out there. Cult status, and the complete package of style and cool, with an awesome soundtrack, too.

–JLH

PS. Interesting PPT

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Tags: Nimbuzz, Nimbuzz iPhone, Tobias Kemper