March Waitlist Update

This week, a quick update on our app build. As we’ve mentioned before, making the beta version of the app the best we can is our highest priority, which is why the last few months have been intensely busy. Much of what we’ve done is design work, aimed at creating an app that has a natural flow, is intuitive, and is easy to pick up right away. Our goal is to make it so that you can start using Bright and not feel like you need to learn an entirely new way of engaging online.

But that’s where the similarities end! Even in these earliest stages, we’ve made reliability and trust central factors. Everything from mapping how our Members interact with one another to making the onboarding process transparent and easy to understand sets us apart from the “click here to agree” approach we’ve all grown used to. We’ve also incorporated our early moderation and oversight tools which will help us make sure that the content and interactions on the network meet your (and our) very high expectations. We’ve begun our integration with our partner NewsGuard as well. Early on in the beta, you’ll be able to see NewsGuard reliability ratings right in the app, which is a first for NewsGuard and a first for social media generally.

The design features are also about the look and feel. We want you to experience the app as a refreshing change from the cluttered noise of other networks without resorting to a bare-bones aesthetic. That’s why our focus is on displaying content in a clear, clean, striking way -- and, of course, in a way that meets our own rigorous standards for accessibility and inclusion. It’s not enough for the app to look good, it has to look good well.

The next phase is all about the technical components and building the data architecture that will make Bright function in ways that no other network can. Most importantly, we’re going to have an industry-leading, pathbreaking approach to privacy and data oversight that will give Bright Members the ability to make the most of their experience on the network without ever worrying about anyone else prying into it.

As we build this innovative new experience for our Members, we want to mark International Women’s Day, which took place this week. As a women-led, women-owned company, Bright is a rarity in the social media and tech spaces. Our hope is that the tech sector becomes a place more welcoming (and celebratory) to women. We plan to continue to support women-led companies (like our web developer JetRockets!) in an effort to make that a reality.

We’re so glad you’re on this journey with us. Check out how you can get involved in Bright by submitting an article, sharing what we post, and, of course, signing up for the waitlist. We’ll provide another app update in the coming months, but until then, thanks for being a part of our community, and we’ll see you on Bright!