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Potluck, a social network with Twitter DNA, hopes to start conversations with links

Potluck, a social network with Twitter DNA, hopes to start conversations with links

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potluck branch
potluck branch

Branch, the New York-based startup backed by Twitter co-founders Ev Williams and Biz Stone, launched a link-sharing site today called Potluck. Both sites are aimed at getting the silent 86 percent — the majority of internet users who never tweet, blog, or publish videos — to speak. But while Branch is built for publishers that use it to stage online panels where experts talk about a specific topic, Potluck is intended to be a place where average internet users swap links with their friends. The company is calling it "a house party on the internet."

On Potluck, you'll see a stream of links to articles, videos, music, and photos posted by your friends. But unlike on Facebook and Twitter, you won't immediately see who posted what. The focus is on the content; it's not until you click through that you see who posted it. It's easy to comment on or "heart" a shared link, or post a new link. Potluck pages are not private, but they're difficult to get to — similar to the way Instagram used to be before it was bought by Facebook — in order to give the discussions a feeling of intimacy.

Potluck pages are not private

The goal is to make Potluck "more personal and less stressful," a place to talk with your friends, and friends of friends, without the pressure of performance that comes with posting on Facebook. Potluck is open to users on the web today with an iOS app on the way.