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While some are pondering the utility of microblogging, the folks at Pownce were celebrating the impending launch of its mobile blogging and file-sharing service with an evening of cocktails at Madrone Lounge in San Francisco. The party preceded the official Jan. 22 launch by a few days but followed several months of invitation-only testing, during which time Pownce has added features, opened its application programming interface and increasingly adapted to the needs of its user base.

Much discussed due to its wunderkind co-founders, including Digg Inc.'s Kevin Rose, Pownce itself still feels more like a project than a whole company -- no CEO, no known outside funding and little in the way of an obvious business model thus far. Indeed, the party mirrored that vibe, with a crowd rife with programmers, early-adopting users and at least one lifecaster in attendance, but no midparty multimedia presentation, no champagne-splashing launch ceremony and no exclusive guest list. (Schwag given to attendees pictured above.)

Some observers have taken their shots at Pownce, in much the same way Twitter is maligned for its mysterious (or mysteriously absent) business model. But, as Jeff Clavier told me recently, "I really believe in not bothering with the revenue model too early [when warming users up to] a new concept -- you want to establish it and not have [financial concerns] get in the way." (Clavier has invested in video microblogging service Seesmic, but does not hold a stake in either Twitter or Pownce.)

In that respect, with a line out the door and at least one visitor Tweeting that the party was overcrowded, Pownce seems to have succeeded in building its brand among those critical early adopters. Co-founder and lead developer Leah Culver suggested to Tech Confidential's Mary Kathleen Flynn earlier this month that Pownce is "at a transition point" and could be seeking outside investors. That may close the book on its casual early era. (Photo of Culver by Thomas Hawk.) - Paul Bonanos


Follow Pownce's blog
Read Tech Confidential's Jan. 3 interview with Pownce co-founder Leah Culver
See Uncov.com's account of Pownce's dwindling traffic

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