I’ve been using the days.am app for a few months now. (Full disclosure, I’m an investor in their parent company, Wander). It’s a beautiful, visual diary that allows you to capture life “unfiltered”.  You can read more about the thinking behind the product here.

It’s been a fun app to play with, and one that has brought with it some cool, unexpected surprises. First, it has changed my behavior and made me start cataloging many more life moments. These moments were one’s I enjoyed, but then again, why would anyone really care about a mediocre picture of a door, or a bee, or a fountain in isolation?  Previously, I’d just take a mental snapshot, and move on.

I also was pleasantly surprised by what I saw from other people. It’s amazing how I feel like I “know” the people that I followed in the closed alpha, even though I may have never met many of them. Sharing the moments in their life in an unfiltered way, with a low-bar of “does this make me look good” was really cool. It gives you a unique lens into the way your friend see the world and themselves.

Consumer social services are always pretty tricky. They aren’t really utilities (at least at the start), and it’s hard to pinpoint why something may or may not work. Also, some social utilities come out of the gates fast, and others are a slow boil. But long-term, it’s not how fast you are out of the gates, but how you finish that matters.

What I think gets me excited about a consumer social application is whether a) it changes my behavior meaningfully and b) I feel excited to see what my friends are posting. Pretty simple, and I think days.am has done a nice job on both counts.

Congrats on Jeremy, Keenan and the team on the initial product and launch.  Below is one of my favorite days from a trip to NY a few months back.  Click through to see the comments, some animation, and check out the app. Enjoy, and have fun!