Waldo: Private Photo Sharing - Ad-Free & Direct to Consumers

Waldo Expands into Consumer Photo Sharing Amidst Social Media Concerns

Waldo, a platform traditionally focused on serving businesses, schools, and organizations, is now leveraging increasing dissatisfaction with platforms like Facebook to introduce a new consumer-focused product. The company is launching a service designed for private photo sharing between family and friends, positioning it as a secure, ad-free, and private alternative to larger social networks.

Existing Alternatives and Waldo’s Differentiation

While acknowledging that consumers already possess options for private photo sharing – such as invite-only albums on Google Photos or private sharing via Apple’s iCloud – Waldo believes a dedicated, cross-platform application with unique features can fill a niche in the market. Existing methods often require utilizing features within broader ecosystems.

The Waldo application is accessible on iOS, Android, and through web browsers. It features a wireless uploading capability specifically designed for DSLR camera users. Users can establish galleries for events and invite specific individuals to share photos within those galleries.

Smart Notifications and Private Interactions

A key feature of the Waldo app is its ability to send alerts, via push notifications or text messages, to individuals when photos containing them are uploaded to shared galleries. This is powered by facial recognition technology.

Furthermore, the app facilitates closed-loop commenting and reactions, ensuring that interactions between the photo owner and commenters remain private and are not visible to other album viewers.

Subscription Plans and Pricing

Waldo’s new consumer service is available through two subscription tiers: Plus and Premium, priced at $4.99 per month and $9.99 per month, respectively. The Plus plan supports up to five family members, while the Premium plan accommodates up to ten. Both plans offer unlimited invites and contributors.

Storage capacity differs between the tiers, with Plus providing 100 GB and Premium offering 200 GB. However, these plans are priced higher than comparable offerings from major technology companies.

Comparison with Competitors

For instance, a Google One Basic plan with 100 GB of storage costs $1.99 per month, and 200 GB is available for $2.99 per month. iCloud+ offers 50 GB for $0.99 per month, and 200 GB for $2.99 per month in the U.S. Therefore, Waldo must effectively demonstrate the value of its unique features – including facial recognition-based notifications, private reactions, and customized print options – to attract consumers.

Building on Existing Partnerships and B2B Success

Waldo intends to complement its existing business relationships with organizations like camps, schools, and churches, which currently utilize the platform for private photo sharing with parents and guardians.

Growth and Current Customer Base

Over the last five years, Waldo has expanded its reach beyond the consumer market. Currently, the company serves “hundreds of thousands” of customers, encompassing both families and employees of the institutions and businesses it supports.

Its business clients leverage the app’s facial recognition capabilities – with appropriate parental consent – to automatically identify and tag students, campers, and event attendees. This simplifies the process for parents seeking photos of their children within large collections.

This subscription-based service has seen adoption across the United States and Canada, although Waldo does not publicly disclose its revenue figures.

Strategic Expansion, Not a Pivot

Waldo emphasizes that this expansion into the consumer market is not a shift away from its established B2B offerings, but rather an extension to a broader user base.

The company anticipates that individuals already using Waldo through their children’s organizations may be inclined to transition to the consumer photo-sharing service. Furthermore, recipients of shared photos do not necessarily need to download the app, as the service is accessible through web browsers on any device.

Personal Experience and Potential Use Cases

Having personally used Waldo through my child’s summer camp, this transition appears logical. The convenience of directly sharing camp photos with family members, rather than downloading and re-sharing them through other platforms, is a compelling benefit.

CEO Statement and Future Vision

“We will continue to provide our communities with our Waldo Pro solution as it is an important value-add for our families who seek to have all of their family’s photos, irrespective of who took them, in a single cloud-based, mobile-friendly location, and a huge benefit to our communities who benefit from a safer photo-sharing platform,” stated Waldo CEO Rodney Rice to TechCrunch.

“The launch of Waldo Plus and Premium represents our opening up the platform from only being accessible as a member of one of our ‘Waldo-fied’ communities to every consumer being able to use the platform for everyday sharing and all the events in their lives,” he added.