Stephen Fry’s “Baby” Start-Up Shuts Down

Max Smolaks,

Comment service Pushnote has ceased operation

Pushnote, a social media platform that gave users the opportunity to comment on any site with just one click, shut down its website this morning.

Last year, actor and technology enthusiast Stephen Fry gave his vocal support (and money) to the start-up, but admitted he wasn’t expecting a return.

Not even Stephen Fry could help

Pushnote, hailed as “the new layer to the web”, was a free browser plug-in which allowed users to post comments on sites across the Internet using just one button. However, it was widely criticised for the lack of a facility for websites to filter or remove those comments.

The Pushnote browser button turned green when a user visited a web page where other people had commented using the service. It turned red when new comments from user’s contact list were added, encouraging almost real-time discussion. It could also post directly to Twitter and Facebook.

The site’s founder and chief executive, John Leaver, has now shut down the service. Stephen Fry previously admitted he did not expect to make money from Pushnote.

“It was a difficult decision, not least because we loved the great content shared on Pushnote and we’re sorry we can no longer support the site,” reads the farewell note on the website.

“As an innovative social platform, Pushnote was always a bit of an experiment. It was a lot of fun and we made a lot of friends, but our passions have led us elsewhere.”

The statement concluded: “It’s a wonderfully innovative time for the web and we hope you’re enjoying it as much as we are.”

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