Home Rypple Wants to Be Zynga for the Enterprise

Rypple Wants to Be Zynga for the Enterprise

We’ve recently watched as companies like Jive and Salesforce.com have shifted focus to become platform-centric companies. Social software, CRM and other products are becoming less important than platform-as-service and enterprise app stores for many companies. But what’s going to run on these platforms?

“We don’t want to be the Facebook of the enterprise, we want to be the Zynga,” says co-CEO of Rypple Daniel Debow. Considering the role gamification is playing in Rypple’s development, he may mean that in more way than one. Rypple is a software-as-a-service for employee feedback. Staff can give each other feedback and managers can coach their employees and manage goals.

Today Rypple announced Rypple 3.0, which gives users the ability to create custom badges and, more importantly, define what they mean. We’ve been critical of game mechanics in the workplace in the past, and, personally, I’m not a fan of badges. But Debow makes a good point about the meaning of badges.

“If I show you a little ribbon with a little heart shaped thing on the end of it, you probably wouldn’t be impressed with it if you didn’t know what it was,” he says. “But if I told you that it was a Purple Ribbon and that it’s awarded to people who have been wounded in combat, then would you think it was important?” While the badges on Foursquare are fairly meaningless, a company could create actual meaningful badges earned for real accomplishments at work.

Debow told Robert Scoble that Rypple will soon be running on top of Yammer, and we expect to see it other places soon. Along with other innovative apps that focus on a single problem, such as Meetzi, Rypple is exactly the sort of company that should thrive in an app store environment.

About ReadWrite’s Editorial Process

The ReadWrite Editorial policy involves closely monitoring the tech industry for major developments, new product launches, AI breakthroughs, video game releases and other newsworthy events. Editors assign relevant stories to staff writers or freelance contributors with expertise in each particular topic area. Before publication, articles go through a rigorous round of editing for accuracy, clarity, and to ensure adherence to ReadWrite's style guidelines.

Get the biggest tech headlines of the day delivered to your inbox

    By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. Unsubscribe anytime.

    Tech News

    Explore the latest in tech with our Tech News. We cut through the noise for concise, relevant updates, keeping you informed about the rapidly evolving tech landscape with curated content that separates signal from noise.

    In-Depth Tech Stories

    Explore tech impact in In-Depth Stories. Narrative data journalism offers comprehensive analyses, revealing stories behind data. Understand industry trends for a deeper perspective on tech's intricate relationships with society.

    Expert Reviews

    Empower decisions with Expert Reviews, merging industry expertise and insightful analysis. Delve into tech intricacies, get the best deals, and stay ahead with our trustworthy guide to navigating the ever-changing tech market.