“If your idea doesn’t exist, the build it yourself. Technology can be used to help people connect to people.” ~Josh Miller
Josh Miller doesn’t have a college degree, but at just 22 years old, he’s proving that there are things other than graduation that determine success. The Santa Monica, California, native co-founded Branch in the fall of 2011. A new site focused on improving conversations online, Branch is working on turning Internet “monologues into dialogues” and make online conversations—particularly in comments sections.
IMG: via joshm.co
The now-CEO of Branch, who is on a leave of absence from Princeton, describes his company as “a panel discussion online. Anyone who has a social media account, URL or website can watch the thing unfold.” Miller is a visionary if we’ve ever seen one, working to provide a more reliable and worthwhile conversation platform.
“Branch is different than an open-forum commenting system. With Branch, we are trying to replicate the sorts of conversations that you would have in the real world. We like to imagine it as if you are sitting around the table having a discussion with your friends.”
The site is proving a valuable resource for industry-specific professionals and is working on generating interest for younger people not yet in the working world. It’s also addressing a serious issue in the online media world; comment sections are often filled with trolls, spammers, and know-it-alls wanting to perform a monologue to a captivated audience. To help solve this problem, Branch is an invite-only platform—making high quality and value a priority.
As a very young and successful entrepreneur, Miller also has some advice for aspiring tech entrepreneurs. He encourages students to “build something” and find a passion to pursue.
“People think in binary. They think that just because they can’t code a program or don’t have the funding, they are limited to doing nothing. In reality, there is a lot they can do right now.”
