To say the World Wide Web has changed a lot in the last eight years would be an understatement. OnlineClock.net got its first surge of support from a front page article on social bookmarking site Digg, a site that has been largely replaced by Reddit in the hearts of dedicated time-wasters the world over. In those days, MySpace still ruled the social landscape, and Facebook was just beginning to open its doors to the general public. Through it all, the world's first online alarm clock has remained true to its original vision.
While the owner/creator of OnlineClock.net has maintained much of the original framework for the site, Churm understands the importance of being a pioneer. "I wasn't content with just having the best online alarm clock for website visitors. You don't even have to look at the numbers. Just look around, and you'll see that everyone is on a smartphone of some kind these days. It only made sense to offer our unique time management tools to users on an array of Internet-capable devices."
Not content with simply offering a version appropriate for one smartphone, the site is rolling out a version that works flawlessly on a number of Internet-ready devices. This includes all of the major smartphones and tablet PCs such as iPhones and iPads. By going this route, OnlineClock.net beats their competitors to the marketplace, once again proving why the site has been at the forefront of online time management from the very beginning. The mobile version of the site will include all of the most popular features of the full site, including the Online Alarm Clock, the Online Timer, and the Online Stopwatch.
A Brief History of Online Time
It may seem strange to think of something as simple as an online alarm clock making waves in 2014, but Churm's startup broke new ground when it was released in 2006. Churm himself was working in Berlin when he decided to take a yearlong course in web programming. This fortuitous decision led Churm to eventually create OnlineClock.net, a venture that met almost instantaneous success. After being featured on the front page of Digg in September of that year, the site was off and running. It has since solidified its position as one of the most popular websites on the Web. Approximately 75 percent of the site's visitors are returning users, a statistic that proves how loyal OnlineClock.net's followers are.
Along the way, Online Clock has celebrated many milestones. More importantly, perhaps, are the innovations the site has developed along the way. A less imaginative entrepreneur may have seen limited avenues for improvement. Churm, on the other hand, has continually found ways to bring excitement and usefulness to his standard online alarm clock. These innovations include stopwatch games, counting apps, video timers, and time management infographics.
Conquering a New Frontier
Never content to rest on his laurels, Churm is now ready to take OnlineClock.net into the brave new world of mobile functionality. It is there that the site will face its stiffest competition to date. It's no secret that mobile apps and cross-device functionality is the focus of nearly every online company in 2014. By meeting this competition head-on, Churm hopes to do much more than get lightning to strike twice.
"I've never been into this for the money," Churm says. "I want the site to be successful because I think it helps people. People are busier today than they've ever been. Between a crushingly competitive job market, school, and family, people need ways to effectively manage their time."
If history is anything to go by, busy people will be using OnlineClock.net's new mobile site to help them do just that.
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