Midd alums launch new websites

Have you ever had an argument with a friend and wished there was someone there to settle it for you? Well now thanks to two Middlebury alumni, you can use Squabbler.com to share your side of the argument over the Internet and let viewers declare a winner.

The creators of Squabbler, Matt Bijur ’97 and Mike Bender ’97 — now based in Los Angeles, California — have been best friends since they met in Battell North in 1993 as first-years at Middlebury. They joined forces around their tendency to squabble with one another, as most friends do, and hence came up with the idea for Squabbler. On Squabbler, “the challenger” and “the responder” each presents his other side of the debate in a video of 30 seconds or less, and then over the life of the squabble, viewers cast votes, leave comments and decide on a winner.

Bijur and Bender’s original squabble back in Battell was over something as simple as air conditioners: “Matt was convinced that air conditioners can’t make you sick, but I absolutely believe that they can,” said Bender.

Bijur and Bender stress that squabbles can be as lighthearted or as serious as you want.

“There is no squabble too big or too small. It could be a debate over fraternities versus social houses or two roommates talking about classes, teams, whatever it happens to be,” said Bender. “It could be political debates, or a discussion about love and relationships. We encourage people to be creative about their squabbles. Everything’s debatable.”

Bender and Bijur have been working on the website for about a year.  Since its launch at the beginning of February, Squabbler is already averaging close to 500,000 impressions per month. The site has already received a bigger response than its creators expected, and they hope that its popularity will continue to spread across college campuses.

“Our vision for the site is that it will become deeply embedded within universities and colleges across the country, but given the fact that we’re both Midd alums, we want Middlebury to be the first and we expect it to spread from there,” said Bijur. “We hope to have Midd Kids squabbling about everything from Middlebury sports, to dining halls, to roommate issues, to Midd’s carbon footprint. We have big aspirations for this website. It’s an enormous web property, and we want it to spread much like Facebook did, with Middlebury acting as the catalyst for it taking off.”

The creators of Squabbler did not always envision themselves working in the Internet business, as the Internet was not even available in their dorm rooms when they were at Middlebury. Bijur, who majored in architecture and economics, worked in the sports arena after college and then transitioned into the Internet business. He is now an employee of KIT Digital, where he works with video delivery, social media and applications.

“I think my work with KIT will help us see the direction of where Squabbler will go in the future, with mobile devices, TV shows, interactive tweeting and things that will help us maintain a connection with the viewers,” said Bijur.

Besides working in the Internet business, Bender, an English and film major, has primarily worked in the film industry as a screenwriter for corporations such as New Line Cinema, Disney, Warner Brothers and Comedy Central. Bender wrote “Not Another Teen Movie,” and more recently launched a website called www.awkwardfamilyphotos.com, with a tagline of “Spreading the Awkwardness.”

This site was launched about a year and a half ago, after Bender realized that the awkward family photos his family had were something central, relatable and something to which everyone could connect. He wanted to create a friendly place where everyone could come together and share uncomfortable family moments. Awkward Family Photos has received press hits from outlets such as CNN, the CBS Early Show, Hollywood Reporter, the New Yorker, GQ and Entertainment Weekly. However, Bender says that this press attention comes from the fact that everyone has a family and uncomfortable moments. He does not go out and seek press, but prefers to let it come in organically.

There are many rewards to working in the Internet business, according to Bijur and Bender.

“There’s so much freedom right now to create something original and different. The beauty of it is that there is no one telling you what you can and cannot do. You can break the rules and bring something original to people,” said Bender. “With TV and film, you know the format well and generally know where they’re going, but the web can go anywhere. It’s about figuring out what can inspire you.

“The most rewarding part of [working on Squabbler] is the creative challenge, building something people enjoy,” said Bender. “We want people to be entertained and to think about issues.”

In discussing the business aspects of Squabbler and Awkward Family Photos, Bender and Bijur explained that most of the revenue is derived from advertisements, campaigns and contests built around their advertisers. Awkward Family Photos also raises revenue through merchandising, books, and it even has a television show with ABC in development.

“Our first priority is to create something that is fun and that is a good experience for the people. If we can do that, the revenue will follow,” said Bijur. “That is what I believe makes for a successful business.”

Much like Facebook did years ago, Bijur and Bender are looking to hire Middlebury representatives who are interested in earning some money and introducing the Squabbler platform to the student body.

“We want Midd reps to talk about the site, explain what it is. The more the merrier,” said Bender. “We want Squabbler to be introduced to campuses because college students are the kind of people who will use it. At our age [of 35], people are like, ‘Wait a minute, explain to me again how this works.’”

Interested students can contact Bijur and Bender at reps@squabbler.com. The creators indicate that they are open to acting as resources and talking to students who are interested in social media and web business, and they also have some advice to share with Middlebury students about career paths and life in general:

“When I was at Middlebury, I thought I had to remember everything from every class. But you look back, and it’s really the experience and the people that are important. It’s about being around smart people, the respect for learning you develop and the interactions you have at Middlebury,” said Bijur.

“You don’t have to be on a set track at Middlebury or even after graduation. Your 20s are a great time to experiment and not just get caught in one path.”

Squabbler.com