Joint is a private message board. The way it works is that you host a "joint" on a server of your choice. Then you invite people to come "hang out" at your joint so you can share messages, photos, comments and other fun stuff. You can create as many joints as you want, and hang out at other people's joints as well.

-- So how is Joint different than other private sharing services? --

Privacy: Joint is even more private. Only you know about your "joints" and what members you've invited. This is quite different from other private sharing services which still maintain the data for all users, as well as data about which user accounts belong to which sharing groups. Joint is different. There is no central "service" or database on which all user data is defined. Joint is just the app, not a centralized service. It is a tool which facilitates private sharing.

Distributed Data: Each member actually has a local copy of the joint on his device. That means you can continue to use Joint like normal even if you are not connected to the internet. Great for showing off recent photos in the absence of wifi, etc. Any changes you make while offline are sent later.

Ownership: You own and control your data. A joint can be hosted on any CouchDB server. Don't panic if you are unfamiliar with CouchDB. It's easy to get setup with a hosting service. No technical expertise required. But of course you can host a joint on any CouchDB server you want.

Value: Unlike "freemium" sharing services that encourage you to give away your data for free, Joint is a private paid platform where you keep control of your data.
✓ Join as many joints as you want for free!
✓ The first joint you create yourself is free!
✓ There is a one-time fee of 1.99 for each additional joint you create yourself. Everyone you invite can join for free.

-- What are some uses for Joint? --

• Share messages, photos, and comments with the people you invite.
• Great for families and young kids as well. Your kids can join your Family joint without needing to have an email address. Just send the invitation email to yourself on their behalf and set it up for them.
• Create a Joint for a project at work and invite members of your team to cut down on email.
• Create a joint just for you and your sweetheart.
• Create a joint for your extended family, etc.

-- Features --

• Continue to use Joint even if you are not connected to the internet.
• Post multiple photos in the same message.
• Cross-posting. Post the same message to multiple joints at once.
• Tap a photo to see full size. Looks great on the iPad.
• Quick inline commenting
• Messages and comments are clearly separated and logically organized.
• Web links are active in messages.
• Your profile photo can be different for each joint (serious for work, silly for friends)
• Push Notifications (you can disable them per joint)

-- What devices is Joint compatible with? --

• Compatible with the new 4-inch screens
• Compatible with the original iPad (still a great device)
• Compatible with iPad, iPhone, and iPod

-- What if I have trouble using Joint? --

Customer support and feedback is integrated directly into the app. We are always trying to improve Joint and we value the opportunity to help you if you run into a problem or a bug or if you would like to see a new feature. You can also get help outside the app by sending an email to: tickets@36codes.uservoice.com