Back in 2009, I wrote about a tool called QuickScrib, a simple web-based text sharing platform that my friend Josh Spaulding was building. At the time, I compared it to Twitter, wondering if it might become the next big thing. It did not, and that is actually the interesting lesson here.
The Graveyard of Internet Tools
If you have been in online business for any length of time, you have watched dozens of tools launch with big promises and quietly disappear. QuickScrib, which let you create simple web pages by pasting in text, was one of many products that solved a problem that other tools eventually solved better.
The concept behind QuickScrib was sound: make it dead simple to share text content online without dealing with email attachments or complicated publishing tools. In 2009, that was genuinely useful. By the mid-2010s, tools like Google Docs, Notion, and even simple social media posts had eaten that entire use case.
What This Teaches Us About Tool Selection
When evaluating any tool for your online business, ask yourself these questions:
- Does this solve a problem that is likely to persist? Tools built around temporary gaps in technology have short lifespans.
- Is the company behind it sustainable? Free tools with no clear business model often disappear when the founder moves on.
- What happens to my content if this tool shuts down? Always have an export strategy.
- Are there established alternatives? A new tool needs to be significantly better than existing options to justify the switching cost.
Transcription Tools That Actually Lasted
The broader category that QuickScrib touched on, making it easy to create and share text content, has evolved dramatically. For content creators in 2026, the real transcription and content sharing tools worth knowing about include:
AI transcription services. Tools like Otter.ai, Descript, and Riverside can transcribe audio and video content with remarkable accuracy. If you create podcasts or video content, these tools turn your spoken words into written content in minutes.
Collaborative writing platforms. Google Docs, Notion, and Craft make sharing and collaborating on written content effortless. No special tool needed.
Content repurposing platforms. Services like Castmagic, Opus Clip, and Repurpose.io can take a single piece of content and transform it into multiple formats automatically.
The Lesson Worth Remembering
I could have felt foolish for recommending a tool that no longer exists. But that is part of the journey. In internet marketing, you place bets on tools and strategies constantly. Some pay off spectacularly. Some quietly fade away. The skill is not in picking winners every time. The skill is in building your business on foundations that persist regardless of which specific tools you use.
Your content, your audience, and your expertise are assets that survive any tool transition. Build on those, and let the tools come and go as they will.
Holey moley! This is going to awwwwwesome. I can’t wait to see it develop. 🙂
thanks so much for the share, would look into it 🙂
I love u-tube am a member in myspace, my granchildren (x seven) are always on MSM,Bebo,
Twitter and various other ones that always pop up in MSM.
The young kids nowadays love that sort of thing, and if I was there age again I would be right there myself. And I think if another mini blogger came up, it would definately be another
success story.
G’day Mark,
Thanks for the heads-up! I am a big fan of Josh’s products, so will be checking this out right now! I am still coming to grips with Twitter — like you, when I first saw it being talked about I went “Okay, pretty cool, but what can you actually DO with it?”, so I didn’t get in at the beginning.
Won’t be making the same mistake again though. If you are lurking about Josh, sounds like another great product from a great and honest marketer, good luck with it!
Terry (early adopter, for a change! 🙂 )
Thanks for the heads up- will check it out now!
-rkr
Thank you for informing about a great tool.
I am sure people goona love this
My best wishes with Josh !
Hey Mark I hope it goes BIG time.
It already has a pretty low Alexa so must have been up for a while now.
Time will rell how kind the Big G will be to it but seems to me that it has great possibilities.
Thanks for the heads up.
Rich Hill
Just checked this out, and posted my first QuickScrib (no: 180!). A quick note to all you Internet Marketers out there, this will be a goldmine if you don’t abuse it! Each post (Scrib) can contain two URLs right in the post — think about the possibilities! 😉
Terry
Whoa!
I’m don’t use Twitter and only signed up for FB to see pictures that my friends have posted, but even I can see the possibilities here!
Josh is a busy guy, huh?
Yes I must agree that a promotional tool somewhere in between Twitter and a full scale blog just may take off. QuickScrib – not a bad name either.
Mark, I thank you again for the best of information and tips. This looks to be real sweet.
great news! this is a very promising site, why did I not think about this before…
Thanks Mark. Nice to see if this new tool of Josh Spaulding will become the next big thing after Twitter. When that happens I can say I first learned about it from Mark Mason.
Jose
This might be very big. Spaulding does it again.
Seems like an interesting concept I will have to check this out