We aren’t always that good at telling people how much they mean to us. Sometimes, we forget. Other times, we’re too embarrassed to say what we really feel.
But Calvin Liu wants to help change that. He’s the co-creator of a new iOS app called Outpour, an app that lets you post anonymous messages of gratitude to your friends and acquaintances. The idea is to embolden people to share good thoughts they might otherwise keep to themselves.
Launched on Wednesday, Outpour is riding a wave of interest in online anonymity. In the internet’s earliest days, social applications like IRC and Usenet were, for all intents and purposes, anonymous. But as trolling and bullying became more and more of a problem in the age of the social network, companies like Facebook and Google have insisted on real-names policies. But that brought its own set of disadvantages. Some people don’t feel free to express themselves when their friends, families and employers are listening. For others—such as domestic violence victims—using their real names is dangerous. So now we’re moving back towards anonymity.
This year has seen a wave of new apps—such as Secret, Yik Yak, and Facebook’s Rooms—that buck the real-name trend, promising online anonymity or pseudoanonimity. But these services often bring with them the same old problems of bullying, stalking, defamation, and downright lewdness. Liu is hoping that with Outpour, he and his team can design an experience that brings out the best in people.
He got the idea last Christmas when he sent old-fashioned printed notes to all his friends telling them what he appreciated about them. Seeing the popularity of Secret, he realized there was an opportunity to build an app that would help people do the same thing, but with much less effort. But in order for it to work, the Outpour team is going to have to keep the app from becoming yet another troll pit.
He says the app’s first defense against trolling is its design. With something like YikYak or Secret, you can just vent your frustrations out into the ether. That can make it easier to say something negative about a person without even really thinking about it. But with Outpour, you have to go to someone’s profile, where there may already be a number already positive comments. In order to leave a negative comment, you have to consciously decide to seek out their profile and write something that and violates the social norms of the site.
But the Outpour team isn’t relying simply on social norms to enforce good behavior. Users will also be able to delete hurtful messages, and block the users who send them. Liu promises the team will pay close attention to people who have been blocked, and that users who are blocked by more than one person may be banned. To reduce the risks of people signing-up multiple accounts just to mess with people, Outpour requires your to provide and verify a unique phone number during registration.
Liu says he’s not sure how the company will make money yet. One possibility is that the team will add the option of sending people gifts as a token of your appreciation, and then maybe take a cut of that. He also wants to eventually expand the scope of the app to include many things besides just people. If you want to express gratitude towards your your favorite book, your neighborhood park, or a really great sushi restaurant, you could do that. Brands could have their own profiles, which could also provide a stream of revenue. “Any database of things people like is pretty valuable for marketers,” he says.
Today, the app is only available for Apple iOS devices, but Liu says a web version and an Android app will follow next year. Of course, you don’t need a fancy new smart phone app to tell the people you love how much you care about them. But for those who need a little nudging, help is here.
No comments:
Post a Comment