The anonymous apps trend continues. Reach sounds like an interest-based, mobile Omegle. I'm naturally skeptical of these and I'm not convinced the "interest" context is enough to drive meaningful/non-trolly behavior but I'll give a chance. 😃
h/t @riptari for this hunt (TC article)
@riptari@rrhoover The main issue with these kind of apps is always adoption. Any kind of location-based app will only work if there are enough people using it.
That being said I think location-aware apps are definitely the future as they can provide a LOT of value.
EDIT: Will give the app a try.
@riptari@rrhoover It's such a tough balance. I'm wondering if there's a way to properly segment these types of app by interest to help solve that problem. For instance, a "business 'Reach' that allows people to receive unfiltered feedback or ask questions/rant without fear of retribution" may build more of a community vs. a haven for trolls.
@riptari@rrhoover I think interest enough, but it takes far too long to hit the critical mass expected of a startup unless you go to really specific communities. People nowadays are also very different when it comes to "interests" than early web communities who were usually hardcore, passionate people. There ends up being a lot of valueless conversations, or just "hi I like cars too" etc.
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Sounds like this app I used to work for... Facefeed. How is it different than Yik-Yak though?
@ttayl0r it's a weird app. It looks like Secret v2, but without any images. Every post is just a tag-based description of a person and their interests; presumably you see someone that looks interesting to you and you message them, anonymously.
@ttayl0r@chrismessina I wonder why you would message them, anonymously. I can't imagine there is a big market for this.. but maybe I'm wrong. Seems only real driver of talking to nearby people anonymously that might work would be for hookups where there is clear reason to start talking.
As someone who has worked on and developed in this field, there just isn't enough people in one area with the app open to speak with unless you're in a venue that is actively promoting it. Also, I learned for chat app on mobile - they tend to drain the battery cause its always pinging the server for an active heartbeat so the stream stays open. So users don't tend to keep the app open all the time. It'd be nice but the market just isn't there.
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