Difference between revisions of "Yik Yak"
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[[Wiki:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nearby|Nearby]] is an iOS and Android phone application that was originally launched in June, 2010. This application was designed to help people make friends with people located nearby. Using the user's GPS capabilities on their phone, they would compile a list of other users. The service allows for private text messaging, photo messaging, virtual gifts, and profiles. There is also a public “Live Stream” feature, which is very similar to Facebook’s News Feed.<ref>[http://www.wnmlive.com/about "About WNM Live"] URL accessed April 22, 2013.</ref>. On this application you can choose to be however anonymous the user wants, as you do not have to use your real name or provide too much information. | [[Wiki:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nearby|Nearby]] is an iOS and Android phone application that was originally launched in June, 2010. This application was designed to help people make friends with people located nearby. Using the user's GPS capabilities on their phone, they would compile a list of other users. The service allows for private text messaging, photo messaging, virtual gifts, and profiles. There is also a public “Live Stream” feature, which is very similar to Facebook’s News Feed.<ref>[http://www.wnmlive.com/about "About WNM Live"] URL accessed April 22, 2013.</ref>. On this application you can choose to be however anonymous the user wants, as you do not have to use your real name or provide too much information. | ||
===Secret=== | ===Secret=== | ||
| + | [[Wiki:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secret_(app)|Secret]] was an iOS and Android phone application that was created on January 30, 2014. The application built with the purpose of letting users share messages anonymously within their friends, friends of friends, or publicly. | ||
==Features== | ==Features== | ||
===Photo Sharing=== | ===Photo Sharing=== | ||
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==Ethical Implications== | ==Ethical Implications== | ||
===Bullying & Cyberbullying=== | ===Bullying & Cyberbullying=== | ||
| + | ===Threats=== | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
<references> | <references> | ||
Revision as of 15:48, 15 February 2016
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Yik Yak is a location-based social media application that was developed by Tyler Droll and Brooks Buffington. Yik Yak acts like a local bulletin board for your area by showing the most recent posts from other users around you. They created this application with the goal, "to create a way for people to instantly connect with everyone around them. As of now, Yik Yak is now located in over 2000 campuses across the United States"[1].
Yik Yak works off anonymous submissions from people within a 5-mile proximity. The main page consists of a refreshable feed of posts users have made. Yik Yak prefers to call their posts "yaks". As a user you are allowed to upvote, downvote, and comment on these yaks[2]. If your yak gets enough upvotes, it will be put under the "Hot" tab, which is where the most popular yaks are put. On the other hand, if your yak gets 5 more downvotes compared to upvotes, your yak will be removed from the public feed. The user will build up yakarma as they do more of these actions.
Contents
History
Tyler Droll and Brooks Buffington first came up the idea for this app when they attended Furman University. Droll and Buffington were intrigued by anonymous Twitter accounts that were catered specifically to the Furman campus, and they wanted to recreate this experience in a phone application[3]. However, it was not until they graduated when they wanted take their idea more seriously. During January of 2014, Yik Yak started picking up more steam Atlanta Capital, which was an investment firm, decided to invest $20,000 into Yik Yak[4]. During April of 2014, Yik Yak closed a $1.5 million and later a $10 million dollar investment deal with Vaizra Investments, with participation from DCM, Azure Capital Partners and other angels[5]. Yik Yak has had tremendous success, but its growth in popularity and support has been flatlining recently.
Similar Applications
Whisper
Whisper is an iOS and Android phone application that was released on March 31, 2012. Whisper allows users to send messages anonymously and receive replies. Whenever you post a message on Whisper, you have to choose a background picture and provide text that is overlaid onto that picture. The Whisper application has been criticized for requiring access to smartphone features such as the camera and contact list even though it is not necessarily needed. Their privacy policy says that they reserve the right to turn over any information if any law enforcement has the jurisdiction to do so[6]. Fakhoury elaborated that: "You have to be very careful about selling a program as a secure way to secretly communicate, and then reserve the right to turn over that information whenever necessary[7]."
Nearby
Nearby is an iOS and Android phone application that was originally launched in June, 2010. This application was designed to help people make friends with people located nearby. Using the user's GPS capabilities on their phone, they would compile a list of other users. The service allows for private text messaging, photo messaging, virtual gifts, and profiles. There is also a public “Live Stream” feature, which is very similar to Facebook’s News Feed.[8]. On this application you can choose to be however anonymous the user wants, as you do not have to use your real name or provide too much information.
Secret
Secret was an iOS and Android phone application that was created on January 30, 2014. The application built with the purpose of letting users share messages anonymously within their friends, friends of friends, or publicly.
Features
Photo Sharing
During July 15, 2015 Yik Yak started allowing users to post photos. However, Yik Yak moderates the photos before they are actually posted. Their guidelines are that you should not post inappropriate photos (anything you wouldn’t send to your mother), illegal content, or faces will be allowed in local feeds"[9]. Before they actually released this feature, they gave a few communities the ability to share photos earlier in order to provide feedback and ideas that they could use.
Peek
During October, 2014 Yik Yak released the feature that allowed users to view other Yik Yak community feeds. Particularly, you would be allowed to see into other US and international college's yak feeds. Giving the users the ability to search what area they want to see yaks from allows users to get an unfiltered look at what is happening in a certain area at any given time. Brooks Buffinton, the COO and cofounder of Yik Yak said, “We’re building Yik Yak into a technology that fulfills a higher purpose of delivering organic and unfiltered truths, which cannot be said for other news mediums”[10].
Herd/Basecamp
On May 15, 2015 Yik Yak released the ability for users to set a basecamp for their yak feed. With this users would be able to set their yak feed to a certain location even though they are not actually in that area. Once you set up your herd, you will have the capability to switch between posting in your local feed or your "My Herd" feed."[11]. Many users have wanted a way to still wanted to be apart of their campus herd, even though they were studying abroad or away for the summer. Also, this new update allows users to now see trending locations, local and global herds allowed for more exploration within the community.
Ethical Implications
Bullying & Cyberbullying
Threats
References
- ↑ "about." Yik Yak. https://www.yikyak.com/about
- ↑ "features." Yik Yak. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yik_Yak
- ↑ "Yik Yak inspiration." Yik Yak. http://techcrunch.com/gallery/a-brief-history-of-yik-yak/slide/5/
- ↑ "Yik Yak investment." Yik Yak. http://techcrunch.com/gallery/a-brief-history-of-yik-yak/slide/7/
- ↑ "Yik Yak investment." Yik Yak. http://techcrunch.com/gallery/a-brief-history-of-yik-yak/slide/16/
- ↑ "Whisper Privacy." Whisper. http://blog.yikyak.com/blog/introducing-photos
- ↑ "Fakhoury Whisper." Whisper. http://www.wired.com/2014/05/whistleblowers-beware/
- ↑ "About WNM Live" URL accessed April 22, 2013.
- ↑ "Photo guidelines." Yik Yak. https://blog.yikyak.com/blog/introducing-photos
- ↑ "Yik Yak Peek." Yik Yak. http://tech.co/yik-yak-introduces-new-peek-feature-2014-05
- ↑ "My Herd." Yik Yak. http://blog.yikyak.com/blog/basecamp
