Why Anonymous Social Network Sites Will Come Back in 2017
I don’t believe there’s a lack of utility with anonymous networks. Anonymous can be useful. A few examples:
- Anonymous questions and answers on Quora
- Anonymous Twitter accounts, like FakeSteveJobs on Twitter (before Dan Lyons’ revealed himself)
As a new Reddit user, I’ve discovered how powerful the Reddit community is, and most of its users are anonymous. Its users are brave and courageous; arguably, I don’t believe your average Reddit user would be as outspoken without anonymous protection.
Why Secret App Failed in 2015
My conclusion on why Secret failed: poor competitive strategy. And here’s why:
- YikYak dominated location-based, anonymous discussion at schools, so Secret could not occupy that space.
- If Secret was competing in anonymous discussion in general (non-location based), it could not overcome Reddit’s strong user base and community.
I’m not sure if Secret could have done something different with its assets, but competing head-on with YikYak and Reddit was a losing proposition.