Ask YC: Catchy name for Facebook app that takes lies as input and produces hot app ideas as output?

[amichail]

This app will be something like the ESP Game -- that is, a game with a purpose.

Users will be asked to lie to their friends as part of the game. The output of the game will be app ideas along with their virality estimates.

I'm having a hard time trying to come up with a name. Any suggestions?

The app is aimed at two groups of people -- those who want to play the lying game and those who want to take advantage of the most promising ideas generated to build new apps.

Would something like "The Lying Game" discourage people from adding the app? The lies being told are supposed to mislead you as to the purpose of the app. So giving away the purpose in the app name / description may discourage people from adding the app (or it would at least skew the virality estimates).

Also, does Facebook have a policy about deceptive apps, even ones whose goal is noble and could result in better apps? Strictly speaking, one could argue that it is the users who are being deceptive by lying to their friends.

[utnick]

You've posted a few times on here about this app, but honestly you need to do a MUCH better job of explaining what it is if you want advice imo.

[amichail → utnick]

For each friend, the user needs to think of the best lie to tell that friend in order to get him to add the app. The friend would then get a notification with that lie.

For example, if one of your friends is into virtual gifts, you might make up a lie such as "X has just given you a virtual gift. Click here to see what it is."

But there is no such gift. Once the user adds the app he will learn its true nature and can send out lies of his/her own to his/her friends.

This is a game where the number of points scored depends on the number of friends (and possibly non-friends) that you tricked into adding the app.

If the app name / description reveals its true purpose, then the deception is only in getting the friend to click on the link in the notification. Users may then decide whether to add the app given that they know something about its deception. But this might skew the virality stats of the app ideas.

[utnick → amichail]

ok MUCH MUCH better, I now understand what it is

[amichail → utnick]

So any suggestions as to the app name and description? Should they preserve the deception?

[joeguilmette → amichail]

how about something like 'Gotcha!'

since this is web two oh you should probably misspell it.

[joeguilmette → utnick]

yea i've tried really hard every time you explain it, and this is the first time it has made the least bit of sense.

i like it! build it!

[cperciva]

I think you're confused about what "viral" means.

The proportion of people to whom an application is recommended who actually install it is only part of the virality of an application; another (IMHO far more important) aspect is the proportion of people who install an application who then go on to recommend it to others.

Your (I hope hypothetical?) application might be great for identifying powerful advertising slogans, or for identifying suckers; but it isn't going to tell you whether a yet-to-be-built facebook application would be popular or not.

[amichail → cperciva]

It's not a complete picture. But hopefully these notifications would be more than advertising slogans for existing ideas and would identify novel apps that people would like.

[utnick]

you should just call it theApp or theGreatestAppEV4R

something generic

[amichail → utnick]

I guess for the description, I could have something vague also such as "An app limited only by your imagination. Add the app to discover its secret."