
Peeple sites 'disappear' from web after backlash over app - Turukawa
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-34446882
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rickdale
John Oliver talked about this site last night on his show. What caught my
attention is that it seemed like the founders were clueless, but I only know
it from the show.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnZa18F8QW4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnZa18F8QW4)

submitted
here:[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10331184](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10331184)

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jobu
Awesome that they actually put up the "Scream into the void" site:
[http://screamintothevoid.com/](http://screamintothevoid.com/)

~~~
ColinCochrane
Also see
[http://www.ourladyofperpetualexemption.com/](http://www.ourladyofperpetualexemption.com/)

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jakejake
From what I read, they are building this app with the intention of it being
like LinkedIn where the hope is for positive referrals. But of course we know
there will be negative reviews. You can't leave anonymous reviews, which could
be some incentive for most people to be decent. Of course there's a million
things that could go wrong. And, if nobody pays attention to the site then it
won't work anyway.

This isn't even a new idea. There's apps to rate ex-boyfriends and such that
are obviously focused on being negative. Just for example
[http://www.ratedexes.com/add-person/john-
carreiro-251332-vic...](http://www.ratedexes.com/add-person/john-
carreiro-251332-victoria)

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s_dev
This app was a really really bad idea from the start. PG and YC often tell
people to look for ideas that "seem bad" but this is a whole new league. Even
if used properly by 100% of people 100% of the time it would still be a bad
idea and fundamentally could never have worked. I"m just surprised someone
ponied up the cash to see it realised - perhaps theres an ulterior motive. I
don't know.

~~~
Alex3917
> Even if used properly by 100% of people 100% of the time it would still be a
> bad idea and fundamentally could never have worked.

Then how do you explain the success of Yelp, which is basically the same thing
but for businesses? Or the school system, which is already designed around
rating people? Or safeorscam, which was the same thing but for drug dealers?
Or LinkedIn testimonials?

Certainly there are a ton of challenges to coming up with a good
implementation — business, social, epistemelogical, etc. But I think the
possibility space is too large to rule out the possibility of a feasible
implementation.

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TazeTSchnitzel
> Then how do you explain the success of Yelp, which is basically the same
> thing but for businesses?

Businesses aren't people. You can't bully a business into suicide, for
example.

> Or the school system, which is already designed around rating people?

 _On academic merits_. And sure, there's social rating, but it's not a public
Internet page saying "untrustworthy liar" that anyone can find.

> Or safeorscam, which was the same thing but for drug dealers?

See businesses.

> Or LinkedIn testimonials?

Perhaps a fair comparison, but that's not evaluating objective worth or
something, it's evaluating employability and is as cordial as business tends
to be.

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ngoede
Also LinkedIn Testimonials are approved by the person being reviewed.

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hardwaresofton
Why do people seem to overwhelmingly consider this such a bad/despicable idea?
Doesn't it seem like it would prevent some motivation for people not to be
assholes? Are people worried about inevitable misuse (bullying?)?

We all do this rating in real life. Sometimes people talk about their ratings
of other people with each other ("yeah, I know john, he's really annoying").
You know which of your friends are good and which are not... Why not make this
open knowledge?

~~~
hasenj
People are more likely to be assholes behind the veil of anonymity.

~~~
Nadya
Anonymous people can't leave bad reviews was their plan to curtail that.

Also, anonymity means people are less likely to self-censor. So you get more
honesty. Sometimes honesty isn't _nice_. If you want statements that are only
ever nice things to say, you'll have to accept that many of them are lies.

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mmosta
Great way to (in)validate an idea before wasting any time on development

~~~
theklub
There's no way this idea was completely new. I think anyone who mulled this
over would have realized all of the legal implications as well as how pissed
off most people would be. However you could probably make a similar app where
its all good things only. "Compliments.com check and see if anyone has
complimented you!"

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talles
On LinkedIn[1]: "Peeple is a POSITIVE ONLY APP. We want to bring positivity
and kindness to the world."

On video[2]: "I wouldn't want this app to just be positive (...) we don't live
in a fairtale land (...) it would be pointless if it was all positive."

[1]: [https://linkedin.com/pulse/julia-cordray-ceo-peeple-
creating...](https://linkedin.com/pulse/julia-cordray-ceo-peeple-creating-
worlds-largest-app-julia-cordray)

[2]: [https://vid.me/ukIW](https://vid.me/ukIW)

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brianbreslin
Some friends in Miami built this same concept 8 years ago. It was called
TheGorb.com (Good or Bad). They hired PHDs to come up with algorithms for
ranking, and all sorts of complex variables to factor. In the end no one cared
or wanted to rate others enough to make it stick.

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addandsubtract
MeowMeowBeenz.

Community s05e08, "App Development and Condiments"
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/App_Development_and_Condiments](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/App_Development_and_Condiments)

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herbig
They're doing some excellent marketing.

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thieving_magpie
Was it ever real? Starting to think the answer is 'no'.

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venomsnake
Teacup meet storm ...

Edit: That is about the whole peeple outrage.

