No Such Thing As a "FREE APP"
Y'all know Facebook isn't free, right? Not only do they sell ads ON Facebook, but Facebook sells advertisers lists so that American Express, for instance, can send credit card offers in the mail to businesses and even addressed to Facebook Pages like my "Breakfast Club Challenge" page I set up to test a premise. How effective do you think that is, especially for a small business that can't afford mass mailings?
Every social application makes money by collecting any and all information about you, then selling that information to every bidder, which is what I mean by "No Such Thing As a 'FREE APP.'"
THAT'S NOT THE PLAN HERE.
Before I go any further in this rant (for which I'm notorious on Facebook), you should know that the guy who came up with this app, Jarrod Atkinson (who also wrote everything on this website, so I'll drop the pretentious third person), is sort of a paranoid libertarian. I don't use the Facebook App or many mobile apps for that matter because I don't want to share all of my, well, EVERYTHING with companies I don't know. I've taken the battery out of my phone during meetings with candidates and elected officials because we didn't want anyone listening. I now know that the CIA may have at least tried to listen, thanks to Vault 7. I'm shocked and disgusted that Facebook knows what kind of vehicle I drive, despite not granting some permission somewhere that lets Mark Zuckerberg know my vehicle's make and model; they probably got it from Google because my car payment information goes to a Gmail account or through my calendar App because I've scheduled service on my calendar. I don't know, but it's creepy as all getout. Apple has attempted to address some concerns by disabling the ability for it to collect some information, so some folks are certainly thinking about these issues.
Pretty soon, Tweets, Facebook Status Updates, Snaps, Instagram pictures, and Google Map Geolocations are going to be standard evidence in court and/or enough to get search warrants!
So the other day, I was having a conversation with a very intelligent, very well meaning app developer who pointed out that "Facebook and Google make ALL the information available, so you HAVE TO USE IT or you're at a competitive disadvantage. You're GOING to fail if you don't use it." Well, screw that.
I'M GOING TO PROVE HIM WRONG. I'm building what I think is the perfect App; not just because I came up with it and I'm arrogant, which... I sort of am, BUT because it's the culmination of everything I've learned about people and how they interact. The great thing about only seeking like-minded investors is that I can take more of a risk on not monetizing your information and just try to make a great user experience.
I, Jarrod Atkinson, will not manipulate you or your information.
My first "target market" is my political network. They don't want a corporation retaining and using the data they can extract from their volunteers' phones thanks to cookies and IP addresses and whatever in order to advertise junk to their volunteers and donors. Therefore, it's actually important to my business model that I DON'T sell your information to advertisers for a quick buck.
I'll use your location to tell you about cool Contxts, which may include Sponsored Contxts, in your area, but I'm not going to enable some system somewhere in the Cloud to recognize that you like kumquats because you texted "bring home kumquats" to your significant other, and then use that information to market to you the "best purveyor of kumquats" in the city. I don't want to take responsibility for all that data. That seems like it would be alot of work, in addition to being creepy AF and an invasion of your privacy.
So, I ask that you use this App for it's intended purposes and that you consider paying for a Contxt about which you can then tell your friends. I also ask that you employ proper grammar, but, hey, that one can slide. Just don't be a meanie.
Finally, I've said it before in the Privacy Policy, but if you post something to the internet, it's going to be public. Your genitalia doesn't belong on the internet, unless that's somehow your job, and it sure as heck doesn't belong on my App. However, if you make a Contxt "Private," I'm not sharing the contents of that Contxt with someone unless I could directly save lives by sharing that information.
This sort of agreement should be standard, but those other services have to monetize somehow, so I understand. I have multiple plans for monetization that don't include putting an ad for kumquats in your face. What IS a kumquat? Anyway, have fun with the App and let me know if you have thoughts, questions, concerns, hopes, dreams, a hot single female friend....
Every social application makes money by collecting any and all information about you, then selling that information to every bidder, which is what I mean by "No Such Thing As a 'FREE APP.'"
THAT'S NOT THE PLAN HERE.
Before I go any further in this rant (for which I'm notorious on Facebook), you should know that the guy who came up with this app, Jarrod Atkinson (who also wrote everything on this website, so I'll drop the pretentious third person), is sort of a paranoid libertarian. I don't use the Facebook App or many mobile apps for that matter because I don't want to share all of my, well, EVERYTHING with companies I don't know. I've taken the battery out of my phone during meetings with candidates and elected officials because we didn't want anyone listening. I now know that the CIA may have at least tried to listen, thanks to Vault 7. I'm shocked and disgusted that Facebook knows what kind of vehicle I drive, despite not granting some permission somewhere that lets Mark Zuckerberg know my vehicle's make and model; they probably got it from Google because my car payment information goes to a Gmail account or through my calendar App because I've scheduled service on my calendar. I don't know, but it's creepy as all getout. Apple has attempted to address some concerns by disabling the ability for it to collect some information, so some folks are certainly thinking about these issues.
Pretty soon, Tweets, Facebook Status Updates, Snaps, Instagram pictures, and Google Map Geolocations are going to be standard evidence in court and/or enough to get search warrants!
So the other day, I was having a conversation with a very intelligent, very well meaning app developer who pointed out that "Facebook and Google make ALL the information available, so you HAVE TO USE IT or you're at a competitive disadvantage. You're GOING to fail if you don't use it." Well, screw that.
I'M GOING TO PROVE HIM WRONG. I'm building what I think is the perfect App; not just because I came up with it and I'm arrogant, which... I sort of am, BUT because it's the culmination of everything I've learned about people and how they interact. The great thing about only seeking like-minded investors is that I can take more of a risk on not monetizing your information and just try to make a great user experience.
I, Jarrod Atkinson, will not manipulate you or your information.
My first "target market" is my political network. They don't want a corporation retaining and using the data they can extract from their volunteers' phones thanks to cookies and IP addresses and whatever in order to advertise junk to their volunteers and donors. Therefore, it's actually important to my business model that I DON'T sell your information to advertisers for a quick buck.
I'll use your location to tell you about cool Contxts, which may include Sponsored Contxts, in your area, but I'm not going to enable some system somewhere in the Cloud to recognize that you like kumquats because you texted "bring home kumquats" to your significant other, and then use that information to market to you the "best purveyor of kumquats" in the city. I don't want to take responsibility for all that data. That seems like it would be alot of work, in addition to being creepy AF and an invasion of your privacy.
So, I ask that you use this App for it's intended purposes and that you consider paying for a Contxt about which you can then tell your friends. I also ask that you employ proper grammar, but, hey, that one can slide. Just don't be a meanie.
Finally, I've said it before in the Privacy Policy, but if you post something to the internet, it's going to be public. Your genitalia doesn't belong on the internet, unless that's somehow your job, and it sure as heck doesn't belong on my App. However, if you make a Contxt "Private," I'm not sharing the contents of that Contxt with someone unless I could directly save lives by sharing that information.
This sort of agreement should be standard, but those other services have to monetize somehow, so I understand. I have multiple plans for monetization that don't include putting an ad for kumquats in your face. What IS a kumquat? Anyway, have fun with the App and let me know if you have thoughts, questions, concerns, hopes, dreams, a hot single female friend....
