Privet, the Other Atlanta-Based Anonymity Mobile Player Chooses a Different Path Anonymity for Good

ATLANTA, Operating a couple floors below the former home of Atlanta-based Yik Yak at Atlanta Tech Village, lives Privet, a bootstrapped startup that also believes theres a business in anonymity, but not in the form of “seximity,” “bullimity” or any of the other uses that have become commonplace with other anonymity applications. Privet believes people, be it at home, in local communities or the workplace, tied to causes like preventing domestic violence, addiction and mental health awareness, or other purpose-driven groups, are desperately seeking a safe venue for socially responsible anonymity. And you don’t have to ask its five founders – Chris Morocco, Titania Jordan, Dale McIntyre, Molly Walker and Anne Bobel – if there’s a place for their version of anonymity. Just download the Privet app and witness its hyper-active community of beta Privet diehards.

“We didn’t get to this place of anonymity without a great deal of soul searching,” explains Chris Morocco, CEO and co-founder of Privet. “And brands like Yik Yak, Whisper, Rumr and After School have taught us a great deal about social anonymity and the market desire for this feature. However, our mission, vision and technology are very different. The Privet culture is based on the belief that when responsible people are real, open and honest they can help each other beyond what anyone can imagine.”

Socially Responsible Anonymity

In order to safeguard the conversation and the community, Privet has invested its available resources to support technology that watches anonymously for patterns and uses conversational analysis to conduct preliminary and post-ratings of its content in order to let its users know what is acceptable and what isnt. In addition to sophisticated automation, it is a self-policing community so the users play a critical role in preserving the culture of the app.

“We use similar ratings to the movie industry because people already understand that metaphor. All posts go in as G-rated until an action on the system flags it as a possible issue. That action will most likely flag it as an R or X-rated post,” explains Dale McIntyre, CTO and co-founder of Privet. “R-rated is one where there is a warning in the feed over the post to let our community know that it wasnt bad enough to be removed, but is definitely walking the line or could be in poor taste. The X-rated posts are removed completely.”

The result is a refreshingly respectable culture where people feel safe enough to be real about the experiences in their lives. Floods of anecdotes surface daily affirming that anonymity for the good is having quite an impact on the real lives within the user community.

Channels

After a single channel launch on iOS and Android platforms, Privet expanded to eight channels to accommodate its growing user base – Parenting, Health, Relationships, Man Cave, Stylin’, Current, Funny and Life, etc. As part of its commitment to its user base, the Privet team actively fields community reports and updates its processes to make sure they protect the more genuine culture that its loyal anonymous following craves.

“Today, Privet is broadly subject matter focused and serves individuals, but in the future we intend to serve groups, be it in the workplace, associations or communities that are separated from the mainstream,” explains Titania Jordan, the company’s brand voice and co-founder. “We want people to know they’re not the only one. We see Privet as liberating for some, therapy for others, escape and entertainment for everyone and above all, one of the few authentic places where people support one another online today.”

Why Not Crash SXSW?

Like many upstarts in recent years, SXSW is a likely destination for company launches,newsjacking and stunts. Privet opted to stay away from the hype and begin producing its first of a series of videos from its founders that offer a fearless, unapologetic admission of why Privet exists today: https://vimeo.com/159132794.

“While SXSW may be a necessary checkbox for startups like ours to make a “social” statement in the future, our community is less engaged with the pop culture of the Austin event,” explains Molly Walker, a co-founder. “We are keenly focused on addressing the absence of a practical, straight-forward destination where people can literally ask anything they want, tell their deepest, most personal secrets and apprehensions, ultimately with a genuine intent to help the community, individually and collectively. And maybe, just maybe that culture will infect us as a society beyond Privet, beyond social networks and into our homes, schools and workplaces.”