The Best of 5 Worlds

The LA Times recently put out a list of “feedback” apps to look to help with decision-making. In our opinion, Yopine would become an excellent addition to the group as it matures.

While some apps offer the classic “hot or not” or the option to rate, Yopine does not. Many of these apps depend on the use of images as an integral aspect of the user experience. And even though Yopine foresees photo capabilities in upcoming versions, not every social media tool should rely on pretty pictures. Yopine exists to generate meaningful data that result in real world decisions and actions.

In addition to garnering feedback from the general public, the app also enables yopiners to use it hyper-locally by gauging the opinions their personal circle of friends for more influential opinions. Yopine’s best feature is, perhaps, its universality in regard to its responders. Although some apps can share polls via their websites, some decisions need to be made quickly, effortlessly, and while on the go. With Yopine, users can send out polls and brainstorms to close networks regardless of whether or not those contacts have the app and regardless of their smartphone operating system, a downfall and inconvenience of many other feedback apps.

Quantity over Quality?

A new phone or just plain boredom commonly lead iPhone users to browse the Apple App Store for the next addictive, fun, or useful app. And because of the frequency of visits, it’s a pretty big deal for app companies and developers to grab a spot as a top downloaded app. Even being in the top 50 is a pretty significant bone to catch, but getting there is no easy task.

TechCrunch rounded up all the top apps in May 2013 and gave us the run down. To reach the top 10 free positions, apps had to see over 70,000 downloads and $47,000 revenue per day. Top 50 free apps saw figures around 20,000 and $10,000, respectively.

But how do these ranks affect the overall app marketplace? The discovery and use of new apps becomes more difficult as the most popular ones are easily presented to and trusted by users. Moreover, the focus on the number of downloads may encourage developers to work towards that instead of consistent app growth. What is an app if it is downloaded by millions and then deleted later on while its better-conceptualized competitors struggle to gain visibility in the app store?

Big Brother’s Graph Search

On July 8, 2013, Facebook went public with its newest innovation, Graph Search. To put it simply, Graph Search is to Facebook as Google is to the World Wide Web. With the feature, users can type queries into the site’s search bar and find very specific ways to filter through Facebook users and their actions. The difference, according to Mark Zuckerberg, is that Google and other search engines suggest sources from which to look for answers whereas Graph Search provides answers. Despite these fairly respectable motives, Facebook users have been more interested by the numerous awkward searches that can be made with the feature.

And I can’t say that I’m any different. As far as I can tell, Graph Search serves 2 purposes:

1. For Your Entertainment

There is already a Tumblr dedicated to the best Graph Search ideas, but here are a few more originals:

And yes, they all yield results.

2. The Ultimate Stalking Tool

Facebook was already useful if you ever wanted to check up on anyone, but Graph Search significantly simplifies creeping efforts. Watch out for those crazy girlfriends, gentlemen. Here are a few searches you may want to be careful of:

Single females followed by my boyfriend
Photos of women that my boyfriend liked
Places that my boyfriend and [insert name] have been

While it is true that Graph Search will force users to become more aware of their privacy settings and more cautious of their actions online, there could also be unintended reactions. It may, instead, prompt Facebook users to become more paranoid, more likely to lie, and more hesitant to integrate social media into their lives. Who knows, next we might see features that reveal who has been on your page and for how long or a tool that allows you to search for your name among comments and private messages. But that will probably be advertised as a useful marketing tool for businesses.