Coming Sunday
An interview with the founders of Yik Yak.
AJC in Austin
Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter J. Scott Trubey will be in Austin, Texas, for South by Southwest and to follow the ChooseATL campaign. Follow him on Twitter through his handles @FitzTrubey and @ajcrealestate.
Austin, Texas — The founders of anonymous social media service Yik Yak said Sunday a push to make users take on identifiable handles will help the app create a tighter-knit social community.
The change to the location-based service also could help police some of the Wild West attributes that allow for bullying and other forms of abuse.
Brooks Buffington and Tyler Droll, the founders of the Atlanta-based app that’s popular on college campuses, said during a panel at South by Southwest the handles will give credibility to users of the network and institute a new measure of accountability. It will allow personalities to draw a following, as well as give users better control over posts in their feeds and provide another tool to help fight objectionable content.
Yik Yak unveiled the handles concept last week. Users will be asked to create a name, though they can opt to switch off the handles from their posts.
The platform, which allows users to chat within a defined area, has seen rapid growth to throughout the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. The anonymous nature of the app — a sort of location-based chat room built around college campuses — has been a major part of its appeal.
But Yik Yak also has been criticized for allowing anonymous bullying and threats.
The push for user handles addresses some of those concerns, the founders said.
“It’s an unfortunate issue I think the whole industry has to deal with,” Buffington said. “We’re a small upcoming company and those sorts of issues can come up on you quickly. I think we’ve done a really good job of addressing it head-on. One of the things that Tyler has always said is: good growth but not growth at all costs.”
The panel was part of the ChooseATL marketing event in Austin. The Metro Atlanta Chamber-backed group is at SXSW to recruit young professionals to come to the Big Peach.
Yik Yak is one of the buzzy Atlanta tech companies that recruiters want to show off to the worldwide audience in Austin to prove the city’s tech bona fides. The ChooseATL group will also show off Atlanta’s quality of life and cultural trademarks, including its active music and film communities.
Yik Yak’s founders are in Austin not only selling Atlanta and scouting potential talent, but also meeting with investors and others, Droll said.
The company has netted more than $70 million in investor capital since it was founded, according to CrunchBase.
But the company is not yet a revenue-producing firm, according to Verge.
Droll said in response to an audience question about generating revenue and getting businesses engaged in the site that he and Buffington are working to create online communities that would be appealing to companies.
“I think if we build awesome communities businesses will want to be part of that,” Droll said.
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