Peeple sites 'disappear' from web after backlash over app • Hacker News Board

Re: Peeple sites 'disappear' from web after backlash over app

#11

Post by ngoede » Mon, Oct 05, 2015, 4:43 PM UTC

TazeTSchnitzel wrote: post #8

Alex3917 wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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 cha…

> 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…

Also LinkedIn Testimonials are approved by the person being reviewed.

Re: Peeple sites 'disappear' from web after backlash over app

#12

Post by xlm1717 » Mon, Oct 05, 2015, 4:44 PM UTC

Alex3917 wrote: post #4

s_dev wrote: post #3

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.

> 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 cha…

People are extremely sensitive about being judged.

If someone had posted something ruinous for someone else's reputation, which also happened to be false, there's always libel lawsuits. Beyond that, to quote Mrs. Feynman's question to her famous husband, "what do you care what other people think?"

Re: Peeple sites 'disappear' from web after backlash over app

#13

Post by anotherhostname » Mon, Oct 05, 2015, 4:44 PM UTC

Alex3917 wrote: post #4

s_dev wrote: post #3

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.

> 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 cha…

you cannot compare the success of Yelp, that is for services, people are not services!

and do you really assume school rating system is a correct method?

Re: Peeple sites 'disappear' from web after backlash over app

#14

Post by omouse » Mon, Oct 05, 2015, 4:46 PM UTC

mmosta wrote: post #6

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

Yeah I guess so if you're a person with zero skills whatsoever. It would have been easier just to ask five people what they think of the idea.

Re: Peeple sites 'disappear' from web after backlash over app

#15

Post by jakejake » Mon, Oct 05, 2015, 4:50 PM UTC

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...

Re: Peeple sites 'disappear' from web after backlash over app

#16

Post by Alex3917 » Mon, Oct 05, 2015, 4:52 PM UTC

Kronopath wrote: post #9

Alex3917 wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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 cha…

There is a significant difference between rating someone in a market context and rating someone in a social context. People hold different norms between the two, and what Peeple failed to realize is the reaction people have when those norms cross over and are violated. Imagine rating your friend's dinner party the same way you'd rate a restaurant on Yelp, and you can get a sense of the difference.

> There is a significant difference between rating someone in a market context and rating someone in a social context.

And that's why I said that coming up with an implementation that accounts for these sorts of issues would obviously be challenging. These specific founders may or may not be smart enough to do it, but that doesn't say anything about the inherent possibility of doing so.

I'm not saying I have a good solution, because I don't, but I'm also not willing to bet that there is no solution out of hand. And while I fully expect that this startup won't be successful, if only because of the difficulty of the problem, I also don't think it's fair to trash talk the founders without at least taking a look at the actual mechanics of their system.

Re: Peeple sites 'disappear' from web after backlash over app

#17

Post by theklub » Mon, Oct 05, 2015, 4:53 PM UTC

mmosta wrote: post #6

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

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!"

Re: Peeple sites 'disappear' from web after backlash over app

#18

Post by msbarnett » Mon, Oct 05, 2015, 4:59 PM UTC

listic wrote: post #5

s_dev wrote: post #3

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.

How was Peeple supposed to be used?

Essentially, anyone could create a page about anyone else, and leave any kind of feedback they wanted on it.

Kind of a combination of involuntary facebook account and unselective LinkedIn testimonials.

Re: Peeple sites 'disappear' from web after backlash over app

#19

Post by untothebreach » Mon, Oct 05, 2015, 5:00 PM UTC

kawera wrote: post #7

Alex3917 wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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 cha…

People != Corporations. Although I can see some similarities between Yelp and Peeple, they are for rating/reviewing two fundamentally different entities.

Though I agree with you, The SCOTUS would seem to disagree with you ;-)

Re: Peeple sites 'disappear' from web after backlash over app

#20

Post by hardwaresofton » Mon, Oct 05, 2015, 5:01 PM UTC

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?