The people of Secret announced a new feature of their mobile app today. In a blog post on Secret’s Medium.com blog, the addition of secret groups known as “Secret Dens” was explained. These groups allow for individuals of business organizations, universities, and other communities to post their secrets to their own private groups. Members will still remain anonymous, but the pool of individuals involved will clearly be smaller, and thus truth-tellers more likely to be found out by counterparts.
The infamous secret and gossip-sharing app has been catching on over the last few months, offering a drama-filled hub for catty and cut-throat tech sector employees, a sex-starved LGBT community, and your average lonely and depressed PostSecret types (Note: This is an author’s opinion from general personal use the last few months in Washington DC).
Secret Dens will roll out slowly as a pilot (beta) test to several businesses, schools, and organizations at first. To apply for your own Den, Secret recommends emailing dens@secret.ly. You can catch a glimpse of some of Secret’s own Den exploits above. As for the privacy and security of Secret Dens, Secret claims outsiders will not be given access. Organization-only emails (i.e. @techvoid.com) will have to be verified to join a particular community’s Den.
So what’s the point? Personally, I feel Secret.ly is simply attempting to tear the world apart with lewd gossip, all in an effort to distract us while it mines all of the Bitcoins. Sarcasm aside, the implications of this growing secret-telling application are slightly disturbing. While I do see Secret’s seed of the open and honest whistle-blowing mentality of Edward Snowden, the way people choose to use this platform is more like that of a high school slambook. It’s being used to tear down colleagues, exes, and fellow students or post overtly graphic sexual escapades on the internet. And if we want to continue down a hypothetically darker path, what happens when Secretly becomes used by men and women to sexual harass their cohorts? Will Secret.ly censor their users? Let us know what you think.
For the full rundown of how to use Secret Dens, see below:
How do I post to just my Den?
When you write your secret, simply add “@yourdomain” to your post.
How do I know when a Secret has come from my Den?
You will see your Den name in the bottom left-hand corner of the Secret.
Are secrets in my Den visible to anyone else?
Nope. Not even via share. These secrets are visible exclusively to people that are part of your den, and nobody else.
I’m invited to the Secret Dens pilot. How do I join my Den?
Two options:
- Create a new account with your work or university email address and verify it.
- Add another email address to your existing account. First, make sure you’ve verified your primary email address. Then, go to your account page at http://secret.ly/me and select “Add another email.” Add your work email address to your Secret account.
Either way, you’ll receive a confirmation email when you’re in.
How will I know who else in my organization is part of the Den?
That’s a secret. However you will be notified as others join.
Can I remove someone?
Yes. Simply go to your account page and type in their email address. They will receive a notification that you removed them. Anyone in the domain can remove anyone else.
How do I create a Den for my company, university or organization?
Right now, Secret Dens is invite-only. If you’re interested in getting a Den set up for your company, send us an email at dens@secret.ly and we’ll be in touch.
You should follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/secretly.
Source: Secret.ly