I was going through a new batch of posts that showed up in my feed reader when I can across a post by MG Siegler over at TechCrunch where he was giving us the low-down on what has to be the stupidest ideas yet to come out of Web 2.0 and Social Media.
The post was about a new service called Blippy and the idea when you strip it of all of the hyperbole is that you can share with all your friends what you have just bought with your credit card. For example right now when you make a purchase on iTunes the people who follow your Blippy stream will not only know how much you spent but will also see a detailed list of what you bought.
WTF? Are.You.Serious?
Not only that but people are going to be able to comment on your purchases or ‘Like’ them ala Friendfeed and other copycat services.
How can this be anywhere near a good idea?
Now I can’t tell if MG was giving the thumbs up to the whole idea or not but it sure appears that he thinks it’s an interesting idea with lots of potential.
And because the actual purchase prices are made visible, there are other interesting dynamics, such as, being able to tell if you’re getting ripped off with what you’re paying for a gym membership or on your Comcast bill compared to what your friends are spending.
There’s also the potential to have private accounts that maybe a businessman would only share with his assistant to let them know what’s being purchase and explain things a bit better in the comments. Again, yes the idea is controversial, but there are a lot of interesting things that could come of it, if people are willing to be this transparent.
I’m sorry but there is nothing interesting or fun about this idea. Just as it is nobody’s business as to what goes on in my bedroom my purchasing habits are just as private and personal. The idea that wrapping it up in a bunch of social media mumbo-jumbo makes sharing that kind of information any better is fundamentally screwed.
Blippy is currently in private beta and this is one person who thinks it should stay there or be prematurely thrown into the deadpool.
Seriously
MG Siegler spent $8300.00 at RealDoll LTD.
Steven Hodson spent $70.00 at Condoms to Go.
Tiger Woods spent $4000.00 at Hookers ‘R Us.
Still sound like a good idea?
.-= Mark “Rizzn” Hopkins´s last blog ..Eventbrite Makes Event Marketing Pushbutton. You Know That, Right? =-.
[...] Everyone To See Your Credit Card Transactions? Of Course You Do. Meet Blippy. – TechCrunch Blippy – how stupid can social media be – well there’s now an app for that – Shooting at Bubbles A not-so-brief chat with Randall Stephenson of AT&T – Fake Steve Jobs [...]
[...] Everyone To See Your Credit Card Transactions? Of Course You Do. Meet Blippy. – TechCrunch Blippy – how stupid can social media be – well there’s now an app for that – Shooting at Bubbles A not-so-brief chat with Randall Stephenson of AT&T – Fake Steve Jobs [...]
[...] [...]
What?
.-= Mark “Rizzn” Hopkins´s last blog ..The Definition of Slander and the Streisand Effect =-.
[...] news about the service was first breathlessly broken to the world I wrote up my first impressions of the idea over at my home blog and had a bit of a conversation with Sean P. Aune in our nightly podcast about the in beta service. [...]
[...] as far as Blippy is concerned it is still an incredibly stupid idea and if people are so shallow that the idea of sharing how they spend their money seems like a [...]