When Online chatting was a rage, you had to reveal your a/s/l to start a conversation. Then social network Facebook came along & helped users establish their individual identities on the Net. Now the pendulum has seemingly swung to the other side & apps that ensure anonymity & ephemerality are becoming popular.

Secret is a free iPhone app similar to another one called Whisper. It enables you to anonymously share personal thoughts & opinions with your circle of friends. So, though you do not know the identity of the person, you will still be intrigued by his/her posts because they are from somebody you know.

Secret’s creators are ex-Google staffers David Byttow & Chrys Bader-Wechseler. They say this social sharing app is similar to a masquerade party since you only get the guest list but do not know who says what. Byttow has revealed the intention of the app is to enable users to share opinions & thoughts that are goofy, sad, emotional, insecure or vulnerable. Thus, Secret is quite the antithesis of Instagram & Facebook where people are under pressure to portray a picture-perfect image of their lives.

According to David Byttow, the app helps you share secrets secretly. You can hear your friends’ internal feelings & respond to those that resonate with you.

If your secret attracts a ‘like’ it can be shared with strangers & the friends of your friends. The app’s creators say it generates plenty of camaraderie as people are ready to share advice & fulfill the fundamental human need to reach out to others & help them. You don’t really need to reveal your identity to do this, they opine.

You do not have to select a username for your Secret posts. Your identity is an icon placed next to your comments. The app’s creators say though anonymity is guaranteed, abusive posts may be minimal as the users are known to each other.

Each post is considered a separate unit. Secret keeps your secrets safe as privacy is assured & you cannot see the history of posts of any user. No personal details like phone number are revealed.

Secret is more private compared to Whisper whose network is open to all. All you need to do is type your message & add an image or background color. Your secret is sent to your contacts on the app anonymously. If they “like” it, it can be forwarded to their friends thereby potentially starting a chain.

You are likely to come across confessional secrets as well as general gossip & rumors on this app. Reading the shared secrets of your friends can become quite addictive too.

In short, Secret is a mobile app that enables you to be yourself & freely reveal your private feelings & thoughts without fear to your intimate circle of friends & acquaintances.

Secret Inc. is based in San Francisco, USA & the company has raised about US $1.4 million from investors such as Google Ventures & Kleiner Perkins. The app was launched earlier this month.

Click here to download Secret on your iOS device.

Image credit: itunes.apple.com/facebook.com

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