Life

Need An Honest Opinion? There's An App For That

by Michelle Regalado

Ever wonder what your Facebook friends really think about you? Now you have the chance to find out, thanks to a new Facebook app called Honestly. The app allows users to receive anonymous feedback from their friends via a series of yes or no questions.

Honestly, which just launched last month, allows you to pose questions ranging from silly (“Can I sing well?” “Am I nerdy?”) to more serious queries (“Am I a good friend?). Facebook friends can then swipe left or right Tinder-style to answer. While you’ll receive their replies, you won’t be able to see who is responding, unless they specifically choose to disclose their identity.

While opening yourself to anonymous feedback on the Internet is usually a bad idea, Honestly aims to keep things pleasant by focusing on the positive commentary only. The app only shows you the “Yes” responses, while the negative answers remain hidden. Of course, you can probably still gauge how many “no’s” you received to a certain question based on the amount of times you asked it, but you won’t actually see the response or who gave it.

In order to promote positivity and encourage people to engage with the app, users are also rewarded stars. The stars can then be used to unlock new questions that individuals can ask about themselves.

“No public shaming or bullying, just a positive way to find out what your friends think,” Honestly’s content and community manager Nedenah Elkayam told the Daily Dot.

As far as anonymous feedback-seeking apps go, I'm glad to see this one seems geared towards being uplifting and supportive and not mean-spirited. Still, I can’t help but think that truly truthful and constructive opinions regarding your personal life are usually best sought offline.

Image: Fotolia; Honestly