Be ‘Candid’ With Me!

Have you heard (#HYH ^_^ ) of this relatively new, free app called Candid? It’s a mobile social media platform that allows you to post anonymously. To provide this anonymity, the app uses a similar method that some educational apps use to facilitate students posting on school classroom sites. By using names like “OrangeMarsupial” or “ThoughtfulElephant”, and changing the names automatically for each post, participants cannot identify the user who posted.

Why am I mentioning this? Well, I thought it would be interesting to use this app to discuss pinball topics. People can talk more freely about anything from how much they love/hate Ghostbusters, to things like #SexismInPinball or #PinballSoWhite to even how much they “appreciate” the Batman66 application process. How about some Houdini rumors, notes about how much you love or hate SuperLeague today, or maybe some comments on the malleability of certain furniture at pinball tournaments. Don’t forget those memes, memes, memes! Only the dankest of memes. All anonymously, without wondering if you will be banned from a pinball manufacturer’s Facebook group this week.

Naturally, because of the anonymity, there is room for trolling and other such Internet-ty shenanigans. Also, Candid’s anonymity doesn’t give you the access to a totally free-speech platform where you can say or post whatever you wish. Just like many other social platforms, there is a filter that governs Candid posts.

The video below gives a view of what Candid is and isn’t. He was paid by Candid to make a video about it (as were a number of video creators). If fact, there has been a bit of a debate about the Candid app itself. Take this video, and others you find talking about Candid with as many grains of salt as you need. Note that I did not need to give my phone number or link the app to Facebook. I skipped all of that, and I am still able to use it.

I’ve looked on Candid, and there is already a group called “pinball”. Do a search for “pinball” and you will see it pop up immediately. The problem is there are only two members there now, myself and the original creator of the group. It’s difficult to maintain anonymity when there are only 2 people, since there is a 50% chance that you will know who “MagnificentMallard” is. Who is the original group creator? I have no idea. It’s anonymous. Until the pinball group gets a lot more members, or there is another pinball related group that gets popular, I will start my “candidacy” ( 😛 ) by perusing some of the many other groups that are available.

To remedy this, let’s get some more members in there! Search for the “pinball” group, join up and let’s see what happens. Or, create your own group if you want. Of course, I created a group called “Fun With Bonus”, because why not? I don’t expect many to join it, but it’s there (#Branding). How many of you already use the Candid app? If you have, what do you think of it? I realize that at some point, Candid is going to have advertisements or some other way to fund themselves. That hasn’t happened yet, so we’ll see how the app develops if it gets more popular.

(Special note: I was not paid in any way to endorse or post about Candid. #Journalism #Collusion #FullDisclosure #PinballGate)

Interview with Candid CEO posted on October 7, 2016.