Maybe 'Friend.tech' Should Be Called "Velvet Rope"

robertmcgrath

Aug 31

Earlier, I opined that Friend.tech is "A Great Idea That You Should Have Nothing To Do With".

Needless to say, lots of folks did the opposite of what I recommended!

In fact, Friend.tech is setting records for explosive growth [1].

Of course, the "killer app" isn't "you can make money from people liking you" as the original hook suggested) Very few users are making money. The developers are making a killing from their rake off.

And the big app isn't selling yourself, it is selling access to private chat rooms on twitter.

As Shaurya Malwa reports, what's actually selling is celebrity [1]. People are paying to get into relatively small group chats with NBA players and other celebs. Pretty much analogous to paying to get past the velvet rope to be closer to your idol.

OK, I have to admit that, for once, there actually is a plausible business model. And, heck, I even understand the business model.

It's hardly revolutionary, though, and certainly not a huge benefit to the world. But "it has proven to be an absolute money printer for developers so far." [1].

Sigh.

This app is really misnamed. It isn't about "friendship", it's about "velvet ropes".