Memo and Secret apps designed for private work messaging
The Secret and Memo mobile apps bring a new level of worker anonymity for employees who wish to communicate with their colleagues or outsiders and not end up in hot water for their comments.
Secret app
The Secret app is designed for simplicity. Available on both iOS and Android, the app lets co-workers, friends and strangers nearby communicate.
Messages can be sent out for co-workers in the office to read. Friends can join special groups and share messages between them that remain anonymous. There is also an option to see what others are messaging in the same city presently.
Pick new people and start a private chat with them. This is a bit like the old AOL chat system but much more fun. Existing conversation can easily be joined if they're not selected as private already.
An email address, password and phone number are required to create an account (a text message will be received to confirm the phone number is really for you). Push notifications can be configured to pop up when other important anonymous messages are sent.
The software can help to find your friends by accessing your address book if you want to.
Messages can show up in your own location (same state). Each message can have many comments from other people which can be viewed. You can add your own comment too. There is also the option to like a message and see how many likes a message already has. Messages that originate from outside of your friend circle can be seen but not replied to with your own comment.
Memo app
The Memo app which is currently only available on iOS wants to make it easier for people to communicate privately. The workplace controls are quite interesting and well considered. The app is oriented more towards anonymous workplace conversations than random anonymous conversations with strangers.
The Memo app user verifies their company connection by authorizing a hook up to their Linked In profile or via a company email address that they can be contacted on. This ensures that anyone able to talk in a private company messaging system actually has a connection to the company concerned.
A random username is assigned to the new user once they have verified their connection to the company. Then they can joint the company memo boards for communicating securely and anonymously with colleagues. Private messages can also be shared publicly but then only the company name is associated with the message and not the employee name.
So far only a few companies have pushed back against the app by either blocking the emails generated by the app for authorization or by sending cease and desist letters to get Collectively, the people behind the app, to stop allowing their employees to anonymously message using the Memo app messaging system.
The founder, Ryan Janssen, feels that there should be a way for “workers to express their thoughts”. Given that companies are increasing monitoring their employees every communication inside and outside the office including running spot checks on prospective employees, the need for people to be able to communicate privately is getting ever more important by the day.
Unfortunately only the iPhone or iPad owning employees can communicate in this way currently using Memo but maybe this is a situation that will be rectified in due course.
