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Private social networking is making a riposte . Gratitude Plus , a inauguration that aims to dislodge social media in a more prescribed direction , is expanding its wellness - focused , personal expression journal to include bread and butter for families who desire to stay in touch modality even when physically removed .
The startup , whose name reflect its core group offering of a gratitude journal , is , in some way reminiscent ofPath , which was ramp up year ago . Path had briefly emerged as a Facebook challenger by creating a space for smaller groups of people to interact with one another . The app differentiated itself by limit user to just 50 friends , ensuring their fundamental interaction would remain in tighter circles than on great social networks .
For a time , Path caught on , and while it never topple Facebook , it stood out as an example of how secret social networks could work , if execute correctly . ( The company had raised too much speculation funding to repay on its investing without an exit , so Path sold to Korea ’s Kakao in 2015 . )
Similarly , Gratitude Plus is not meant to be used with a wide audience . Instead , it promote user to launch healthier relationship and better mental wellness habit by offering a space for journaling , temper tracking , and detain in touch with family and friends through minuscule , private “ circles ” within its app .
“ I design it to be very simple , ” says NYC - based founder and app developer Daniel Shaffer . “ I wanted people to feel like they ’re writing in an elegant journal . ”
When open up , the app move you to journal by asking a round-eyed doubt : listing three things you ’re thankful for today . you may also exchange the prompt to other proposition , like “ What made you smile today ? , ” “ What are you looking forward to today ? , ” and others , or you may write your own . The journaling monitor can also be set to scuffle mode so you could get a new one every day . you may optionally admit photos to exemplify their responses , as well .
But unlike a secret journal , your answers to the app ’s prompts are mean to be shared with a individual grouping , like your kinsperson members , nigh friends or even a partner .
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“ When I utter to users , they jazz that this is an app that they can expend a minute or two reflect on their day , ” Shaffer said .
Shaffer says he was prompt to make Gratitude Plus after his mother died . His journey with grief had him seeking out more accessible genial wellness tool , he says , and bear on him to build a wellness platform that people could use with their own friends and fellowship to stay in touch in a more positive and personal style than is potential through traditional social mass medium . He ’s not alone in attempt out those sort of tools ; another startup founded by widows , DayNew , offer a societal political program forpeople shell out with brokenheartedness and trauma , for model .
With Gratitude Plus , however , the focus is not on healing heartache , necessarily , but on maintaining the relationship that weigh in the present .
With the new family design launching on Mother ’s Day ( Sunday ) , up to four member can partake in a premium subscription for $ 74.99 per year .
In addition to private networking , a community provender , power by anon. shares from case-by-case users , also let you see how others across the app ’s wide community are feel that Clarence Day . user can interact with these post by forget hearts or messages of support . Around 50 % of the app ’s users share anonymously to the feed , Shaffer said .
“ People find really unspoilt when they ’re support other people . That ’s one of the magical matter , is that if you go on here , and if you ’re in a negative mindset , you ’ll send a couple of messages to people and you ’re going to feel better , ” he says . “ A portion of citizenry say it ’s like a positive social web . ”
Gratitude Plus encourages casual habit with features like push apprisal and streaks , but Shaffer opine its declamatory attraction comes from the citizenry you use the app with : family , acquaintance , a partner , a small fry , and others who you ’re interested in interacting with . Some subset of users are also brand to the app with a broad set of ally , like those in a residence hall or school , or even among a group of fellow YC founder , for example .
Shaffer plans to add more genial wellness tools to the app , like meditation , breath work and others .
The freemium app today has over 10,000 user , 650 of whom are on a pay off subscription plan that offers admittance to more features ,
