Yik Yak 'Handles' finally attach names to posts
In a push to strengthen 'location-based communities' Yik Yak is adding the option for a username.
Since it launched, Yik Yak has allowed users to anonymously post messages and pictures viewable by others within their local area. Popular among students, the service has been controversial and considered by some as a vehicle for cyberbullying, and threats of violence, but now for the first time it's letting users attach their nicknames to posts. If you choose to grab a "Handle," it will be on by default for new posts afterwards, but you can choose to post without it, or continue using the service without one.
Yik Yak hasn't been the only anonymous mobile app out there, as other notable apps have included Whisper and Secret. We profiled the rise and fall of Secret almost a year ago, and adding an identity may be a way for Yik Yak to hang on. Of course, if you're just trying to escape any online identity in a world full of Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat and the rest, maybe anonymity is preferred.
