Non-public social networking is making a comeback. Gratitude Plus, a startup that goals to shift social media in a extra optimistic route, is increasing its wellness-focused, private reflections journal to incorporate assist for households who wish to keep in contact even when bodily distant.
The startup, whose identify displays its core providing of a gratitude journal, is, in some methods paying homage to Path, which was constructed years in the past. Path had briefly emerged as a Fb challenger by creating an area for smaller teams of individuals to work together with each other. The app differentiated itself by limiting customers to simply 50 mates, guaranteeing their interactions would stay in tighter circles than on bigger social networks.
For a time, Path caught on, and whereas it by no means toppled Fb, it stood out for instance of how non-public social networks might work, if executed appropriately. (The corporate had raised an excessive amount of enterprise funding to return on its funding with out an exit, so Path offered to Korea’s Kakao in 2015.)
Equally, Gratitude Plus isn’t meant for use with a large viewers. As a substitute, it encourages customers to ascertain more healthy relationships and higher psychological wellness habits by providing an area for journaling, temper monitoring,and staying in contact with household and mates by means of small, non-public “circles” inside its app.
“I designed it to be quite simple,” says NYC-based founder and app developer Daniel Shaffer. “I needed folks to really feel like they’re writing in a chic journal.”
When opened, the app prompts you to journal by asking a easy query: Record three belongings you’re grateful for as we speak. You too can change the immediate to different strategies, like “What made you smile as we speak?,” “What are you trying ahead to as we speak?,” and others, or you may write your personal. The journaling reminders will also be set to shuffle mode so you may get a brand new one day by day. You possibly can optionally embody photographs for instance their responses, as properly.
However in contrast to a non-public diary, your solutions to the app’s prompts are supposed to be shared with a non-public group, like your loved ones members, shut mates or perhaps a accomplice.
“Once I talked to customers, they love that that is an app that they will spend a minute or two reflecting on their day,” Shaffer mentioned.
Shaffer says he was impressed to construct Gratitude Plus after his mom died. His journey with grief had him looking for out extra accessible psychological well being instruments, he says, and pushed him to construct a wellness platform that individuals might use with their very own family and friends to remain in contact in a extra optimistic and private approach than is feasible by means of conventional social media. He’s not alone in looking for out these types of instruments; one other startup based by widows, DayNew, provides a social platform for folks coping with grief and trauma, for instance.
With Gratitude Plus, nonetheless, the main target isn’t on therapeutic grief, essentially, however on sustaining the relationships that matter within the current.
With the brand new household plan launching on Mom’s Day (Sunday), as much as 4 members can share a premium subscription for $74.99 per yr.
Along with non-public networking, a neighborhood feed, powered by nameless shares from particular person customers, additionally permits you to see how others throughout the app’s wider neighborhood are feeling that day. Customers can work together with these posts by leaving hearts or messages of assist. Round 50% of the app’s customers share anonymously to the feed, Shaffer mentioned.
“Individuals really feel actually good after they’re supporting different folks. That’s one of many magic issues, is that for those who go on right here, and for those who’re in a destructive mindset, you’ll ship a few messages to folks and also you’re going to really feel higher,” he says. “Lots of people say it’s like a optimistic social community.”
Gratitude Plus encourages day by day habits with options like push notifications and streaks, however Shaffer thinks its bigger draw comes from the folks you employ the app with: household, mates, a accomplice, a toddler, and others who you’re interested by interacting with. Some subset of customers are additionally posting to the app with a broader set of mates, like these in a dorm or faculty, and even amongst a bunch of fellow YC founders, for instance.
Shaffer plans so as to add extra psychological wellness instruments to the app, like meditation, breath work and others.
The freemium app as we speak has over 10,000 customers, 650 of whom are on a paid subscription plan that gives entry to extra options,
