Sometimes you come across an online social network based on an idea so totally foreign and bizarre that you have sit there for a minute or two, awestruck, and just take the time to wonder:
"WTF?"
Let me be clear: I'm a big fan of social media in general and social networks in particular. And I know people have a remarkably wide range of interests and goals they may want to
share with each other, not all of which I will necessarily understand. But then I come across something like Blippy -- the social network that instantly updates all your friends on what you're buying
on your credit card -- and I am frankly at a loss. Wait, who...? Wha... WHY?
The Blippy updates include the location and the amount of each credit card purchase, and the Blippy member can
add extra information including photos of venues and comments on their purchases. If I had to guess I'd say the target user group for Blippy is people who like shopping and also like subjecting every
aspect of their finances to communal surveillance by the great all-seeing Eye of Sauron.
However I can't even speculate who might belong to this special, unique group, except to ascribe some
generally qualities like "woefully naïve," "boundary issues," and "no interior life." I'd say I'd like to meet them, but I really wouldn't -- they might start posting stuff about me ("met Erik at
Starbucks where he spent $11.70 on coffee and two croissants. he needs to cut back. he has a Mastercard. couldn't see the # tho. i think he keeps his wallet in his jacket. will update when he goes to
bathroom").
Unfortunately it seems Blippy recently has some issues with -- wait for it -- credit card security. According to an article on VentureBeat, a simple search of the site using the
term "from card" revealed a half-dozen credit card numbers. Now, obviously the site is not supposed to do this, and this kind of security breach is pretty inexcusable. But I can only sympathize so
much with the victims in this case. I mean ... WTF?