There is now increasing suspicion that Peeple is a hoax.
I have one reason to believe it might not have been a hoax, and it’s a pretty potent one. A founder of Peeple owned 2 recruitment companies. This makes the probability that she is an asshole airhead extremely high.
I happen to be very familiar with the industry and have to say that way too many recruiters are clueless boneheads. The chirpy lady of Peeple sounds very real to me.
Clarissa's Blog 
A founder of Peeple owned 2 recruitment companies. This makes the probability that she is an asshole airhead extremely high.
I happen to be very familiar with the industry and have to say that way too many recruiters are clueless boneheads. The chirpy lady of Peeple sounds very real to me.
#notallrecruiters
Hilariously, I got a phone call from a recruiting agency I worked with many years ago in another city. The agency was local (no branches where I am), and he spent half an hour talking to me, much of it about how he hated the state I was in because there were too many Spanish speakers and they weren’t “friendly.”
It’s painful being an introvert who likes to think and is selective about who they associate with in systems that reward extroverts who don’t think. I can’t imagine that anyone hiring for complex and interesting personalities would ever use such an app in their decision processes.
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Oh, the stories I could tell about recruiters. . . But yes, responsible recruiters (all two of them) will never use this app. Online bullies and weirdos would.
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I could see something like this being very attractive to organizations and people suffering from MBA-itis and metrics disease.
“This word cloud has 15% more mentions of “nice” and “efficient” than the mean for the age/profession/gender. Never mind that she’s in another state and we need a sous chef and she’s a dog walker, let’s call her in for an interview!”
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You also won’t find a headhunter who doesn’t think she’s “good with people”.
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There is a whole new trend of the so-called “basement recruiters” who are scam artists, pure and simple.
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If a recruiter invites you into their basement, you should probably refuse.
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“If a recruiter invites you into their basement, you should probably refuse.”
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“Never take candy from strange recruiters.”
-For some reason this reminds me of a class I’m in this semester. We were discussing the Grimms’ version of Hansel and Gretel, and decided the “moral” of the story was that it’s okay to push strange old ladies in the oven, but only if they give you candy first.
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Yes, anybody who messes with one’s diet deserves to burn! 🙂
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Hansel and Gretel is a dentist morality tale?
“And then they brushed and flossed twice, never ate candy but lived happily ever after!”
Alternate taglines
Hansel and Gretel:Beware of bread, the bread let them down! Stick to venison! And stones!
Hansel and Gretel: Stay thin! Stay alive! Candy causes diabetic blindness!
Hansel and Gretel: It’s never Daddy’s fault, ever. Daddy has no moral agency.
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I was just reading about this disturbing idea today! The article also mentioned another platform that ’empowered women’ by letting them rate their dates. And ’empowered men’ by letting them see their ratings.
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When people tried pointing out to these entrepreneurs why this might not be a great idea, they responded that they were “caring female entrepreneurs” who wanted to increase positivity in the world. After which I threw up all over this idea.
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This phase of Internet disclosure will likely end after an unprecedented number of tort filings …
An interesting case back in 1994 involved Jim Henson Productions — you’re probably more familiar with the Muppets than with the person himself or his company. The American court in this case ruled that while celebrities have the right to use their identity for gain, private individuals have the right to secure their own privacy.
Damages can stem from the unauthorised use of intellectual property in either case, and in fact Peeple’s behaviour could be an excellent example of how the “tort lottery” system could work to bankrupt those who would make hated celebrities out of otherwise unknown people.
Then there’s an entire class of torts based on “false light”, which will be quite amusing to watch as they clog up the courts for a while.
I’m greatly looking forward to Napster-sized rulings if this isn’t a hoax. 🙂
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Do I look like a person who is familiar with the Muppets? 🙂
I’m not sure people can sue for this. Rate my Professor exists , and it’s almost identical in nature.
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Did Rate My Professor induce similar angst in the professors when it was introduced?
Ironically, relying on Peeple or a Peeple like app for its stated purpose might indicate a lack of social skills and graces. The signal to noise ratio would be insane.
I’m not sure how many people are bothered by Yelp except business owners. Nor do I hear people moan about Angie’s List or physician rating sites or AVVO. Is it the fact that “anyone with your cell phone number” is an over broad group of people? Or that people aren’t motivated to review anything/anyone unless they have strong feelings? Or there’s no moderation involved? (Moderation of any user-generated content is a huge and intense time suck that creates burnout in moderators. )
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Rating professional skills on Angie ‘ s List is different than rating personality. One can reasonably say, “She lied, I didn’t break the shower head while trying to install it” but one can’t reasonably say, “He lied, I’m not a horrible person.”
Of course, an even better business idea would be an app that allows to rate people’s sexual performance. It could even come with menus where you can tick off the positions and the effects a person provides. There is a lot to quantify in sexual performance.
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Of course, an even better business idea would be an app that allows to rate people’s sexual performance. It could even come with menus where you can tick off the positions and the effects a person provides. There is a lot to quantify in sexual performance.
mouth twitches
I could see some men being all for it, and then howling in indignation when they realize they are being rated on all kinds of metrics. Men generally HATE being rated the same way women rate them.
Most people literally have no idea how to write any kind of review that gives any pertinent information.
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So true! I’m very tired of reviews that inform me a hotel is great “because this was the first time I went on a trip with my boyfriend and we had a fantastic time!” Or that the hotel is horrible because “I lost my wallet and had to spend hours cancelling all my cards.”
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And as for Rate my Professor, yes, people are hugely traumatized by it.
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The role involved is somewhat different …
In terms of the matter of celebrities versus private individuals, a professor would most likely be considered by a court to be a kind of performer or public person, which means that the matter at hand for a court would be whether such a platform deprives a professor (and more specifically, you) of well-deserved income.
This means that even they aren’t untouchable — I would go as far as asserting that positive ratings for you on Rate My Professor should be “monetised” and made available for your use, especially since Rate My Professor is in fact making money from your professional reputation.
Peeple’s corporate officers, on the other hand, are going to turn out to be a very lucrative source of income for intellectual property and privacy rights solicitors, since they have comparatively fewer arguments to offer as a form of defence.
I tend to prefer Lord McAlpine’s solution to this kind of problem — charities for children came out ahead when false accusers decided to tangle with him, and there are now a few more journos who realise that “false light” can have significant consequences. (Perhaps Peeple’s corporate officers would be up for a few thousand hours of community service instead.)
Actually, the most amusing thing Lord McAlpine made happen was a little monument to HM Revenue & Customs (and Margaret Thatcher) with the help of architect Quinlan Terry, but I’ll leave that kind of “monumental cheek” for your discovery and amusement …
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Your response indicates that you are! 🙂
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