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    Baloonr Puts a Unique Spin on Their New Social Media Platform

    Social media blunders make headlines almost daily. A certain amount of anxiety is involved with having your name attached to anything on a social media site, whether it’s positive or not, but what if you could anonymously post creative content without fear of it being attached to your name? That’s the concept behind developing social network, Baloonr.

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    “We think that there’s room for another huge platform,” says Baloonr Co-Founder & CEO, Amanda Greenberg. “We want everyone to be a Baloonr user.” The company is aiming big and wants to be the first place where people post online.

    So how does it work? Baloonr will provide daily prompts around which users will anonymously create and post content. Baloonrs will respond to thoughts like “The most beautiful thing I’ve seen today is…” or “If I had no fear I…” with photos or short text, but the company plans to eventually incorporate different types of media. Once content is submitted it becomes an official balloon visible to other users who can “pump it” if they like the content, or “pop it” if they don’t. If a balloon gets pumped up enough times, it will be visible on the main page where all visitors and users can share it through their various social media channels. At this time, a user can also choose to attach their name to the balloon.

    “It’s curated, high-quality content that comes in from all over the place,” Greenberg says.

    Baloonr wants to level the playing field for content. The goal is to reverse the 90 – 9 – 1 rule sometimes associated with social media. Ninety percent of users just view content, 9 percent occasionally post or edit, while 1 percent create most of the content. Instead Baloonr hopes 90 percent will be posting thanks to the reduced stress of  anonymity.

    Greenberg also says, “The opportunity to go viral and grow is level.” On Baloonr it doesn’t matter how many friends or followers a person has, all content is launched in the same place.

    Different facets of Greenberg’s personal experience led to the Baloonr concept. While studying public health in Washington, D.C., she saw the negative impacts of social media, like anxiety, depression and self-esteem issues. She was also concerned with having content linked to her name. She wanted the opportunity to express herself creatively without personal or professional ramifications.

    Greenberg found others shared in her desire for an anonymous platform, including Co-Founder Noah Bornstein. With Bornstein’s technical expertise in tow, “We started at the experience side and built backwards,” Greenberg says.

    From the start, Baloonr knew the feeling they wanted to produce and it shows in the name – light, airy, friendly and fun. That Baloonr feeling is blowing up.

    “Everywhere we’ve gone to pitch there’s been a ton of excitement and a ton of interest,” Greenberg says.

    Locally TechColumbus has taken an interest in the company. When the founders decided to relocate Baloonr from Pittsburgh to Columbus, they  completed TechColumbus’ TechEssentials program and became a client company in November 2013.

    Now, Baloonr is ready for a beta launch. The network is still looking for individuals for phase one to start within the next few weeks. The company also has strategically planned phase launches at several colleges before opening the platform up to the public in May or June.

    For more information or to join the beta launch, visit baloonr.com.

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    Susan Post
    Susan Post
    Susan is the editor of The Metropreneur and associate editor of Columbus Underground, and also covers small business and entrepreneurial news and the food scene in Central Ohio.Susan holds a degree in Communication with a minor in Professional Writing from The Ohio State University. She sits on the board of the Central Ohio Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists and loves coffee, whiskey, cooking and spending time with friends and family.
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