The newest addition to hit the social media market, Sneeki, has chosen the University of Illinois to be its launch site. Sneeki, currently offered on all iOS 7 and 8 as well as Android devices, is a location based app where users can anonymously share pictures and soon, videos as well. Similar to Yik Yak, users are able to keep their identity hidden, but post images in addition to captions and are also able to comment on posts. I had the pleasure of interviewing the creator of Sneeki, Sigma Phi Omicron alumni, Christian Paul Dehli, about what else the app entails. Check out what Dehli had to say.
Vaaeza Shahab: What was the
inspiration behind Sneeki and how did you get the idea to create this app?
Christian Paul Dehli: I noticed Yik Yak had been gaining traction at colleges. I was never
much of a Twitter user, preferring photos through apps like Instagram. I’m
always trying to think of awesome new apps, so I thought an anonymous image
sharing app would be a lot more fun. I started working on Snip Snap, the
original name of the app. However, I realized I wanted a one word title, so
some friends and I did some brainstorming, and Sneeki was born!
VS: Did anyone
else help you in creating it?
CPD: I was the only one who did the coding, but with any
big project, I’ve had numerous people helping me along the way. My team consists
of two: Jessica Kunamalla and myself. Jess is in charge of all my marketing, PR
and graphic art. She actually designed our mascot, Freek, who we’re extremely
pumped to introduce to everyone. I’m lucky to say that Jessie is also my
girlfriend, so I get a lot of support from her. Additionally, my friends and
family have been there from the start offering their support, guidance and
feedback, which I’m so thankful for.
CPD: Sneeki launched in the beginning of October, so it’s still very fresh on the market. We’ve chosen the University of Illinois to be our launch site. We want U of I to have first dibs on all things Sneeki, including gear, updates and more! I’m very excited to see it grow.
VS: How long did it take to develop?CPD: Prior to Sneeki’s release, it took me about three months to develop the first version. I still continue to work on it literally every day to make it even better!
VS: What's the craziest thing that someone has posted so far on Sneeki?CPD: The coolest thing I’ve seen is a pic posted at the US/Canadian border. Kind of sweet to see it “Sneek” across the border (pun intended). If you follow us on Twitter and Instagram (@SneekiApp), we post a #SneekOfTheWeek where you can keep up to date with the most epic pictures nationwide!
VS: Do you censor any material and if you do, how do you go about monitoring it?CPD: I do censor inappropriate content. I don't allow for pornography, bullying, etc. I have a reporting feature so that I can quickly review questionable content and determine if it's actually inappropriate. If so, I'll ban the user for a length of time based on the severity of the content.
VS: How many people are actively using Sneeki?CPD: Sneeki currently has around 1,000 people actively posting pictures, but I’m excited for students at U of I to push that number up much higher! There’s an internal point system based on your comments and photos. The top users at U of I for the month of November will get Sneeki Prizes.
VS: Have their been any malfunctions and how have you gone about them?CPD: When I first released the app for iOS 7, it crashed on start up. I quickly made a fix and requested an expedited review from Apple. I was able to get it fixed within 24 hours. I have some friends who act as beta testers so they help me fix problems before they're released to everyone else.
VS: Are you going to come up with any updates?CPD: I do have a few updates planned. Unfortunately, since I do have some competitors out there, I can’t spill all the details. However, I can say that I’m working on making the android version just as good as the iOS version. As soon as I finish that I will be adding video recording to both versions. I'm very open to feedback so feel free to contact me (contact@sneeki.me).
VS: Have you created any other apps?CPD: I've created a few apps, my coolest one being Flippit. It's a game where you get points by flipping your phone the most amount of times possible. I got up to 21 (but cracked my phone in the process). Unfortunately, Apple didn't like the idea of possibly damaging your phone so it's not on the App Store.
After downloading and trying out Sneeki myself, I have to say, its entertaining, interesting and sure to be a hit. Try it out for yourself and if you’re a top user for the month, you could be eligible for a neat prize yourself. You can follow Sneeki on Twitter and Instagram at @SneekiApp as well as visit their website for more information at www.sneekiapp.com. If you have any questions, you can contact creator Christian Paul Dehli himself at contact@sneeki.me. Happy posting!
