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Bluntly for Anonymous Stories, Rants, and Confessions

2 points by echo_vick 1y ago

I just launched Bluntly — a publishing platform where people can post stories, rants, or confessions anonymously. The idea is to keep the simplicity of Medium but remove the identity barrier, so people can express themselves more openly. https://bluntly.site Would love feedback from the HN community. What do you think about anonymous publishing in 2025?

SMAAART 1y ago
> What do you think about anonymous publishing in 2025? Craigslist's Rants & Raves started that in 1996 (almost 30 years ago), Reddit started in 2005 (about 20 years ago). > Would love feedback from the HN community. What unserved or underserved needs does this address? IMO it sounds like a solution looking for a problem. Read this book: The Lean Startup. Anyway, good luck to you.
- echo_vick 1y ago
  You’re actually right, anonymous posting has been around for decades. Craigslist, Whisper, PostSecret, Reddit… all had their moment. The underserved need (at least how I see it) is that most existing platforms tied anonymity back to profiles or clout. Reddit has karma. Twitter/X has followers. Even “throwaway” accounts aren’t fully free of identity. The experiment here is: what if there’s no account, no profile, no karma? Just the raw story itself. Almost like “content without authorship.” Whether that’s a niche people care about in 2025 is exactly what I’m testing. Lean Startup-style. Ship small, measure, learn. Appreciate the reality check though.
sunscream89 1y ago
It’s pretty nice actually. I like the international feel and got an interesting perspective on the life of 20 somethings in Nigeria. All relatable yet regionally distinct. It’s a great idea, and looks nice yet a proper doom scroller should not have so much padding.
- echo_vick 1y ago
  Appreciate your feedback. The “international feel” is exactly what I was hoping would come through, the little cultural differences that make stories distinct, but still human. You’re spot on about the padding. I was going for clean and breathable, but doomscrolling thrives on tighter density. I’ll play with the layout so it’s easier to get lost in the feed. Thanks for the nudge.
  - sunscream89 1y ago
    I got a -1 karma for my comment. Someone doesn’t like it.
ThrowawayR2 1y ago
> "I just launched Bluntly — a publishing platform where people can post stories, rants, or confessions anonymously." This user also posted on https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45312758 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45312758 "I came across one recently: https://-------.site https://-------.site . Feels like a stripped-down Medium but for unfiltered rants and confessions." so they're both dishonest and breaking the HN guidelines on self-promotion.

2 points by echo_vick 1y ago

SMAAART 1y ago

> What do you think about anonymous publishing in 2025? Craigslist's Rants & Raves started that in 1996 (almost 30 years ago), Reddit started in 2005 (about 20 years ago). > Would love feedback from the HN community. What unserved or underserved needs does this address? IMO it sounds like a solution looking for a problem. Read this book: The Lean Startup. Anyway, good luck to you.

echo_vick 1y ago
You’re actually right, anonymous posting has been around for decades. Craigslist, Whisper, PostSecret, Reddit… all had their moment. The underserved need (at least how I see it) is that most existing platforms tied anonymity back to profiles or clout. Reddit has karma. Twitter/X has followers. Even “throwaway” accounts aren’t fully free of identity. The experiment here is: what if there’s no account, no profile, no karma? Just the raw story itself. Almost like “content without authorship.” Whether that’s a niche people care about in 2025 is exactly what I’m testing. Lean Startup-style. Ship small, measure, learn. Appreciate the reality check though.

sunscream89 1y ago

It’s pretty nice actually. I like the international feel and got an interesting perspective on the life of 20 somethings in Nigeria. All relatable yet regionally distinct. It’s a great idea, and looks nice yet a proper doom scroller should not have so much padding.

echo_vick 1y ago
Appreciate your feedback. The “international feel” is exactly what I was hoping would come through, the little cultural differences that make stories distinct, but still human. You’re spot on about the padding. I was going for clean and breathable, but doomscrolling thrives on tighter density. I’ll play with the layout so it’s easier to get lost in the feed. Thanks for the nudge.
- sunscream89 1y ago
  I got a -1 karma for my comment. Someone doesn’t like it.

ThrowawayR2 1y ago

> "I just launched Bluntly — a publishing platform where people can post stories, rants, or confessions anonymously." This user also posted on https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45312758 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45312758 "I came across one recently: https://-------.site https://-------.site . Feels like a stripped-down Medium but for unfiltered rants and confessions." so they're both dishonest and breaking the HN guidelines on self-promotion.