Yet another social media platform has been created, but this one is much different than the others in the crowded market. Although it is mainly used by college students on campus, Edina High School students have picked up yet another way to express themselves online. Like Twitter, Yik Yak allows users to post messages with a limited amount of characters (200 for Yik Yak compared to 140 for Twitter). Another similarity Yik Yak has with Twitter is that both logos feature animals, but instead of a bluebird it is a brown yak.

What makes Yik Yak so unique is that it is completely anonymous, and based on location, which makes it different from other social networks. The yaks (posts) you see in your house are different from the yaks you would see when you’re out and about. Potentially, you could take ten steps North, and have more to see. Something else to note is that yaks will not load if you’re at school. If you try, the app will give you a message telling you you’re not old enough to be using the app.

Startup is easy. Just by downloading the app you have made your account, no witty username or elaborate password to stress over, or rack your brain for. Right off the bat, the app will give you a set of rules, like no posting phone numbers, and no specifically targeting other yakkers. But, of course, it still happens.

People say and do things they wouldn’t if they knew people were watching, and there’s not much to do to prevent this. Could Yik Yak be facilitating bullying? Maybe. But if you follow the app’s basic rules, it can be a great social media experience. The way people show their appreciation or dislike for a yak is by giving it an “up” or “down” vote. If the yak gets five down votes, then it is deleted. This can help prevent posts that are overly inappropriate or hurtful.

The app also has other upsides. “I made sure to check the yaks of all the schools that I’m considering,” said EHS junior Michael O’Neil jokingly. The app allows you to look at yaks on college campuses around the country, which can be very interesting and eye-opening about college culture.

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Another reason why people may like Yik Yak is because where you stand on the social ladder doesn’t affect your popularity. Often times you see someone popular on Twitter getting a plethora of favorites on a decent tweet, whereas someone who isn’t very popular who tweets something hilarious doesn’t get many favorites. Yik Yak prevents this. The up votes you receive are deserved because everyone is anonymous.

The app started slow, but more and more people have begun to download it. And the more Yik Yak users there are, the better, as long as people use it right.