A Message To Our Community

By: Brooks Buffington, Co-Founder & COO

Tyler and I created Yik Yak to let people connect with everyone around them, and it’s become a place where communities share news, crack jokes, ask questions, offer support, and build camaraderie. It’s also a place where communities can engage in open and honest conversation – and we love seeing discussion that is productive and thoughtful. With the power of open and honest conversation comes a great level of individual responsibility, however, because those words form the basis of a community. And at its core, Yik Yak is your community; it’s an extension of the real world directly around you.

Just like the rest of you, we’ve been following the recent events at University of Missouri and we’ve felt a mix of inspiration, disappointment, hope, and sadness at what the Mizzou community has been going through. Ultimately, we’ve been impressed by the strength of the student body during an extremely tough time.

It’s our hope that the range of discussion on MU’s campus can help to bring about positive resolution and a better understanding within the community. But there’s a point where discussion can go too far – and the threats that were posted on Yik Yak last night were both upsetting and completely unacceptable. Let’s not waste any words here: This sort of misbehavior is NOT what Yik Yak is to be used for. Period. It is not condoned by Yik Yak, and it violates our Terms of Service.

Yakkers, if you haven’t done so lately, please take a moment to review our Terms (they’re always accessible right within the app, along with our Rules) and make particular note of the Unauthorized Activities section. We have the right to suspend or ban users who are found to be in violation of these guidelines. Furthermore, please remember that Yik Yak and law enforcement take threats seriously. Yik Yak works alongside local authorities to help in investigations, and we may share information with law enforcement as set forth in our Privacy Policy and legal page.

Open and honest conversation can be a great thing – but it’s up to each and every one of us to ensure that it remains constructive, too. Being a part of a herd means showing respect for one another, through our commonalities and our differences. There’s a saying that we always keep in mind on our team: With our thoughts we make the world. Let’s be sure we’re making a good world, starting with the communities around us.