Hatebook Embraces the “Evil” Side of Social Networking
Mark Hendrickson
50 comments »
We all have bad days (or weeks/months) but many of us may be wary of venting our frustrations online using Facebook, especially since our parents and bosses can now see our status updates and wall posts.
A well-executed Facebook parody site called Hatebook has stepped in to provide (temporary) misanthropes with a place to air grievances about everything they hate.
Hatebook looks and functions much like Facebook, except with an evil twist for everything. The color scheme is hellish red, profiles include a section called “Why I’m Better Than You!”, and members can create “Hate Albums” that consist of photos and descriptions of things they hate.
The German creators of this jaundiced social network have done a surprisingly good job replicating much of Facebook’s functionality, and they have even thrown in some useful features not found as a default on that more popular website. Google Maps are integrated into Hatebook so you can visually locate other members by looking for their avatars on a map. You can also see which members have last visited particular profiles.
But don’t play around with Hatebook too much if you are concerned about privacy, because all messages (”junkmail”) are viewable by all other users, and there are no privacy controls.
This is not the first attempt to parody or lash back at more mainstream (and self-serious) social networking websites and the general trend towards constant online interconnectedness. Way back in Spring 2006 we reported on a couple of anti-social web services, and this past August we wrote about a website that encourages users to unplug themselves from everything, including each other. With the development of the Facebook platform, we are even seeing these efforts made within Facebook itself, with the Enemybook app. Why hate outside of Facebook, when you can hate within it?
The real question Mark is whether Hatebook allows more than 5,000 haters on one account?
FYI: the logo is linked to hatebook.com, but it should be hatebook.org
-bart
I dunno about this one. I thought of the same thing 2 years ago, and abandoned the idea.
Its a derivative of facebook, yes - but the design is copied straight from studivz, the german facebook knockoff. One to one. Its registered to ze Germans as well.
Oh man , let the “fake ” wrangling begin
Hence the “The German creators” part of the article
How long do you think it will be before FB lawyers send this site publisher a ‘cease and desist’?
Wonder what kind of advertisers will go for this.
Sounds like my kinda site!
http://fakesteveballmer.blogspot.com
I’m still waiting for arsebook.org to open up the rest of the site.
Waste of time, resources, bandwidth, server space, development power, attempt at humor… I can go on forever.
I bet thats the Fake Dr Evil.
“Waste of time, resources, bandwidth, server space, development power, attempt at humor… I can go on forever.”
I was in Hamburg in early August, and I must say that German people are some of the richest people I’ve ever seen. And I’ve been places. I can imagine that most German companies can afford to have 1,000,000 of these websites made, and buy a chateau in France to spare.
You know that they don’t have any lighting on their highways? You drive down with people going 100+ miles an hour and no light posts to speak of anywhere. Headlights only.
This is very evil idea to create st like this:))
There’s enough “hate” in the world already.
wait till FB’s legal eagles (Lisa Greenwald-Swine) at Heller Ehrman, LLP kick into gear on intellectual patents…parody or not they have a history of aggressive copyright action with any mention of “book” in a title.
those guys spent days and months to create one facebook clone after the other - they already tried their luck with a more serious project called myneighborhood.com - also a 100% FB clone - they also stole FB’s principles on that one. So this might be a funny piece, but the company actually is one of the most hated copycat companies in web 2.0 Germany …
Well that website is just totally funny.
@16: So my Fecesbook idea is out?
i signed up - just in time for halloween. Too bad people wouldn’t ever list who they *really* can’t stand….
I will not be surprised if this new site becomes as popular as Facebook.com because there are many people who are filled with hate and they need a place like that to go and vent their hate. That can be therapeutic.
What’s your point, Chris?
> I thought of the same thing 2 years ago, and abandoned the idea.
And? What are you trying to say with this ;-)?
>“Waste of time, resources, bandwidth, server space, development power,
> attempt at humor… I can go on forever.”
That applies to lots of things in the world, but depends on the point of view. In a way, however, waste contributes to business and economical growth and development. Wasting facilitates having more choice and variety.
I personally don’t find Hatebook all that exciting, but it might be fun for a while. It does seem like an optical copy of studivz.net. Probably, some people just wanted to have fun with the concept and were getting sick of Facebook.
@16. macrant
Facebook didn’t invent the principle of social networking. So not every social network created out there is a Facebook clone.
@4. philmohr
No, this is not a rip-off of StudiVZ’s design. It’s a rip-off of Facebook’s design, much like StudiVZ is a rip-off of Facebook’s old design.
They both use red - yes. But that’s not enough to define something as a “rip-off”.
@21
This site as popular as Facebook? You’re kidding. *loool*
A Swastika wouldn’t go astray.
I think this whole discussion shows how much this idea polarizes the web at the moment - some people hate it; some love it. The discussion about what the business model is or whether there is a business model seems to me like a dumb question because hatebook is parody that has nothing to do with real social networking.
The discussions about a rip-off of StudiVZ seems too ridiculous to even give a comment on it since StudiVZ itself copied not only the page design but also the scripts - but this democratic blog even left some space for these amateurish people.
I’d prefer that Jihad thing. It is funnier.
Considering the privacy issues, I do not see this site “making it”.
This gives an opportunity for social networking sites to improve, if we take the positive side of it. In that way Hatebook should be doing a good job.
http://blogkatt.blogspot.com
Try http://www.theclassconnection.com. The website helps students:
1- Manage. Break down your classes one at a time.
2- Study. Flashcards like you’ve never seen them before.
3- Collaborate. Find a group, make a group, there’s safety in numbers.
4- Plan. Stop keeping a calendar, let someone else do it for you.
5- Communicate. Every message automatically organized.
6- Store. Never email yourself files again.
7- Tutor. Get it or give it, the choice is yours. Help is here.
And it’s all self-organized!! check it out!
I can’t tell the difference between the 2 sites. lol.
#25 - no one will totally hate this site. If they hated it, it would resonate with them and they would like it.
Didn’t Hitler start the “hate” thing in the early 1930’s? Here we go again with the Germans?
I agree with Ronald, there is already too much hate in the world……
There’s always http://www.bugroff.net as well
well, there is a big market and in no time they will be quite popular, believe me hate is more widespread than love and its a bit more interesting. tell me how many of you desisted to heed the call of a teenage freind screaming “fighting fighting” sure you will all come trying to get a glimpse of the fight. this is because hate makes news. if you think i am wrong stand in a street and shout “peace and love” and see how many will consider you completely insane
There’s a Gordon Brown Facebook spoof here, too:
http://www.martian.fm
There also seems to be one for a more experienced generation;
http://faceliftbook.ning.com/
There’s another facebook paradoy site at
http://www.friendslook.co.uk - it doesn’t do anything but is quite a funny take off of facebook
have people not considered the implications of putting up posts about people you hate?
the article says there are no privacy settings so everyone can view your posts. what if your boss sees it after you’ve thrown a tantrum about him? be fun trying to explain that one in the morning!
and what about getting sued for libel? people need to be very careful about what they put up there, or it might come back to bite them on the arse in the form of a very expensive court case…
Heh heh … hatebook made me laugh, but if you want to know where they got their idea from ..
andy@pringle:~ $ whois hatebook.org | grep Created
Created On:24-Aug-2007 14:47:25 UTC
andy@pringle:~ $ whois arsebook.org | grep Created
Created On:19-Jun-2007 19:12:45 UTC
Nicely executed though, I am flattered
Andy D — http://www.arsebook.org/
facebook sucks. a freaking emotional game. cuts off productivity by 90….
I’m thinking of starting ‘Fakebook.com’, a social networking site for the ‘fakes’ which seem to be springing up everywhere!
Wow, I’m getting a mid-90s flashback to “Deadjournal,” meant to give angsty teens an alternative to Livejournal… looks like every generation needs its “emo” spoof. (all sarcasm intentional)
i am hate you
i am hate jews
So negative…and so stupid to waste valuable time on crapola. Anyone read any good books lately?