Hot or Not
Hot or Not is an app and website that allows users to upload photos of themselves to be rated by other users on a scale from 1 to 10, focusing on physical attractiveness. It launched in 2000 as one of the first online rating websites and was considered an early pioneer of social
photo-rating
attractiveness-rating
dating
social-media
Hot or Not: Attractiveness Rating App & Website
Hot or Not is a pioneering online platform allowing users to rate each other's physical attractiveness on a scale of 1-10, launched in 2000 as one of the first social media apps.
What is Hot or Not?
Hot or Not is an app and website that allows users to upload photos of themselves to be rated by other users on a scale from 1 to 10, focusing on physical attractiveness. It launched in 2000 as one of the first online rating websites and was considered an early pioneer of social media.
The site was created by James Hong and Jim Young, two friends who wanted to build a site inspired by popular 'hot lists' that ranked people based on attractiveness. The goal was to create a platform where people could upload photos of themselves to be rated on their looks. Other users could view the photos and rate each person's attractiveness on a scale of 1 to 10. Over time, the site began incorporating social networking features to allow people to interact.
At its peak popularity in the early 2000s, Hot or Not was receiving over 20 million monthly visitors. It generated controversy for its superficial focus on rating physical appearance, but also served as an early influence on many popular social media sites that incorporated profile photos and visibility of one's social connections. Over time, various competitors emerged and online dating sites began incorporating attractiveness ratings features. While not as prominent today, Hot or Not illustrates how an interactive site focused on sharing photos and garnering peer feedback was able to gain significant traction in the early days of web 2.0.
Hot or Not Features
Features
- Photo rating
- Profile creation
- Messaging
- Matchmaking
- Location-based matching
Pricing
- Freemium
Pros
Simple and easy to use interface
Can meet new people nearby
Provides validation and feedback on appearance
Cons
Promotes superficial judgments
Can be used inappropriately or dangerously
Addictive nature encourages obsessive use
Official Links
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