Ted Henderson’s CapitolBells is a Washington, D.C.-based app startup responsible for the creation of what TechCrunch has described as the “Yik Yak For Washington Insiders,” Cloakroom. The startup aims to have 10 percent of the 15,000 Capitol Hill staffers using its application by Congress’s August recess, building up a strong user base leading into the DNC and RNC conventions, creator Ted Henderson told DC Inno.
The iOS/Android mobile app works like this: Cloakroom is an anonymous forum for discussion available to individuals on the hill and to anyone with an approved email outside of its boundaries — sign-in enables location-based controls. The application encourages Hill staffers to engage in candid conversations by providing an anonymous venue that is more discreet than Facebook, Twitter or its like; is devoid of personal information; and that can build a journalistic, grassroots perspective all its own.
Cloakroom has been downloaded approximately 1,800 times with about 800 successful registrations. Launched in March, it received an early boost when Politico’s chief White House reporter Mike Allen mentioned Cloakroom in his daily email briefing, Playbook. Allen has since mentioned them several more times.
"Cloakroom is a platform to discuss life on Capitol Hill and the work of the American people. We are strictly non-partisan; we do not intend to influence anyone's agenda," Henderson told DC Inno.
There are all sorts of conversations on Cloakroom. A quick 5-minute glance on its forums right now will provide everything from interesting gossip and first reaction gyrocopter pictures to elementary trolling and potentially breaking news. Recently, Cloakroom added the ability to share pictures as well.
Henderson admitted that Cloakroom is understandably a honeypot for cybercriminals, as these actors hope to mine for sensitive data and qualitative information. That beind said, Cloakroom takes this inherent issue seriously, and to remedy it he said that the application does not store or track any user’s data. Cloakroom is encrypted and supported by Google’s cloud services.
When signing in to Cloakroom, the first option is to use a singular and momentary location check to confirm the user is actually on the hill. This process is based on the client side of the cellular service--it is not sent to their server, nor does it show exact location, Henderson said.
If a prospective user happens to be outside the designated area, they'll be prompted to enter an email — only approved .gov staffer emails are accept in this case while a waiting list is also available. When this is the case, the email address is confirmed via a verification code that once inputted is checked immediately and then deleted previous to entering a data store, Cloakroom’s creator said.
Cloakroom is bootstrapped so far. Henderson said that ultimately, the revenue model will be related to making it relevant to the campaign world and the industry that supports it. He added that looping this back toward a vehicle for two-way communication between constituents and staffers will be important. How this information will be leveraged in the future is unclear at this point, but Cloakroom was originally inspired to cultivate a social community for people who work on the hill.
Obviously, Cloakroom is by nature a niche messaging app in a niche town with exclusive social circles and more apparent dividing lines, but its potential heading into a busy campaign season will be paramount.
In the past, news organizations have used Yik Yak as a source for breaking news coverage even beyond college campuses and Cloakroom may soon be introduced to the same treatment.
Henderson says he welcomes it. Cloakroom is a place where breaking government related stories should/could be naturally discussed before a publication is aware of it, he said, and that is one aspect which makes it so interesting to be a part of.
