Felix Petersen, one of the founders and Amen’s boss, is not much help to gauge the success of the service. “More than 3.5m posts” is the only number he is willing to reveal. Number of registered users? Daily activity? Growth rates? As most digital start-ups, the firm does not publish such statistics.
When it comes to making money, Amen’s plan is to
mix the revenue models of Google and Twitter. At some point the firm intends to
introduce advertising within its rankings—and may even allow users to vote on
the companies that are paying their way into the charts. That could be a clever
way to make advertising relevant for users. If the statement “Xyz has the best
falafel ever” is not true, it will attract many a “hell no” and quickly
disappear from the top of the list. Whether many advertisers will take the risk
is another matter.
