CYBERSPACE—Gay cruising app Guyhop has announced that its membership has swelled to 100,000 users in just the few weeks since the closure of two major personal ad platforms, much to the delight of company execs and single (and looking) gay men.
The GPS-enabled web-based app has seen a spike in users looking for a secure online experience, guaranteed anonymity and a superior gay cruising capability beyond what it terms "the passé classified personal ads of yesteryear."
"The shutting down of Backpage and Craiglist Personals is the end of an era, as well as a step in the right direction in cleaning up the industry," said Guyhop’s Rob West. “Shady classifieds are a relic of the early internet. New hookup services like Guyhop that cater to the adults-only crowd are the future.”
West also noted that Guyhop is unique in that it offers a safe place for men to play while deterring any form of sex-for-money solicitations.
"I hated the fact that members of the LGBT community—especially gay men—were so limited in choices that they had to resort to seedy sites like Backpage and Craigslist to find a casual encounter,” said West. “That's one of the reasons I chose to build Guyhop."
While classifieds once offered a great way to protect a user's anonymity, Guyhop goes to great lengths to do the same, even offering customers the ability to post photos while still masking their identity.
“We've seen a large influx of new sign-ups and lots of great feedback from Backpage users,” said West, adding that the significant jump to 100,000 users in such a short period of time is a considerable step in the right direction. “This is a very big deal to us.”
The free hookup service, which bills itself as "a true adult playground for horny gay men, bisexual couples and groups," offers easy-to-use navigation, uncensored content, chat/messaging options, photo privacy guard and filters to seek out favorite personal interests, tastes and positions.
To sign up for free membership, visit Guyhop.com. Premium membership is available with additional features.
