NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, Tout’d announced the launch of a social media platform and referral space that allows exclusive communities of friends to easily collect and share knowledge about businesses, products and ideas.
Wall Street veterans Rob Morelli and Saro Cutri have teamed up with Arron Kallenberg (an alumni of the TechStars program from 2007) to create Tout’d, a simplified recommendation and insight mechanism.
“Tout’d takes what happens in the real world, word of mouth, and spreads it through connected networks farther and faster than it ever could on its own,” said Morelli. “Our mission is to make a real impact in the social search and referral space by simplifying how recommendations are sourced and by personalizing those results so they are extremely valuable for our users.”
The popularity of social review sites has introduced a forum for users to share their experiences, specifically their likes and dislikes, about businesses in their communities. These sites provide detailed and colorful reviews, but their open nature and often conflicting reviews make them extremely unreliable and open to manipulation. Tout’d differs by creating a closed space for friends and friends-of-friends only, allowing for a network of trusted opinions. Tout’d leverages Facebook for users to share experiences, but the Tout’d network is where users can ask and answer those questions. Additionally, other review sites are often focused on restaurant recommendations -- Tout’d users can ask for or provide a recommendation on anything from a romantic restaurant to a fun iPhone app for toddlers.
Tout’d provides the opportunity to showcase your insights while providing an honest response to a friend’s unique request for help. Not only can you give or ask advice about products or local businesses, you can also “friend source” answers to open ended questions such as “What is a good day trip out of Boston?” Optimized for online and mobile (as a mobile Web application for both iOS and Android) Tout’d gives you instant notifications whether you’re in front of a computer or in search of quality recommendations on the go.
Businesses that are “Tout’d” can embrace the application because the recommendations are distributed further and faster than they would otherwise be via age-old word of mouth. Users can be sure they are getting valuable responses from trusted and socially connected sources without the input from strangers or owners. The benefit to local and small businesses is increased exposure and awareness of their organization through a network of people who are contributing genuine and personalized insight. Businesses are in essence marketing themselves through their best and most loyal customers.
About Tout’d
Tout’d is an easy-to-use social utility that provides a forum for exchanging recommendations with friends. Founded in 2012 by Wall Street veterans and a TechStars graduate, Tout’d is a microcosm of the transformation undergoing the burgeoning New York tech scene. Tout’d connects you on a person-to-person level and offers a simplified way to get recommendations from the people that know you and your tastes best. It is this layer of social accountability that makes Tout’d recommendations more valuable and actionable than other review sites. Please visit www.toutd.com.