Social media has gone a bit crazy. You see Instagram posts in your Facebook newsfeed, Foursquare check-ins on Twitter, and on the new app Path, you’re asked to import everything into one place. Sometimes it seems that when I log into one site or app, I’ve already seen a friend’s updates in another. Yes, your cat is cute but I don’t need to see her face on each of my feeds! When did everything start to overlap so much?
Despite this social over-sharing, I’ve noticed something lately. There are a handful of new apps and websites that serve a single, simple purpose. It’s as if these apps want to help us separate and de-clutter our lives. By focusing on one thing, and one thing only, new social sites and apps help us get rid of our social ADD.
Bondsy
While the first version was originally released in February, Bondsy just launched a new version. Think of this app as a Craigslist that’s only available to your circle of friends. It’s like an eBay that operates around your inner circle of trust. Bondsy’s developers market the app on their website by highlighting that they utilize “freeform pricetags,” which means that instead of offering say, $10 for a pair of headphones, you can offer lunch or a juicy secret to cover the cost.
The pros? Simply, Bondsy offers a more secure buying and trading marketplace by helping you circumvent shady Internet buyers. Also, Bondsy’s UI is clean, simple, and efficient. After trying it out I was trading books for a latte in no time!
The cons? The obvious issue here is that unlike Craigslist or eBay where the depths of the internet is your oyster, this puts you in a much smaller buyer/seller range, making it a little harder to make sales or trades. That is of course, unless your friends are dedicated to using Bondsy and you get a little market going between your group. On that note I’m not sure how efficient the app is in terms of making money, but it certainly can be a fun pastime to pick up with your friends.
Potluck
Although it’s only available online for now (an iOS app is in the works), Potluck is a very cool social site to get acquainted with. It’s a simple, copy/paste driven site, in which all users do is simply find links they’re interested in, then share them with their friends. It’s very laid back and stress free social networking because the upkeep is so minimal for the user. All you have to do is be interested in something and know how to maneuver the copy paste duo. What’s even cooler is that they don’t publish who shared the link: rather, they just show the link and how many friends left a comment.
The pros? It’s pretty revolutionary, and has an extra “cool” factor because it hasn’t really been done before. It’s also very user friendly, and it’s perfect for those social media fans who like to just sit back, click through, and soak up some information.
The cons? It’ll be interesting to see how they choose to design the iOS version and to see its functionality. I think for the site to really catch on and grow a cult following it’s going to need an excellent app debut, which is rumored to be soon. It’s also frustrating because the site doesn’t really become fun until you have friends on it (the more the merrier!). No one wants to be a sitting social media duck.
Poutsch
The Wall Street Journal describedPoutsch as “Twitter meets Survey Monkey.” Add in a dash of Yahoo! Answers, and that just about sums up the essence of Poutsch. Basically, you can ask questions, answer questions, vote in polls, voice your opinion in debates, and subsequently read other users opinions. They’re trying to highlight their “trending topics,” which while admirable, seems to me to be a bit too reminiscent of Twitter.
The pros? It’s a cool way to see what other people are thinking instead of having to troll the comments sections of various news websites. It’ll be interesting to see what kind of changes the app makes in it’s next version update, and even more interesting to see if it can gain a solid fan following.
The cons? I understand what Poutsch is trying to do, but it’s really a matter of opinion: you might find it unnecessary. I’m curious to see how long this app will survive.
Medium
Medium is an invitation-only (for now) social network that aims to have users share content that has a deeper value than what everyday pop culture has to offer. Instead of updates about the likes of whether Justin and Selena are still dating, Medium offers longer and more significantly crafted content that users can actually take something away from.
The pros? Not only is Medium informative, but it’s inviting in its purpose of sharing user-written content. It’s everything you could want to read from blog posts across the web, boiled down into carefully selected content. It’s great for inquisitive minds, and it’s also just neat to see the direction that the Medium staff is trying to take social media. Not to mention, the website is beautiful and eye-catching as well!
The cons? At its content-sharing core, Medium is not super interactive. However, if you’re more interested in reading and occasionally sharing a comment or two, this site is waiting for you.
Flayvr
Technically, Flayvr isn’t an actual social network, but a tool to help photo junkies prep their work to share across multiple, preexisting social platforms. This app organizes your photos based on events and helps reduce the chances that your photos get lost in the black hole of the cellular camera roll. All your beach pictures will be organized, your friend’s wedding pictures will be organized, and you’ll feel a lot more at ease knowing that you can easily locate your photos by event.
The pros? Gone are the days when you’ll have to spend unnecessary time scrolling through your photos to find what you’re looking for. Flayvr is your photo cleaning lady, organizing your photos so everything is easier to find. Plus, you can share your albums either by email or over your social network of choice. Easy-peezy.
The cons? Flayvr thinks it knows more than you do, so you run the chance of being occasionally annoyed when it wants to include photos you don’t want in an album, or likewise when it leaves out photos you think should have been included. It’s a little tricky to manually override what Flayvr selects, but it can be done.
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