Every other day, I see a new ad on TV about a new messaging app. From WeChat to Line to Hike, all these apps have tried different strategies like free recharges to cute stickers in an attempt to entice customers to download their app. Instant Messengers (IM’s) have been in the limelight after FaceBook’s acquisition of WhatsApp for a whopping 19 billion dollars, showing that there is big money out there for these. The same goes for Social Networking Sites (SNS), as many new ones keep coming up, with Ello being the latest. Do you need to be on all of them? No, but there are few that you just cannot afford to not be on, even if you are more of a calling or text person. Read on to know which.
WhatsApp
This one is a no brainer. I know a lot of people who diss WhatsApp because of its groups but still end up using it as the primary mode of communication. Although the groups can get annoying, but come to think of it, that would happen on any other social network which all your friends are on. I remember an old joke where someone wrote that he loves Google Plus because it is so peaceful as no one he knows was active on it.
Jokes aside, WhatsApp is a must-have because it directly syncs with your phonebook rather than asking you to make an account. Because of this ease, everybody you know are on it. Second — it’s reliable. Instead of bombarding the user with too many features, WhatsApp built such a level of dependability, that there are probably as many or even more WhatsApp messages sent in the world than SMSs. It also works on slow 2G networks, which is remarkable considering almost every other app today is almost non-functional with the lack of high-speed internet.
WhatsApp works on most number of mobile platforms, including a lot of feature phones too. It is also a very popular medium to reach out to business contacts and several SMBs use them extensively for business purpose!
Facebook
However annoying those memes and cat pics may get, Facebook remains to be one of the best social networks to stay connected with your family and friends. The best benefit is that almost every person you know will be on it. Friend suggestions helps you meet those whom you may have forgotten to add. Like, my mother has connected with her old neighbours and school friends on Facebook after probably thirty odd years.
What also works for Facebook is that it has so many features. You can update statuses, tell the world of your activities with photos and videos, check in to places, invite people for events and what not. Facebook has separated their chat service on the mobile by making users download the Messenger app. It’s a pretty good app to have — among other things because when you’re replying to messages on the desktop, notifications won't buzz on your phone.
And while that’s not ideal, you do know that a lot of professional contacts would be closer to you on Facebook, rather than LinkedIN. Facebook eventually would try to replace some of the other communication channels and may be they will have better ideas to deal with group chats or try to make inroads into the workplace, you would do better by waiting till they gain traction.
Skype
Even today most people associate video calling with Skype. You generally hear people say “Let’s Skype”, never “Let’s OoVoo” or something like that. The good part is that Skype also has mobile apps which makes it easier to use on the go. Skype also has the facility to have a conference call with many people and even share screens (that can come in handy while providing tech support). This is great when you want to connect with a group of friends over video. Certain companies even conduct meetings/interviews on Skype.
Viber
At my home, Viber is the only app that is used to make calls to people overseas. It has become synonymous with internet calling because it brought the simplicity of WhatsApp in the VOIP space. Like WhatsApp, there is no need to create an account or sign in; just install the app and call other Viber users that are in your phonebook. This is why even though you can make audio-only calls with Skype, people tend to use Viber. Viber is also an Instant Messenger as you can also send text, photos, videos, stickers etc. But with WhatsApp planning to bring voice calling next year, Viber’s trump card feature may be marginalised.
Hangouts
Hangouts used to be known as Google Talk earlier and was extremely popular. People slowly moved from MSN & Yahoo Messenger to Gtalk, as it brought a simple, no-frills app that help people communicate without the use of animated emoticons and avatars etc. As Google integrated Hangouts in Gmail itself, it makes total sense to use it. Nine out of 10 people I know use Gmail as the primary mail, so the moment they log into their Gmail, they’re logged into Hangouts. Hangouts has an app on both Android and iOS. Just like Facebook, conversations get synced and different devices will not send out repetitive notifications (with their alert dings) too.
There are tonnes of communication & messaging apps out there and most of them can be joined for free. But you can’t possibly be active on *all of them*. A PriceBaba survey suggests that about 70% respondents said that they are accommodating to other peoples’ mode of communication. In my opinion, the above five platforms should keep you connected to almost all the people you know.
Guest Post by Criselle Lobo
Criselle Lobo is a technology enthusiast based out of Mumbai.
Criselle Lobo is a technology enthusiast based out of Mumbai.
