As the internet continues to change the way we live our lives, we are constantly introduced to new means of communication. I continue to be surprised by the trepidation of my generation to immerse themselves in the virtual world. Almost everyone has gone as far as facebook, but it seems like that's where it ends. Personally, I always attempt to recruit my peers to get involved in other means of social connection. Despite my best efforts, I am still a failure in this endeavor.
There are a few different social networks I have mentioned in my previous blog post that I have encouraged others to use. There is a small group of my friends that have joined twitter, but the activity there seems to be waning. For me, its utility and appeal is diminishing simply due to twitter's relationships with their developers and userbase, and the fact that 140 characters just doesn't seem to be enough anymore. Another network that has taken hold among a small group of individuals is Google+. Right now, the primary use I've found for this network is scheduling events and video conferencing. I continue to be more and more concerned over the amount of information Google has accumulated from its userbase, though, so that makes this network less appealing to me. Finally, there is the network about which I am most excited, but has gained the least traction, and that is app.net (ADN). Anoyone who wants to learn anymore about my feelings on ADN, please refer to my previous blog post.
In my frustration to drag my counterparts into the digital age, Ihave decided to shift my focus simply to messaging services. There are those, however, who feel that regular SMS messaging is sufficient, but I disagree. Obviously, now that fewer and fewer individuals have a plan that limits their number of text messages, it would seem that SMS should be fine. The problems start with the limitations that are placed on the way in which media can be handled. Some carriers don't handle images very well. A number of providers don't allow videos at all. Next, group messaging through standard SMS can be a nightmare. Finally, The fact that SMS messages are also limited to 160 characters before they start getting separated into multiple messages can be very annoying and create unnecessary confusion. For these reasons, I have been trying to push others to switch to alternative messaging services.
There are a number of different services from which to choose, and I will introduce just a few of them. The first is the service that really started it all; BlackBerry Messenger (BBM). BBM was initially only available when both the sender and receiver were using a BlackBerry phone. The features that made BBM so much appreciated by its early users were the security, being able to set a status so that other BBM users knew whether they would be able to have a conversation at that time, the ability to see when a message has been delivered, and, ultimately, read, and the ability to share files easily between devices. BBM has now gone cross-platform with Android and iOS editions, but it seems to have come a bit too late to really gain a foothold, because many other services have filled that space BBM got there. It also only allows users to be logged in to one device at a time, and has no tablet or computer applications.
Another service that has been around for about a year or so now, is Google's Hangouts. It initially started as primarily a video service contained within Google+, but was then separated into a standalone messaging service. Hangouts also allows the user to see delivered and read receipts, manages group messaging very well, and allows the user to log in to multiple devices simultaneously. Hangouts does not do a great job of handling media, but it does allow the user to take advantage of other Google services in order to share. Hangouts is also cross-platform, so it can be used between Android and iOS users. I do have a small group of indiviuals who have made the transition to Hangouts and, other than essentially sharing my conversations with Google, I find it to be a solid service.
Next is Apple's messaging service: iMessage. iMessage is very similar to Hangouts, in that it allows delivery and read receipts, does group messaging well, and allows logging in to multiple devices simultaneously. In my expereince, it seems to handle media better than Hangouts. One other very nice aspect of iMessage is that it is contained within the same application as standard SMS messages, so the user can send a SMS message to someone who is unwilling to move to other messaging services and an iMessage to another individual with an Apple device without leaving the application. The two primary shortcomings of iMessage are a history of the service being unavailable more than one would like, and the fact that both individuals must have an Apple device, which, for me anyway, is very rare.
In the interest of keeping this from getting too long, I will simply mention that there are a number of other messaging services available, many of which are cross-platform, but I have not tried many of them. A few examples are Microsoft's Skype, LINE, WeChat, Viber, WhatsApp, Tango, Facebook Messenger, and the popular and unique Snapchat. Skype has a larger userbase and allows video, audio, and text communication, but I am not a fan of their service. Facebook Messenger is good to have simply because nearly everyone has facebook, and it's an easy way to communicate with someone whose contact information one might not otherwise have. I have downloaded, but never used, used LINE, WeChat, Viber, WhatsApp, or Tango. I have yet to figure out the situations in which Snapchat seems like the best means to communicate.
I will close this by mentioning my two favorite texting services. First, there is Kik. Kik was created as a clone of BBM that could be used cross-platform before BlackBerry was willing to take their service cross-platform. There are delivery and read receipts, group messages are handled well, and it handles multiple types of media exceptionally well. My sole frustration with Kik is that it only allows the user to be logged in to one device at a time (which, in fairness to them, is for security purposes), and does not even have a tablet, much less computer, application. If these two features were added to Kik, it would be perfect, in my opinion.
Finally, there is my other favorite messaging service: ADN. I use Whisper for iOS, Rory, Jr. for Android, and Project Amy for the computer. Whisper is built for group messaging, handles media nearly as well as Kik, and focuses on keeping your data very secure. The primary problems with messaging on ADN are that the userbase is very small because it requires an ADN account, and that Whisper, specifically, does not have an iPad application, nor does the iPhone version have a landscape mode. The development of Rory, Jr. has also appeared to stall to some degree due to poor sales.
In the end, I desperately want a single messaging service to come to the fore as the primary messaging application for individuals to use cross-platform and cross-device, while also making me feel comfortable with the level of privacy I will have. I hope that Kik ultimately expands to become that service, but if any of the other services step up and become that, I will gladly jump aboard. Now, whether or not I can convince others to join me on that service, that's a different story.
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