Photo by Flickr user comedy_nose, used under Creative Commons license
But sometimes it’s the simplest ideas that prove to be the most transformative.
Some of the most useful products coming out of SXSW this year are among the most basic and (for the most part) use technology that was available years ago: group texting apps for mobile phones.
GroupMe, GroupedIn, Beluga and other group messaging apps, the hot trend at SXSW this year, let people create groups of friends/colleagues/family. Users can instantly share text messages, photos and even call all members of their customized group at once in a conference call.
Yes, that’s it.
Sure, email accomplishes many of the same things (you can start an email conversation with multiple people, each of whom can “reply all” to the group). And email has no word-count limits or photo restrictions.
But when you’re on the go and meeting friends, nothing is more convenient than texting. Especially in crowded areas with weak cell phone reception. Plus, a text message is typically read within four minutes of receipt, while the average for email is 48 hours. That makes SMS 720 times faster than email.
Among the youngest mobile phone users, text messaging is the mostly widely used digital communications tool. And older users are texting more than they ever have. As a result, it’s only natural that the latest trend is to nurture that love for texting with apps that help us do it more efficiently and with a richer experience.
If you want to find out more about why these apps are so hot, check out this interview that Fast Company editor Ellen McGirt did with the two co-founders of GroupMe at SXSW. (Full disclosure: The interview was one of the flash panels hosted by PepsiCo, a Weber Shandwick client.)
Josh
• Mar. 17, 2011 at 11:28 am
Wait. That email is read within 48 hours of it being sent doesn't mean that email is 720 times slower than text messages. It means that many people don't read email every day. This isn't the same as, say, a post card being slower than an email.
Jackie Danicki
• Mar. 17, 2011 at 1:38 pm
It means that SMS messages are read, on average, 720 times faster than emails are. At least that's how I read it, and the source material linked.
David Leavitt
• Mar. 17, 2011 at 9:39 pm
Right. It doesn't matter how quickly something is delivered. It matters how quickly it is read. Email isn't convenient for on-the-go conversations, even for people who have smartphones.