Yet another social networking app is gaining ground in an ever-increasingly competitive market. Sonar, an app that shows you other users that are nearby, touts its ability to "uncover the hidden connections you miss everyday, in real time, in the palm of your hand." The problem with these social apps is this: the whole experience depends on other people in your area using the app often enough for them to show up on your radar (or sonar, if you will). Foursquare has had considerable success encouraging user adoption, but unlike sonar it doesn't focus on meeting the other users present. I just got accepted to the Sonar beta test for Android, so i'll soon see if it's worth sticking around for. Downloading an app in its early stages is a bit like going to a party right before it starts - odds are you'll get bored and leave before anyone else really shows up, which makes those that show up later feel like the party is a bust when they see nobody is there. So as to whether or not Sonar will become a dominant force in the social arena is yet to be seen, but one thing is for sure: the competition is only getting tougher.
http://www.sonar.me/
Social apps are a dime a dozen nowadays. It's getting to the point where you could spend more time "sharing" what you're doing than actually DOING it. Good luck Sonar. I'll see you in the afterlife.
ReplyDeleteEspecially a beta test of an app that can only see other beta testers... that's a microscopic subset of the market. You're right, it's a product that only works if everyone's already bought it.
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