10 Social Networking Apps To Stay Connected With Your Squad
Social networking apps are a great way to stay connected with your friends, especially if you do not live in the same area or state as them. We all know that life can get busy, but it is still important to make time for your social life. Check out these social networking apps the next time you want to stay connected with your squad.
1. GroupMe
GroupMe is a social networking app that allows you to create group text messages no matter what type of phone you have. All you have to do is put your name and number into the add group member area in your chat and they are added (you have to make sure the other person has the app, otherwise it does not work).
This is a popular app in my friend group and at my university. This is how the people at my dorm stayed connected even after we all moved into our apartments. This is also how many of my groups for group projects communicated with each other.
2. HouseParty
HouseParty is a social networking app that allows you to group facetime no matter what type of phone you have. For Apple users, Facetime is our version of Skype, but only Apple users have Facetime, so if someone in your squad does not have an iPhone, it could be difficult to Facetime them.
That is where this app comes into play. As long as everyone in your squad has the app, you can facetime as many people as you want at one time!
3. WhatsApp
Like GroupMe, WhatsApp is one of the social networking apps that allows you to create a group message with anyone no matter what brand of phone they have. The cool thing about WhatsApp is that you can put whatever picture you want as the background in your text conversations.
WhatsApp comes preloaded with wallpapers, right now mine is a city skyline. You can also add your own pictures too if you wanted to personalize your texting screen.
4. Reach
Reach is one of the social networking apps that allows you to mass text or email anyone you want. It makes communication efficient and simple. This app allows you to also insert pictures and videos into your bulk texts or emails.
One of the cool things about Reach is that it can translate your message into 100 different languages if needed. Reach does have a free version and an upgraded version (which costs money). The free version allows you to add up to 8 people in your group, but only two groups. In order to have unlimited groups with unlimited people, you would have to upgrade and pay some money.
5. IRL
IRL is a social networking app that is basically a calendar for your social life. You can add upcoming concerts or dates or get-togethers with your friends. It puts all of your social commitments in one spot to keep you organized.
You can even follow your favorite artists, online games, etc. and this would allow you to see their upcoming events. This way you never miss out on things you love!
6. Snapchat
Probably the most popular of social networking apps for Millenials, Snapchat is a fun way to communicate with your people. Snapchat allows you to send pictures or videos to anyone you want and after you open them the picture or video disappears. You can even text over snapchat if you would prefer to have a saved conversation.
You can snap one person directly or create a group snap. In my ASL class, we use this to communicate because it is so much easier to ask what sign it is when you can send a quick video of yourself signing.
7. Discord
Many people use discord to connect to their video game squad. I have friends that use this for Pokemon Go. In the context of Pokemon Go, you join your area’s discord channel and then you can get information on when the next raid is and where it is going to be.
You can also get tips from others who have played your game longer than you if you have questions or have gotten stuck on something. Many online and video games have a community on Discord, it is one of the top apps to connect you to those in the same video game community as yourself.
8. Slack
Mainly used in the professional work setting, Slack is a great social networking app for any company. Slack makes it easy to stay connected with coworkers and your bosses and managers. That way if something goes wrong during the course of your work, you can easily and effectively communicate the problem.
Slack is also a great way to get everyone on your team on the same page. You can create a page for your team to converse on, but you can also send private, direct messages to anyone who is on your slack account.
9. Nextdoor
Nextdoor is a social networking app that connects you to the people who live in your neighborhood. On this app, you can post things you are selling and can browse items in your neighborhood that others are selling for cheap!
Nextdoor even allows you to monitor crime and alerts in your area. Like if someone’s package was stolen off their front porch, now you are aware that this is a problem in your neighborhood. Or if there is a road closure due to an accident or construction, that could be posted on this app so now you can plan your trip to work and not get stuck in a traffic jam.
10. Periscope
Periscope is a social networking app that allows you to video stream live. This allows you to see the world from your phone. You can even be connected with friends and watch live videos together! You can even broadcast your videos privately if you just want to stream to a certain group or audience.
