With the advent of Smartphone technology it’s truly never been easier to stay in contact with your nearest and dearest. Whether it’s checking in to your favorite coffee shop with a few mates, or tweeting a picture of you with that band you really love, there’s an abundance of apps out there designed with sharing in mind.
So here’s a countdown of my top 10 social apps for staying in contact by any means necessary.
10. Pinterest
Ah, the pin board. A staple of those unforgettable teenage years, chock full of old gig tickets, photos of loved ones or recipes we’d one day love to attempt. Pinterest takes this experience online, letting users post their favorite nick-nacks from around the internet to their personal pin board for all to see. And with the new private boards, it’s even better for keeping those personal treasures personal.
9. LinkedIn
Remember being told by your career advisers to make all your social profiles private or you’d never get a job? LinkedIn is the professional networking site that says, ‘hey, it’s okay to be public!’. Whether you’re looking for a new job, or simply wanting to make some more connections that could help you in your current position, LinkedIn is the best social site for the working world.
8. Path
Sometimes it seems as though all the wrong people are seeing your social content. Path offers a more personal social space for you and you’re nearest and dearest to share treasured pictures and posts, without sending them off into the big wide world. One of the inspirations behind Facebook’s latest ‘timeline’ feature, Path is the app that started it all and a personal favorite.
7. Instagram
Get the images of hipsters adding sepia tints to their cat pictures; the smash hit social photo booth is so much more than an ironically ironic statement. Packing dozens of skins for your photos, Facebook’s latest plaything is a great way to show the world what you’re up to – beautifully. You can also keep track of your favorite celebrities’ profiles – who wouldn’t want to know what One Direction are up to?
6. Tapatalk
Old-fashioned forums are taking a bit of a kicking these days, with every social site adding new groups every day to catch your niche interests in one easily accessible webspace. Tapatalk allows you to collate all your forum memberships under one app, letting you keep track of them all without loading up hundreds (in my case) of tabs!
5. Foursquare
Now, I love going out – but what I love even more than hitting the cinema, is telling everyone I know about it. Foursquare is the social location app that lets your friends know where you are and what you’re doing. Sometimes they even come and join you because of a good check-in. And now that brands are getting wise to the power of location, expect to see hundreds of special offers coming Foursquare’s way in the near-future.
4. GetGlue
There’s nothing quite as awesome as sitting down with a few friends to watch the game (unless you’re a Tottenham Hotspur fan, then its agony), but what if you’re grounded? Using GetGlue, you can check in to whatever you’re watching, and bring your friends along in your phone! You can also earn badges and rewards for watching your favorite shows! Basically, it just makes TV that little bit more social – just make sure you don’t get square eyes.
3. Plume
As someone who has five twitter accounts, I sometimes find it hard to keep track of everything going on. Plume allows you to access multiple twitter accounts, colour categorize tweets, auto-complete hashtags based on current trends, and much much more. This is truly a must have for any professional twitter user (and me).
2. Facebook
What can you really say about Facebook (other than its creation spawned one kickass film)? The ubiquitous social site of our generation has long been available on mobile, but the most recent update definitely made the app just that bit more beautiful. Share anything with all your friends on the largest social network in the world, right from your pocket.
1. Google+
To tell you the truth, I never used Google + until I got my brand new Nexus. Since then, G+ has become my go-to social hot spot, uploading all my pics, videos, conversations and locations. Though one of the newest and smallest social sites, it’s also one of the most intimate – made all the easier to access by this beautiful android app. Seriously, go check it out.