Facebook’s SLINGSHOT @ SNAPCHAT
Back in 2012 Zuckerberg tried to buy SnapChat for 3 B $ and Spiegel (SnapChat CEO and co-founder) refused. In a report Mashable stated that Zuckerberg, tried scaring Snapchat’s founders by “ …telling them that Facebook planned to release a nearly identical app a few days later. “It was basically like, ‘We’re going to crush you,’” Spiegel told Forbes.”
Facebook launched ” Poke” in summer 2012 and it flopped. There was another attempt in 2014 when FB launched it’s new app slingshot. The app has not gotten much traction so far, but with the right marketing strategy and the latest major fix updates I believe Zuckererg might have an opportunity to poke @ SnapChat this time.
The app is almost identical to SnapChat. Slings (or snap stories) stay for 24 hrs and disappear, you can draw on images , the analytic page , same same: the full SnapChat copycat ! But there is an important extra in SlingShot: an explore page.
A key feature that has helped many social media networks grow. Community has been key to Instagram’s success. For example, Instagram has an explore page that features “trending “ content and users, allowing a discovery process that builds communities within the app.
Will slingshot nurture a community by supporting the social artists that create great slings and inspire the social trend of slinging stuff ? So far the content on the explore tab is below average , if it exists at all. If I am on Instagram’s explore page or checking twitter trends, there is usually good quality content , but i have yet to see anything inspiring in slingshots explore page.
On the other hand in SnapChat, it’s almost impossible to discover people. There is a discover page where you can view live stories but it is dedicated to channels like, MTV,CNN, Cosmopolitan or content selected by SnapChat. But no way to find random people like on Instagram or Twitter. The way to get followers on SnapChat is normally via other social channels, Vine, Instagram, YouTube are all huge traffic drivers to SnapChat . Some of the big social media artists managed to get above 2 -3 million followers from channels like Vine. Nevertheless it’s very difficult to start a community from within SnapChat.
On slingshot you can discover random people , which provides an opportunity for communities to grow within the app. FB’s slingshot should work with influencers to create great slings and fun reactions. Influencers come into new apps with a big entourage as well. A huge number of followers are ready to do social app hopping to see their favorite social media artist create a new story. If social artist followers start building communities within slingshot then it will just go up from there and the internet triebes will join, Foodies, Fashionistas, magicians: the whole circus will be slinging around.
The battle for the next generation social platform has begun. SnapChat is leading the way, but FB has thrown a stone ! Actually two stones- the second one being “Bolt” which was developed by Instagram (FB). To this day, it’s been launched only in a few countries. We are yet to see if any of these stones will manage to hurt SnapChat’s ghost or will he disappear before it hits him !! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
