Forums have been around since the dawn of the consumer internet. Before the invention of Twitter, Youtube, and Facebook, there were various forums that allowed users to post questions or comments on a topic, and others could respond. Now, the team behind Facebook’s app is attempting to rejuvenate the world of topic-focused forums with “Rooms!”
Rooms (free in the App Store) allows users to anonymously browse through a vast array of topics to share thoughts or give input to others on all kinds of things! What makes rooms more fun is the way you find and join various boards, or rooms. Instead of searching for a topic or clicking a link, users must join rooms by either scanning a Room “key” (a QR code in disguise) that they find on the internet, or by capturing a screenshot of a key to their iPhone’s Camera Roll, which Rooms then checks on launch & when returning to the home screen.
Once you’re joined a room, you can view all the posts shared before, and comment on or “like” any post. What makes Rooms so unlike Facebook is that when you like or comment, you are anonymous, and allowed to create a new/different identity for each room. So while I’m “IanFuchs” in the MacTrast Room, I’m “FarveDollarFootlong” in a Fantasy Football Room. This tribute to the days of dial-up is a fun, enjoyable feature that makes Rooms less personal than Twitter, but still a source for interesting interaction.
Will Rooms be a hit like so many other social apps? Possibly not. Does it offer something that other apps don’t? For sure! And it’s crossover of nostalgia and modern technology makes it very fun to use! Check out Rooms for free in the App Store, and join the MacTrast Room for discussion about current Apple news and upcoming stories!
The App of the Week is a feature written by Ian Fuchs, and is designed as a way to provide exposure to apps that may otherwise go overlooked or unnoticed in the App Store. If you have an App of the Week suggestion (for Mac, iPhone, or iPad), email it to ian(at)mactrast.com, or find me at @ianfuchs on Twitter.
Bonus tip: If you’re looking for Rooms keys, try searching #Rooms on Instagram!