By Gini Dietrich
Alright, boys and girls. We’re in the second week of the new year and we already have two new social networks. The first is FireChat (which I’m not sure I’ll talk about…ever) and the second is Peach.
What the heck is Peach, you ask? It is being billed as a cross between Twitter and Slack (my favorite!).
I’m not sure I’d go that far.
Yes, you have threaded comments. Yes, you can easily add GIFs (and who doesn’t want to easily add GIFs of Robert Downey Jr.?). Yes, you can comment, like, and share.
You also can wave, send cake…times 100, boop, quarantine, blow a kiss, put a ring on it, or hiss at your friends.
In fact, a friend posted on Facebook, “Who is on Peach? I want to cake you.”
So there you have it. I want to cake you!
What is Peach?
It really is exactly what you’re already sharing on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or Snapchat (or all of the above)…with the addition of being able to cake someone.
If you have a person’s username or phone number, you can add them. If you want to get your other friends on there, all you have to do is tell them…but you do have to have their phone number.
There isn’t really more to it. It’s not hard to use. I think the reason it’s getting so much attention is because the Vine founder, Dom Hoffman, created it.
What Makes Peach Different?
Peach has the Magic Words I mentioned above (I want to cake you!), which are special commands similar to Slack.
You can add unique updates such as GIFs (Robert Dowey, Jr., FTW!).
You can Shout (say something with big words) because we all clearly need help with big words.
You can draw, but have you ever seen someone draw with their finger on a phone screen? It’s not pretty. Although, I do have a lovely heart that I drew in my feed.
You can add your fitness achievements.
You can also share where you are, add the movie or TV show you are watching, the game you are playing, or the book you are reading.
If you don’t have any idea what to post, you can click a lightbulb to give you ideas.
So…yeah. It’s Facebook, FitBit, Spotify, Twitter, and Slack all rolled up in one. Not so different than anything else out there, but having it all in one spot could be compelling.
Why Should I Care About Peach?
Truthfully, I’m not sure you should.
In Danny Brown’s words:
While it might sound fun, for me it simply instills a “meh”, and led to the comment that my username on Peach will be @couldntgiveanymoreshits.
I kind of feel the same.
That said, I installed it on Sunday and started using it with Martin Waxman and Joe Thornley during our Inside PR recordings.
I’ll give it a month and report back if my mind has changed.
But for now, I would say check it out if you want (and only if you have an iPhone), but don’t go into it with lofty expectations that it’s going to stick or that it will replace your other social media activities.
If you do check it out, add me. I’m ginidietrich on there and I will cake you!
