How do you think RIM will react now that BBM and its network effects are no longer a unique selling point for BlackBerrys (which has been the main service featured in recent commercials)?
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Kik
Kik, a new messaging app for iPhone, Android, and BlackBerry has been growing at a viral rate, having close to two million subscribers in about 2.5 weeks since its launch. The app is very similar to BlackBerry's BBM, in that the messages are delivered in real-time and tells you whether the message has been sent, delivered, or read through different labels. But what's new about it is that it pulls your contacts from your phone's address book and matches it with other users that have downloaded the app so that it gives you a list of "people you may know" -- a feature that has become a hot topic among users in terms of privacy. Also, it's free and supposedly faster than BBM, according to its creator, a former strategist at RIM.
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I think the "controversial" accessing of pulling from a user's contact list was a risk worth taking for Kik. In order to aggressively grow its user base and reap the benefits of network effects, this feature allowed Kik to grow its network aggressively while demonstrating immediate value to new Kik users.
ReplyDeleteWith a market full of free texting apps (I alone have Kik and Textie - a search on Apple's App Store reveals many more), accessing your contact list seems like a smart feature for Kik to have added.