One of the first things I was told to do by upperclassmen when I first arrived here on campus as a freshman was download GroupMe. And honestly, I would probably give the same advice to the incoming freshman now that I am a sophomore. I am in a large number of different GroupMe’s. One for each organization I am in, one for the floor I live on, one for each class group I’m in. GroupMe is used by almost every student organization on campus, but what makes it so popular?
There are several reasons GroupMe is great for student organizations. For one, it allows you to be in contact with a large number of people. Organization leaders can also set up events inside GroupMe and cause alerts to go off to inform members that the event will start soon. However, it can have some drawbacks. For example, if you are in a large group, like some of the ones I am in, someone is always talking in the chat. Which means you could get a lot of notifications that mean absolutely nothing to you. You could always mute the chat but, then you might miss important information about a club event or meeting.
So, my question is, is there a better option than GroupMe? There are several apps that allow group conversation besides GroupMe such as Slack, Team Snap, Google Hangouts, and WeChat. I’ve never used these myself and cannot testify to whether or not they would be better than GroupMe. But I wonder if any organizations on campus would benefit from using a different group chat app.
I have heard a few people mention that they don’t like GroupMe. Personally, love GroupMe it is simple, efficient, and I don’t have to give out my phone number to 400+ people. I think GroupMe is a great way to communicate. It’s anonyms, and you can leave any chat you want whenever you want. You can also direct message anyone in a particular chat to have a one on one conversation. Plus, I think it’s great that all the clubs and organizations use the same app, so I don’t have to download a million different apps. But communication is a vital part of any organization, and I wonder if there is a better way for us to communicate? I would be interested in hearing some arguments for other apps. Or perhaps more on why GroupMe should remain the main way to communicate within student organizations.
References
https://groupme.com
https://www.wechat.com/en/
https://www.teamsnap.com
https://slack.com
https://chrome.google. com/webstore/detail/google-hangouts/nckgahadagoaajjgafhacjanaoiihapd?hl=en
WhatsApp is another very popular app for any and all ages because they allow you to have big group chats with people everywhere in the world. I am constantly on WhatsApp all the time talking to my friends who live all over the world it’s the easiest way of communication. WhatsApp is a free app that anyone can download no matter what kind of phone you have or where you live. WhatsApp can be used on an Apple device, Android device, and or Windows device. WhatsApp’s privacy settings are great because all your calls and messages are only between you and the person you are communicating with. This app does not have the right to listen or read your messages between people. It is written in the privacy agreement when you first get the app. Nothing is getting recorded for a third party unlike so many other apps. WhatsApp’s is one of my most used apps on my phone. WhatsApp gives you the opportunity to make calls across the world for free. This app unlike many others group messaging apps uses internet connection instead of using your minutes on your cell phone plan. This app will never show up on your phone bill for making calls across the world.
I also use GroupMe with all the organizations I am in involved with. GroupMe and WhatsApp are similar in more ways than not. They allow you to have big group chats with people and send photos. These apps let you go on the websites on your computer and message people. They give you options on how to access these app. I have never heard of Slack, Team Snap, Google Hangouts, and WeChat before, but they sound like very interesting apps. I feel like WhatsApp and GroupMe are amongst the most popular apps for college students.
Source:
https://www.whatsapp.com
I would like to touch upon your point regarding the user’s ability to mute a GroupMe chat if they begin to get flooded with endless notifications, but risk missing out on important information that may be sprinkled in there. In my personal experience, after three years of being here at Penn State, experimenting with different clubs and organizations, I have been added into many GroupMes. Looking down at the 1000’s of GroupMe notifications makes me turned off at using the application a lot through the week. When I became an admin chair in one of my organizations, I was introduced to Slack, which is more of a business sided GroupMe. Given that GroupMe holds a lot more of members in groups and can reach more people, Slack offers that type of connection that seems like a machine. You can send messages, photos, and connect different applications for easier access. The best feature of Slack is the fact that you can do not disturb notifications for messages, but your coworkers can push the notification through your do not disturb if it is a pressing matter. That is something not introduced in something like GroupMe. This way, if there are multitudes of notifications on your workplace, you can mute it, but if someone has an important announcement or anything. They can push it, so they make sure you see it.
Online communication in college has a big debate due to the fact that college students are not too keen on commitment at this stage of their life. GroupMe keeps it more easy and informal for communication, and Slack provides that reliability and professionalism that students will need to start being familiar with as they grow into the working world.
The Best Group Text Messaging Tools
https://www.lifewire.com/best-group-text-messaging-tools-2483091
I think the best application that I have ever used is WeChat. WeChat might not be very popular in USA right now, but over the course of year, I saw more and more Americans or foreigners start to use WeChat. It is the most popular social media in China, it is like the combination of Massager, Instagram, and Snapchat. People can post their life to their friends; it is more private than Facebook. Also, over the course of year, WeChat has designed more additional application that you might use, without using more storage, so it is like a combination of daily apps. Also, you can link WeChat to your bank, and you can transfer your money to who might need it, in which you can use it like Venmo or PayPal, and almost every store in China can support WeChat pay.
In addition, WeChat has been working with Jindong(Chinese version of Amazon), so you can whatever you want in WeChat by using WeChat pay. Also, the company who design WeChat also provide the service of takeout, uber and so on. So instead of using all these apps, you can just download one WeChat, and you can find all the applications you need in your daily life, and you can go hang out with your friends with simply a phone. And if you worried about your phone’s battery, you can find a mobile charger device in China almost everywhere who is working with WeChat. WeChat is the most comprehensive social media applications that I have ever use.
Source: https://www.it-consultis.com/blog/4-benefits-wechat-work-can-bring-your-business