To those readers who have been following me for a time you know that while I embrace social media and technology as much as possible I sometimes have a habit of retreating from certain kinds of it. Mobile apps happen to be one of the one of the versions of technology that I was retreating from for a while. However in the last 30 days or so I have been making an attempt to as I said, be more mobile friendly and savvy. So I have been downloading a lot of apps and giving them a test drive. Some are well known around the app circles, like Instagram and some of the filters that come with it, some are less known like a social friend meeting application called Hot or Not that reminds me of a bit of something I saw on NCIS once.
When I am looking for an application that I am going to use for my own purposes there are a few things that I keep in mind, ease of use, fun factor and price and here is how I break each one down to rationalize my taking up some space on my mobile.
Ease of Use: As I mentioned I am not always a techno friendly kind of person. I can usually figure things out pretty easily but if it means I have to spend a lot of time reading directions and still get confused, chances are I will get rid of it. I have so much going on in everyday life that I just don’t have time to get in a twist about an application not working how it should. If it is easy to use it makes my top used items because I love when I can figure out new stuff.
Fun Factor: Unless it is something I have downloaded for business, which is not always fun I get apps to amuse myself. Whether I am a passenger in the car, on a long trip or just killing sometime waiting for someone or in general I want the application to be fun. We all need a little bit of fun in our lives after all and technology seems the easiest way to get that these days.
Price: Make no mistakes about it I am frugal and those who know me know I can pinch a penny until it screams. So if I am looking at two applications that are similar and do almost the same thing, and one is free while the other is for pay, I will usually pick the free one first. I am even more inclined to pick an application if it has a cool incentive or sweepstakes that gives me a chance to win something.
The previously mentioned Hot or not App meets all my criteria for something I will download and give a try too (along with a few other apps lately) and I have been having some fun playing with it. The concept is simple, you look at people and select a heart or an X and decide if you want to connect with them or not. I am probably pretty nice about selecting the heart because I like to meet new people from all walks of life and ages. If you like me want some fun and social connecting you should check it out.
