Vero Social Networking App Review
by Amber Mac on February 27, 2018
Although the social networking app Vero has been online for a few years, in the past week it’s skyrocketed to the top of the app charts. Many are calling it the new Instagram, while others are questioning its roots. Here is my take on what Vero does well (and, like all apps, especially new ones, please review the terms of use and keep an eye on related news stories, as they seem to be breaking fast).
As Mashable explains, Vero is gaining success thanks to what it is NOT doing: “Perhaps the app’s biggest differentiator from current social networks is that it sorts posts in reverse-chronological feed, not algorithmically. You can also browse posts from your connections by type or browse popular hashtags.”
What I like about the app is the elegant design, the emphasis on sharing beyond just photos, and sharing with specific circles of friends. Using Vero, you can share photos, links, music, movies/TV shows, books, and places. The app makes it a cinch to dig up these assets so you can post within seconds (e.g. as a test, I looked up Swedish rock band The Knife and found it instantly). You can also categorize the people you follow into three groups – Close Friend, Friend, and Acquaintance (this reminds me of the Google+ days and Facebook is exploring something similar now, too).
When I first signed up (using Android), it crashed once or twice but since then it’s been running smoothly. Many will see this crashing as a total fail, but I still remember the Twitter Fail Whale so I’m a wee bit more lenient. If you can get over the crashing here and there, it’s a slick app that signals these 2018 realities:
- users want an app that is not dependant on algorithms,
- users want an app that doesn’t have ads (Vero is free for its first 1M users and then there will be a small fee), and
- users want more control over sharing to specific groups of people.
NOTE: As I write this, there is news hitting the web about the billionaire family behind this app. I will update this article accordingly and delete if necessary. In short, the above review is an opinion piece on the functionality of Vero and the opening that exists in the social media space for something new.
