Banjo Adds a Few Chords…Wait, What?
The second tier of social networking is evolving into social discovery. It isn't enough to know the social stratosphere exists, now we must explore it. Banjo has continually created a bridge between online and offline interactions, and the newest iteration release only takes the message one step further.
In just a few short months, the app has rocketed to some 600,000 users. This stat is impressive all in its own, as a myriad of failed apps could attest to. But, with an overhauled UI, an improved social algorithm, integration with iOS 5's notification center, and the ability to have users sign in with Instagram, Foursquare, and Gmail, Banjo is putting the competish behind them.
Not using Banjo? You poor, poor fool. Basically, Banjo enables users to find updates from other users using a variety of networks who are in the same vicinity in one convenient place. Creepy? Nope. The new update includes content filters that weed out irrelevant updates.
To put it in perspective, “Version 2.0 of Ban.jo is a complete UX as well as engineering change,” Patton said. “We left no code untouched within the client, and on the server side there’s almost nothing left as well. The reason is we grew so much faster than we thought.”
So say goodbye to the days of running into a friend at the mall by accident. Banjo is fighting to integrate the digital world with the real world. Welcome to the Matrix.
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Justin DiSandro joined SocialTechPop at its inception in 2010. He has been integral in growing the blog by working closely with the technology and the pop culture community. His sarcastic wit and charm has earned him numerous writing awards and accolades, and his absurd knowledge of all things "pop" has earned him recognition throughout the entertainment industry. His writings have appeared in countless magazines, literary journals, and documentaries, as well as being quoted by a variety of scholarly studies and film fests.