BAND (software)

BAND
Developer(s) Naver Corporation
Operating system iOS
Android
Windows
Mac
Available in English, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Spanish, Thai, Vietnamese
Type Social networking services
Instant messaging clients
Licence Freeware
Website band.com

BAND is a mobile community application that facilitates group communication. Created by Naver Corporation, the service is available on iOS, Android, and Desktop.

Users can create separate spaces for communicating with members of different groups depending on the purpose of those groups. Types of groups include existing circles such as sports teams, marching bands, campus groups, faith groups, teams, friends, family as well as interest-based groups, like those for hobbyists, gamers, and fans, which are also searchable within the app. BAND is a wildly popular social app in Korea whose number of monthly active users surpassed that of Facebook by June, 2014 according to Nielson-Korean Click.[1]

Features

BAND's core features are Board, Chat, Calendar, and Album. Main communications happen on Board where announcements and comments are posted. Polling, file sharing, and image/video sharing are also possible on Board. The Discover feature was added in March, 2015 which allows users to search for and join interest-based groups by using certain keywords.

There are three types of BAND groups: Secret Band, Closed Band, and Public Band. Secret Band is a non-searchable group where members can join only by invitation. Closed Band is a searchable group, but only members who have already joined can see the content. Public Band is a searchable group whose content is accessible to both members and non-members.

Unlike messaging apps, BAND has a membership system where Administrators and Co-Administrators have certain privileges, including Admin-only posting, deleting other members' content, approving/disapproving membership, removing members, or restricting sending out invites to non-members.

Key functions of each feature are:

  • Board: Members can create a post and leave comments. Multiple attachments can be included in a post, including photos, videos, files, location, poll, and event. Read count shows how many members have read the post. While postings are organized chronologically, new members can also check existing content prior to their joining the group. Board also supports hashtags and search function for categorizing and searching content.
  • Chat: Similar to messenger apps, Chat feature allows for chatting with entire group members, select few, or one-on-one. Chat is used for immediate conversations that have non-specific topics.
  • Calendar: On BAND Calendar, members can save group events with date, time, and location and ask for RSVP. Reminder alarm may be set. Members may save the event details on their Calendar on the phone.
  • Album: Members can create collective photo albums where every member can upload photos. Multiple albums can be created by event. Up to 100 photos can be uploaded at a time.[2]
  • Discover: The Discover feature allows members to search for and join interest-based public Bands.

There is no limit on the number of members per Band group.

Usage

Secret Bands are mostly created by pre-existing offline groups when members intend to stay connected, plan, and collaborate with each other via mobile. Examples of such groups include friends, extended families, social groups, campus groups, teams, and organizations. Once a member creates a group on the BAND app, the member can invite other members by sharing a Band URL via SMS, messenger apps, or email. The members then can sign up on the BAND app and join the group by clicking the URL.

Closed and Public Bands are created by interest-based groups, like people with common life experiences or hobbies, gamers, fans, and such.

BAND has launched a gaming platform in April, 2014 allowing users to play games and compete with each other.[3] In South Korea, BAND has become an official communication tool in the Republic of Korea Army.[4]

References

  1. ↑ "토종 SNS 국내 시장 탈환, 카카오스토리 & 밴드". 탭투페이 공식 사이트입니다. Retrieved 2016-02-05.
  2. ↑ "3.0 Update, Faster and Stronger than ever! 03/28/2014". Word Press. Retrieved 28 March 2014.
  3. ↑ Ko, Dong-hwan (31 March 2014). "Naver Band trips rival Kakao with new gaming platform for smartphones". The Korea Times. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 1 April 2014.
  4. ↑ Schmidt, Will (13 January 2015). "Communication is Key for This South Korean BAND of Brothers". Tech Cocktail Seoul. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
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