Imagine an app that took all the best features from popular social media applications and combined them into one.
Imagine an app that took all the best features from popular social media applications and combined them into one.
An app with liking and commenting, like Instagram.
Videos that loop continuously, like Vine.
Allowing viewing for only seconds, like Snapchat.
Look no further than Apple’s app store to discover Reveal, the new social media app that pays its users to post while combining the fundamentals of Instagram, Vine and Snapchat.
Reveal is composed of two parts, the cover and a picture or video. The cover gives users a space to show off their creativity. A user’s “cover” shows up in the app’s stream of content. Then, a user can tap a cover to reveal photos or videos behind the image. Users can customize their cover with stickers, text, drawings or different backgrounds.
When you tap the cover, a picture or video is revealed for up to 15 seconds. It can be viewed on a continuous loop until you close the Reveal.
Each of their posts is only public for 24 hours and posts show up in a user’s feed based on who they are following.
Reveal is in the process of setting up a system of campus representatives, but the app can be downloaded anywhere.
It makes the reveal of what’s behind the cover a fun surprise by “creating a sense of anticipation, (it’s) sort of a tease for what could be behind it,” said Matt Ivester, Reveal’s co-founder and CEO.
A picture or video is attached to the comments. This gives users a more personal and engaging experience making them feel like they are actually interacting with another person, according to Ivester.
“The best feature is definitely the reactions,” said Ruben Mayer, a student studying at Stanford University and Reveal user. “I’ve never seen another app where you can leave photos and videos alongside your comments like that, and it totally changes the way people interact — they are much more positive.”
Reveal Coin is the first of its kind in social network history. It is built on the same network as BitCoin, an online currency that fluctuates in value over time and can be bought and sold with real money. However, Reveal Coin is used exclusively within the Reveal App, whereas online stores such as Amazon accept BitCoin.
Reveal users gain Reveal Coins by opening a free wallet when they download the app, and can grow their stash by sharing the app with friends and posting new content that gets likes. Then, Ivester hopes, advertisers will buy the Reveal Coin from users for real money.
“Users are contributing amazing, hilarious, entertaining content that attracts others,”said Ivester and Josh Beal, another co-founder and Reveal’s chief technical officer, in a letter. “We think that’s worth something … users deserve a share in the success of the companies they helped build.”
“Reveal is always developing and becoming more user-friendly. It gives young users who prefer apps that are ‘easy and simple … more than they could imagine’ by combining all the features,” said Ellyn Felton, a Wartburg College student and Reveal user. “This could have the potential to knock out apps that I see as competitors like Instagram and Snapchat.”
lp511312@ohio.edu
Editor’s Note: This is part of a weekly series examining social media accounts both affiliated and not affiliated with Ohio University.
