BB BLING- THE NEXT BIG THING

Web evangelists argue that the internet brings people around the world closer together by making them understand each other’s concern. Furthermore, access to the internet has

grown at an incredible rate from 16million users in 1995 to nearly 2billion today. Williams Hague the British Foreign Secretary said recently that “this rapid development of web with its connective power has created enormous economic and social opportunities which we couldn’t have foreseen less than two decades ago”[i].

Even more popular is the entrance of social networking media. According to an analyst, “through social networking, people can use networks of friends and groups memberships to keep in touch with current friends, reconnect with old friends or create real life friendships through similar interest groups.”[ii]

What can best describe this connective power other than the blackberry device! The blackberry could have been ‘one of those’ cool device but for its unique ID and messenger which makes it unique and in a class of its own. No doubt, the advent of blackberry gave voice to the ordinarily ignored voice in a small hamlet of a third world country to the high brow area of Manhattan and Paris. People who are introverts and otherwise shy more often than not take on an aggressive and bold-face persona in the internet world.

Generally, the problem with people who use internet in general is how to connect and swap contacts with millions of people who need to know that someone cares about them. Gone are the days where you need to advertise in your local newspaper before you get a pen pal, thereafter, it takes a minimum of two weeks before the poster service delivers correspondence from whoever cares to go through such arduous relationship-development process.

In these days of Blackberry Messenger (BBM), the scenario described above has transformed to almost a breathless-effort, we now send instant messages. The idea and what make the difference between the then pen-pal message and Blackberry Message is the instantaneous distinctiveness they possess. In this great advantage of the new format of sending messages also lies the disadvantage of ‘who’ to send the message to.

Research In Motion (RIM), makers of the Blackberry, as at October 2011 has a customer base of 70million with the potential of rising to 150million in the next two years. Blackberry commands an 11.7% share of worldwide Smartphone sales.[iii] What this means is that as a user of a Blackberry phone, you have a 70million potential friend base. Connecting with your potential 70million friends, family and business associate is what BB Bling social network seeks to establish.

As a blackberry user, it’s usually a common trend to receive a broadcast of Blackberry pins from one or more contacts who want to meet new people and grow their contact list but even at that, no real or meaningful relationship seems to exist but with the introduction of the ‘next big thing’ in social media, that will be a thing of the past.

BB Bling as described on its site is “the new UK born social network dedicated to Blackberry/BBM users worldwide.”[iv] This innovative social network is the brainchild of talented Ricky Heuwel. The BB Bling website with its soon-to-be-launched BB app allows users connect to BBM users. It’s like no other because there are no competitors in its area of proficiency. Crackberry, tifasa and others cannot be compared to this novelty because none of this social network site and apps is dedicated solely to the users of BBM.

BB Bling started out on Ricky’s Blackberry Torch 9800 with 45 contacts. At first, Ricky was thinking of providing apps and ring tones but latter, people asked Ricky to broadcast their pin and the next thing he had 500 contacts after two weeks and by the end of the month nearly 1000, all asking for a pin broadcast. Ricky saw a potential market and decided to start BB Bling. The network has grown from 0 to over 200 members in just few days of its launch.

The easy to register website requires you to have a functional email address and a blackberry phone. You can also use your facebook and twitter login in details to log on. Its functions ranges from pin swap, apps download, picture upload, forums, chat, competitions, status upload, pin broadcasts, groups, video and music upload, messaging inbox to mention a few.

The dexterously designed website is user friendly, loads quickly compared to most social networks website we have around. With BB Bling, gone are the days of loneliness as you can easily go online, swap your pin with a user and start chatting immediately. In fact, BB Bling is dubbed the next big thing.

The question on the lips of many is ‘have you heard about BB Bling?’ and the question I have noticed on BBM groups lately is have you joined BB Bling? Dedicated sites like this often ask for a subscription fee but the creative mind of its owner makes usage and registration absolutely free.

As of today, virtually every computer literate person in the world is on facebook or at least one form of social media. Obviously in the next few years, almost every user of BBM will be on BB Bling; this prediction is not based on some wishful thinking, it’s based on fact streaming from the way people reach out for BB Bling services. BB Bling has over the months through its Blackberry phones broadcast hundreds of pin, and helped connect so many people together. It’s their business; BB Bling is an expert in introducing patrons pin to exactly those who needs it.

BB Bling website gives expression to the voiceless even outside their BBM, though it’s not a dating service, it has linked hundreds together. It’s obviously not a music/video dedicated website but members post music/video online. The groups and forums are grandeur to behold- it’s all about expressing yourself. For me, BB Bling social network gives me the opportunity to use BBM and more outside my blackberry phone. Blackberry users no longer have to worry about RIM’s server crashing because the contacts would be readily available to chat with them online via BB Bling as long as they register on BB Bling website.

What makes BB Bling more fun to use is that you can like or comment on the display status of a BB Bling social network user which would not have been directly possible on your BBM. It also offers privacy in that you can choose to conceal your gender if you so wish, I guess as a user, you sometimes don’t want to make your basic information available to the whole world. What’s more, BB Bling social network knows how important birthdays are to its users, therefore, it celebrates members by posting their birthday notice online for those who so desires.

In conclusion, it a change from the wanna-be social networks we have around. The website sponsored by DIY Web Business and DIY Web Hosting, has launched another commendable network called iflow social network dedicated to iphone users which is also free to join.

Not to be left out, I suggest you register on the site www.bbbling.co.uk and a facebook fan page exist at https://www.facebook.cpm/pages/BB-Bling/150636575015395, they can also be followed on twitter @bbbling1, bb pin:2604BE6B.

[i] William Hague- British Foreign Secretary Press release towards the just concluded London Conference on Cyberspace 1st-2nd Nov, 2011 www.thisdaylive.com/articles/the-london-conference-on-cyberspace/100801/

[ii] http://social-networking-website-review.toptenreviews