Appear.in removes the fuss about video conferencing
Launched in August 2013, appear.in is a startup making video conversations simpler, easier and log in free
appear.in is a web service that enables people to talk over video. Unlike other video services however, there is no need for logins or downloading any software. All one has to do is create an appear.in unique link and send this link to any friends of whom they wish to converse with. appear.in creates virtual rooms where up to 8 people can sit and talk over video.
“Our primary reason for launching appear.in, was that video conferencing today sucks” the appear.in team state on their blog.
Meeting the ‘I want it now’-culture
The fact thatusers must create accounts and install devices is a huge limitation with current video conferencing tools out there. In this fast-pace, ‘I want it now’-culture of the 21st century, even a 15-minute installation wait can be frustrating.
“Our goal is to make a service that lowers the threshold for starting a video conversation so much that you actually want to do it more,” the team declares
appear.in is heavily focused on the notion of ‘rooms.’ Rather than people having to remember numbers or caller ids, they simple ‘appear in’ the virtual room via the link. And that was how the idea for the name emerged.
Features of appear.in
Since its launch the appear.in team has been refining and adding some pretty neat features. Users have the ability to ‘lock’ their rooms, as a mechanism to stop unwanted guests from dropping in. Furthermore users are giving the opportunity to ‘claim’ their room, and then can customise it to suit their preferences. Also ‘owners of the room’ have the right to kick out participants from the conversation.
What’s on the agenda for appear.in?
For the moment appear.in is free to use. The company is in the process of examining how various customers use the service. When asked about the future of appear.in Product Marketing Manager Ingrid Ødegaard responded
“Our focus right now is to create a product that users love and to get growth in our target segments, which are younger people, teens, students and young professionals. Our goal is to become a global mass-market video communication service, and for the foreseeable future we will focus on adapting the product along with how people’s behaviour changes.”
