Yet another social app has emerged, this time revolved around live-chatting. Entitled Talkshow, the app has gained significant hype in the past two weeks. But the question remains- is it here to stay? 

Last week, the online community suddenly went into overdrive in response to this new iOS-only app. The concept behind Talkshow is simple- it’s a messaging platform that allows users to text in public and to an audience, as opposed to sending private messages. The idea for Talkshow came after founder Michael Sippey saw a chatty conversation between Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran posted in an Instagram picture. The concept is based on the fact that mobile users regularly screenshot text message conversations and share these with their contacts. Playing on this notion, Talkshow enables users to host chats based on a variety of topics, with multiple participants able to join. Users can also notify their followers when a specific chat is live, and urge each other to send content including text, images and GIFs. Essentially, the app is like a chat forum for mobile, with the live elements of Periscope combined. The other great aspect of Talkshow, is that conversations can be can be shared or embedded on other sites, even after the live stream has ended.

Due to the app’s initial popularity especially with the Twitter community, it became riddled with bugs, with users unable to open it after downloading. Once in however, users can browse the “What’s on” tab to view featured Talkshows, see the times they were published at, and how many users are currently participating in each thread. Users can also check out a tab entitled “Your shows”, to view chats they have created previously. The app also lets users add friends from their email or contacts list, and find others from Facebook and Twitter. Hosting a show seems straightforward, with the user simply choosing a thread title to start, which then sends an alert to followers. To participate in ongoing talkshows, users simply have to start messaging, and if they wish to become a co-host of a chat, must send a request to the host.

Already, many are comparing Talkshow to Peach, the much-hyped social networking app that simply crashed as quickly as it rose to prominence. But unlike Peach, does Talkshow have longevity? While Peach quickly went viral earlier this year, users soon lost interest in what was essentially another Twitter/Facebook hybrid, but with jazzed up features such as “Magic words”- text commands that added cute doodles to users’ posts. Peach’s lack of success can surely be attributed to the fact that it didn’t really offer users anything significantly new. Talkshow on the other hand, while undeniably similar in parts to Twitter and Periscope, pushes constant text-based live streams, something which neither of the other two offer. We see brands as early adopters, using Talkshow as an alternative to Twitter in order to stage live interviews, Q&A sessions or chats with fans and consumers. Users can of course have fun staging their own public chats, and engaging with their favourite brands in the same way they might on Twitter, Periscope or Snapchat.

Have you tested Talkshow’s features yet? Do you think it offers a valuable social experience, or is it simply another fad? We’d love to hear your thoughts, so please tweet to us @PracticeDigital and share your comments on our Facebook page.