
Sound a little crazy and maybe a little stalker-esque? Here’s the catch: you’re not updating all 784 friends that you have on Facebook. Path limits the number of friends you can have to 150, giving the social networking site a more personal and intimate feel, as the majority, if not all, of your friends are either close or related to you.
Also, the only personal information you share on Path, aside from your first and last name, is your phone number, birthday and picture — all of which you are not required to provide.
According to Businessinsider.com, 150 is the “Dunbar Number — a theoretical limit to the number of connections you can meaningfully track at any time.”
The Path app, called “the smart journal that helps you share life with the ones you love” by its team of developers — which includes former Facebook employee, Dave Morin and Napster founder, Shawn Fanning — is available on both the iPhone and Android.
Instagram, iPhone’s photo-sharing app, soon to be made available on Android, allows users to take photos, add effects and share them with followers — a feature that Facebook does not have.
Similar to Instagram, Path allows you to change the hue of your photo before you post it. However, the lack of options users have to change the effects of their photos on Path, has most people resorting to Instagram to share their photos.
With the Instagram app, users can view, comment and “like” photos from people they follow including those that make the “popular page,” a collage of photos with the most “likes.” Users also have the option of making their photos private and personalizing their Instagram page by adding a bio and/or website.
While Facebook combines most of these features into one giant social networking site, it doesn’t have the same intimate feel like that of Path and Instagram. Of course the question remains: Could these apps become real Facebook competitors or will their popularity be short-lived?
Great piece.
Thanks for the ByteNow plug! We appreciate it.