Calling all about.me users and curious kittens interested in learning about the new iPhone app they launched this week!
First, for those of you unfamiliar with about.me, it is a FREE service that lets you create a beautiful one-page website that is all about you and your interests and passions. It is so simple to use. Just upload a cool photo (yes, make it one that POPS!), let your personality come through with a short bio, and then add your favorite social networks for EASY connection. Voila … your own personal landing page! Even if you have a business website, this is a great alternative site to share when you first meet someone … You will see that you can include your biz contact information, but this is all about the BRAND OF YOU!
Of course, being a devoted user of the site, I took the app out for a test drive. It has some cool “exclusive” and noteworthy features:
1 .CHECK OUT: This great feature allows you to find out about other “about.me users” nearby … Can you imagine getting a quick snapshot of someone at the same conference or “social” event — in the moment? Great conversation starter for sure! I did a quick search and there was no one within 10 miles of me … so it defaulted to “kind of close.” Oh, by the way … you opt in to allow others to “discover” you.
2. FEATURED Directory: This highlights other about.me users … the site states that there are no criteria “per se,” but “We try to pick a good variety of well-designed pages. We add and rotate some out every few weeks. It isn’t automated (yet).”
3. Swipe through RANDOM pages: This one is pretty self-explanatory and very entertaining! There are some outrageously creative, fabulous people on about.me!
4. Find someone interesting? You can SHARE pages directly to Twitter and Facebook or via email!
5. Want to keep track of your keep peeps? Search for and add their pages to your FAVORITES!
6. You can view the pages in both portrait and landscape mode … It was interesting to see what info populated the spaces in each version. You will want to play around with yours to make it “just so.”
You are also able to create a new about.me page or update your own page on the go. Note: The formatting was going a bit wonky between the desktop and mobile version when I was testing it, so be sure to check yours (on both platforms) to make sure it looks correct.
The one thing the store says this app does that I could not accomplish was choosing an “exclusive mobile background” … I saw lots of requests to fix that, so I am sure it will be up and running soon!
Overall this is a great step in the mobile direction for the site. Are there things missing like photo upload, analytics, social site editing, and easy Bluetooth-style sharing? Yes. However, all the basics are here. It is clean, simple to use, and has an element of fun. Go ahead and download it, and give it a whirl … then let me know your thoughts below!
