More ways to be social

My partner and I tried the BeReal idea in Pools one day. We made a Pool where we’d each post some random photo from our day. We didn’t do it daily, and nothing prompted us. After a while it faded, which was fine.

BeReal’s idea was that a rule could make sharing more authentic. Everyone posts a spontaneous photo at the same prompted time. We think authenticity comes less from a rule and more from sharing somewhere that feels comfortable.

The larger problem is that the app seems to pick the rule for everyone. One post a day, or a photo at a set time, or they disappear after a certain amount of time. Whatever it is, it suits some people and not others. If it doesn’t suit you, the only option is to look for another app with a different rule.

If people can have more control over how they share, we think there's lots of different ways people would want to share with each other.

In Pools, you can make a different Pool for each way you want to share. Our BeReal Pool was just an experiment in how we wanted to share, and we didn’t need a new app to try it.

People want to share different kinds of things, not just photos. Maybe a friend doesn’t post many photos but shares a lot of recommendations. That shouldn’t have to live in another app. It can be its own Pool, for the people who want to hear about what they’re into.

We’re going to keep adding more types of Pools, which gives people even more flexibility to do things their way. How you connect with your friends and family should be up to you, not imposed by the app.