Technology was created to make life simpler, and most people would agree with this statement. However, there are times when technology is so simple that it can quickly lead to chaos and disorganization.
Two words: group texts.
You send a group text message to six or seven people. Some people respond to the group message while others choose to reply to you privately. Great, now you have to keep track of those people. Then a few stragglers may opt for a phone call, and one random person might send you an email in response. Kind of defeats the whole purpose of the group text, at this point.
You had good intentions. Maybe you were trying to assign a day to an event, or maybe you were in the process of scheduling a new meeting, but with everyone opting for different avenues of communication, the act of scheduling and planning became absolutely impossible. It’s happened to us all; we feel your pain.
But of course, there’s an app for that! And a really good one, too. Seriously.
Cola Messenger is a simple text integration that allows you to send Bubbles to a group of people. These Bubbles can consist of a poll, to-do list, or ETA.
You can send anyone a Bubble, even if they don’t have Cola, and Bubbles make the process of coming to a group decision much quicker and ridiculously simple. There’s no reason anyone would not interact with the Bubbles (unless they’re purposefully being difficult and like to see your angry face).
Okay, explain these Bubbles. Here’s a good example: you can send your family a message that asks what they want for dinner. Follow this message up with a poll: pizza, spaghetti, chicken, or hot dogs? Your family members don’t even need to respond to the message. All they have to do is tap on their choice to cast their vote. Once they choose, you’ll receive an instant notification of what each person wants for dinner, and the app will automatically tally up the votes for you.
You can also share your location with others without leaving the conversation. Share your location inside the app or ask “Where Are You Now” to see where the other person is. Receive real-time updates as they travel towards the meeting location. No more wondering if Susan is really five minutes away or still blow drying her hair.
What’s really neat about Cola is that you can even send a To-Do List Bubble. Create a to-do list for an upcoming event like a birthday party or work project, and push it out to all parties involved. Each person can claim a task and subsequently complete the task. Cola eliminates the need for follow-up.
You can download Cola Messenger for free, but as of now, Cola is only available for Apple devices with iOS 9.0 or later.
