I have used What’s App for several years now, but I am always surprised that my American friends sometimes have no idea what What’s App is.
Yet, for people from around the globe What’s App is an effective and free way to make calls and to send messages. One can have video or audio calls, and it is all free.
During the past year, I have begun to see What’s App going beyond that, to become a source of news as well. In Latin America, What’s App is often used to report sports events. Now a Nieman Lab piece relates a most interesting experiment in Zimbabwe, Independent media in Zimbabwe are turning to WhatsApp as a primary distributor of news in the midst of an information landscape that is shifting to social platforms.
In Zimbabwe, What’s App has become an alternative news platform with 263Chat, started six years ago, but which today has 29,000 subscribers total. . According to the Nieman Lab piece, “263Chat facilitates open group chats, which allow members to share and respond to messages sent out by 263Chat Admin, as well as admin-only chats, which only circulate 263Chat articles and the daily “e-paper.”
Yes, 263Chat began sending out a weekly e-paper via WhatsApp in November 2017, but quickly realized it wasn’t enough. So it launched a daily version that compiles content into a single PDF, which condenses the news into a smaller file and cannot be easily shifted or edited. The e-paper is consistently around 19 pages in length and uses 2.7 MB of data, down from its original 300 MB. Audio is also sent via What’s App. Advertisers like it, too.
Why this matters
I am not at all surprised that a chat/call app can become a useful and welcome news provider as well. It’s all about accessibility. Most of us have a phone as a constant companion. Texting has become a part of our daily routine. I have to say that What’s App has become the major source of information exchange between me and my clients outside of the USA. Why should I not receive push notifications there, too?
I see tremendous potential for What’s App to be added to the arsenal of avenues available to publishers to put their brand in front of the audience. Something to explore.
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An interview of interest
http://www.itertranslations.com/blog/2019/3/11/fd60ybflpvlqrgrpdp5ida5rq0c3sp
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TheMarioBlog post #3026