Confusing
Not at all how it was described to me
I'm about to start working on building a group, and quickly realized this is NOT the tool I'm looking for. There's no calendar, just a tab full of random events (they call them drifts, so get used to using lingo no one in their right mind would have any idea what you're talking about), a discovery page, group management, and settings (pretty sure I'm missing one, but oh well).
Anyways, if you're trying to build a group and send them to the app, I have very little doubt they're going to get lost trying to figure out to find the group specific events and wind up deleting the app and just waiting for texts. Not to mention the discovery page will probably cause more mayhem for you as a group manager, especially if you're trying to create a group.
Also, you can tell they're not taking any feedback from the negative reviews because they shoot out the EXACT same canned response to everyone that leaves a bad review.
I'm off to find an app that actually works for my needs!
Response from developer
We take feedback in our on-app live support chat. It reaches our head of Product (me) directly and lets us send screenshots back and forth and discuss design changes and feature needs. We're very transparent on upcoming changes and take feedback very seriously. You'll note that all two of the past negative reviews were about a marketing campaign and had the same concern, so they received the same response. You did not use the support chat so I'll answer your questions here. 1. The event feed/discovery. The discovery section is a small horizontal slider that appears below events that you make. Events that you create appear in chronological order, and fill the feed vertically from the top, pushing the discovery slider to the bottom. We have not had any reported issues where an organization's members have been confused on this point, but are open to design changes if that changes. 2. They're called Drifts as a branding thing. We've found the word "Event" can make something sound too formal and a "hang out" or "activity" can be too informal. We're still reviewing and may get rid of the word. We appreciate the feedback! 3. The Discovery page Is going to be relocated away from the bottom navigation bar to simplify the app. This update will be in the next six weeks. Other updates to the UI include simplifying the iconography so the feed will be a calendar icon, filter options will be consolidated, Drift (event) feed items will look more like group chats, event information for Drifts will be at the top of a chat instead of in a separate page. We're also speeding up the bulk import process, adding scheduled announcements, and custom reminder times. 4. Feedback Every new organization gets a personal message from me when they make an account. This starts a live one-on-one conversation where I answer all questions, explain features, take feedback and discuss design changes and updates. By the way all of the design changes and updates mentioned in point 3 came from feedback in my conversations with our users in the app in the last four weeks. I don't check our app-store reviews as often, usually about twice a month. On-app I usually respond within 10 minutes. Best, Kent
Issues
Response from developer
Thanks for the feedback! We're currently working on a way to clear all notifications. We're gathering feedback on how people use the notification page. When you open the page it marks all notifications as read, and then keeps them in order. This lets you reference them in the future so you know when an import was completed, how long ago you refreshed your member list etc. Individual notifications in the page can be deleted by tapping and holding. You can change which notifications you receive by tapping the ... at the top right of the page. We're working on simplifying and clarifying the notification options. Let me know if you have any other questions or concerns! I'm always available by direct messaging @SMACK in the app.
Great platform and excellent customer service
Every time I have sent a message to the app admins I have gotten a response within a few hours (sometimes within minutes). They are super helpful and great at providing information.
I don't understand
Response from developer
Thanks for taking the time to post a review! Apologies for the late response. We've have a strong focus on in-app explanations and things are much clearer now than they were in January. We have a tutorial series planned in the next few months. Check out the updated UI, it should all make a lot more sense, and if you have any questions at all DM @smacksocial on the app. I usually respond within a couple of minutes. Thanks again! - Kent
Awesome!
Smacktastic
But in all seriousness, great app. Works well, it’s intuitive, easy to find cool events and set up my own stuff. Love it!
Sneaky false advertising
Response from developer
Hi! So sorry for the bad experience. Here's a quick explanation of SmackSocial, as well as an apology for any missteps - SmackSocial makes hanging out easier. Each event has a chat that goes away when the event is over, and if your friends aren't on the app they get individual text invites. So you can invite your friends, you can coordinate, and you're not stuck in a group chat with strangers asking to borrow eggs like your ward's GroupMe (until you mute it). We're teaming up with businesses to fill the discover page with stuff that doesn't usually get posted on Snap stories - like music nights and craft nights. The first week of school has a lot of parties, but we're keeping the social buzz alive with more stuff to do than just dance parties so stay tuned. If your ward isn't on the app yet -- we apologize for the flyer. They were to raise awareness but we don't have the ward boundaries of which wards are on the app so far. As you plan your own hang outs (camping, pickleball, movie nights, game nights, etc) and feel the frustration of texting dozens of people on a handful of apps to coordinate, and as you experience the chaotic purgatory that is ward group chats, we hope you'll save yourself the time and hassle and let SmackSocial do the work instead. If you have any suggestions or ideas feel free to send them to support@smacksocial.com - we read every email and work to create the best platform possible to hang out. Thanks!
Pretty redundant
But since I had the app I decided to look around, and it does exactly the same job as being in my college's Snapchat story or following any account on Instagram or just looking at flyers on campus.
"But oh, you get a 'discount' at this one party if you have the app!" Dude, I live in a college town where free parties are happening every night that are better than the stupid SmackSocial paid one. And again, I hear about them just because I have the Snapchat app, which I also use for other things. Seriously can't think of a reason why you'd need this app if you're even the slightest bit engaged with your community in ANY other way.
Response from developer
Hi! So sorry for the bad experience. Here's a quick explanation of SmackSocial, as well as an apology for any missteps - SmackSocial makes hanging out easier. Each event has a chat that goes away when the event is over, and if your friends aren't on the app they get individual text invites. So you can invite your friends, you can coordinate, and you're not stuck in a group chat with strangers asking to borrow eggs like your ward's GroupMe (until you mute it). We're teaming up with businesses to fill the discover page with stuff that doesn't usually get posted on Snap stories - like music nights and craft nights. The first week of school has a lot of parties, but we're keeping the social buzz alive with more stuff to do than just dance parties so stay tuned. If your ward isn't on the app yet -- we apologize for the flyer. They were to raise awareness but we don't have the ward boundaries of which wards are on the app so far. As you plan your own hang outs (camping, pickleball, movie nights, game nights, etc) and feel the frustration of texting dozens of people on a handful of apps to coordinate, and as you experience the chaotic purgatory that is ward group chats, we hope you'll save yourself the time and hassle and let SmackSocial do the work instead. If you have any suggestions or ideas feel free to send them to support@smacksocial.com - we read every email and work to create the best platform possible to hang out. Thanks!
