This morning I was looking through my phone amazed at all the Applications I have on my iPhone 5s. First, for a gadget, my iPhone has been the best gadget of the year for me, with my Canon Vixa Mini-X as a very close second.

Now, let’s get into just one portion of my apps, that are the Social Media Apps.

Here is what I currently have on my “Peeps n Shit” folder:

So here we have it…where I lose most of my day..BUT I’m connected! 😉

The Vine app is where I go to laugh and watch creative 6 second videos. It’s amazing what some people can do in 6 seconds. If you have some free time try it out, you’ll have a blast! Setup is quick and easy.

The Voxer app. is a very diverse app.  You can message as well as leave voice messages like a walkie talkie. It also has an upgrade for business purposes where you can have group conversations. Another impressive feature for me is I can get a transcript of interviews (with mutual agreement of course) for more accuracy when reporting.  I could get a completely transcribed version of the interview session with the questions and answers available to add to my projects.

My mom is overseas and this has also kept us from ringing up our phone bills.

The Viber app has messaging and phone calling capabilities which also saves on the phone bill. It has cute features like cartoon stickers to send to friends too, if you’re into that thing…guilty over here! 🙂

The textPlus app isn’t a perfect app, but it does provide you with a separate phone number you can text and call from which keeps your cell number private. *Note: if you’re in Canada this app will give you a phone number from the U.S. so I usually keep mine as a back up for texting and for outgoing calls only.

Skype app provides messaging, voice calling and video calling. I haven’t really had to use the Skype WiFi yet however it is used to find a WiFi hotspot. I use this predominantly for my radio show, but the last time I used it, the call dropped more than once…I’m working on a new plan to ensue that doesn’t happen again.

FaceBook messenger has improved a lot over the years. I use it to connect with family, however I can see the possibilities to incorporate it for business as well.

The kik app is a

fun one to have. It has messaging, video messaging, built-in emojis (smiley faces). I’ve met really great people as well as some weirdos, but I’ll get to that later.

WhatsApp has messaging capabilities, I haven’t really had a chance to use this but when I did set this up the first time I used it, I loved personalizing it. My favourite feature is you can make up your own personal statuses which comes in handy for when I can’t check it as often.

Whew! Ok, before you get all app download crazy, know that these are best used with a good WiFi connection to prevent those extra charges on your cellphone bills. This is from personal experience… Now let’s address the reality of these social apps. Like most social settings, there’s the good and bad, as well as everything in between. Unwanted messages can get through, let’s face it there are weirdos in the world and they come in all forms, but the great part of each of these apps is the BLOCK button. Don’t let these unwanted weirdos scare you away from the fun and harmless meeting and connection between family, friends and colleagues. I’m happy to report I’ve only had a few bad “apples” but the problems were easily solved with a block, no harm done. 🙂

The apps are available at the App Store of your iPhone. I don’t have an Android, but I believe these are available in Android as well. If you do try these phone apps, I’d love to hear your thoughts or tips to get the most of these little gadget helpers.  Also, if you have any suggestions of some good apps, I’m willing to try the out!  If you can find me with one of these apps, I’d love to hear from you and enjoy a great conversation.

Time’s up… so back to the studio I go…

Stay Sharp 😉

SS