Fancred marries Instagram and Twitter for sports fans. Users interact with a custom feed that publishes fan-related activity from their friends, media outlets and other suggested sources. In concept, this is niche, and the interface is snazzy, but I am left wondering how it can and will stack up against the larger social networks in the long term. Developed in-house, Fancred is a free download with no advertising. It is available on iPhone and Android devices. This review was conducted on an iPhone 5 version 8.0.1, with AT&T LTE service.
CREDIBLE: Much like other custom feed-based applications, Fancred users can register or sign in with Facebook to build their feed. This includes the teams and friends they want to follow along with other suggested publishers like Mashable and local bloggers. Users can find friends on Facebook, or invite them via e-mail or text. The app offers news collections from more than just the big four, with int'l soccer, minor league baseball, boxing and rugby also available. Typing a few letters into the search tool instantly brings up a smart list of teams to choose from. These team feeds populate the user's main Sports Feed, a collection of sports-centric comments, pictures and videos from Fancred and other users. A credibility score, or "Fancred Score," is attached to each user, and points are awarded for frequency of interaction and number of followers. The higher the score, the more exposure a user's posts get. Posts can be liked, disliked, shared and commented on. Many of the posts contain humorous videos and images, which make the app feel like a fun place to be before, during or after the game.
DENIAL: The app tries to be helpful in suggesting new sources to follow, but sometimes suggestions are not relevant to the user. The credibility score system boosts the egos of top influencers, but what do they get for their efforts? Why should I care whether my score is 5 or 45? Furthermore, who says someone who posts a lot is truly an influencer? While the app does offer a long list of sports teams to follow, there is no full list available in the app. This means that users must search and select each team they would like to follow. Not terrible, but slightly inconvenient. Finally, why is there no option to register with Twitter?
BOTTOM LINE: Fancred puts out a good product that cultivates relevant sports news and activity based on user preferences. It does succeed in building a niche location for sports fans to chat and share funny clips, but can it take users away from larger social networks? I give the app a 3-star rating. Interesting commentary and relevant sports news make for a good experience. A no-reward credibility scoring system based on user engagement left me underwhelmed. iTunes users rate the app 5 stars.
Amie Sheridan (amie.sheridan31@gmail.com) is a freelance writer in Philadelphia.
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