Chat live, no Internet required
FireChat changes the way communities keep in touch and get organised. If you are a leader or organizer, get FireChat and start something! FireChat is a free mobile app. Follow this link: You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.
What is FireChat?
FireChat enables communication among very large groups, in real-time. FireChat has been used all over the world, from Taiwan to Hong Kong, Delhi, Moscow, Paris and Manila. Some people have called FireChat: the "app for crowds."
Conversations happen in "public chatrooms" or "private messages". You can create a chatroom under the name of your school, organization, project, NGO, event, conference or any topic. Chatrooms scale very quickly: they can gather as many as tens of thousands of people simultaneously. When your phone is connected to the Internet, the chatrooms become the place for live communication between people everywhere in the world: anyone can share messages and pictures with everyone else in real time.
Private messages can only be seen by the sender and the recipient. They are encrypted to ensure your privacy.
What's unique about FireChat is that it also works when there is no Internet connection or cellular phone coverage. It even works on a plane. When your community gets together, it creates your own free communication network and doesn’t rely on traditional networks.
You don't have to do anything special: just keep FireChat on your smartphone and keep Bluetooth and WiFi on (yes, even if there is no Internet access). This is game-changing since you can create local communication networks at zero cost and also stay connected during sports games, rallies, music festivals, and in emergency situations.
How does it work?
When no Internet connection or cellular networks are available, FireChat uses the radios inside our phones to connect them directly with one another. In that case (which is also called "offline" or “off-the-grid”), messages will travel up to 70 meters (210 feet) from one phone to the next.
If there are more than two devices, they will form a network and messages will bounce from one device to the next, thus extending the range of the network. The more people use FireChat, the better the network gets for everybody. This is why FireChat works really well for very large groups of people.
How will this help me?
If you are the leader of a community, give FireChat a try: it will allow you to update all community members at the same time. You can share information or discuss projects or topics in an open space for all members of your community. FireChat is well suited for live discussions. Unlike other social networks, it allows everyone to see all the messages in real time, without ads or unrelated content. Unlike messaging apps, such as WhatsApp, it accommodates a very large number of users and doesn’t require people to share their phone numbers.
How do I use it?
1. Download FireChat. The easiest way is to follow this link: You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.. It's a small app.
2. Create your profile. Pick a username, and add a photo and a short bio. You may choose to be anonymous by picking a pseudonym, use your real name, or create the account under the name of your community or organization.
3. Start chatting. You can send private messages to people - or join a public conversation in public chatrooms. You can easily link several chatrooms by typing hashtags in any message.
4. Create your chatroom. Typing a hashtag in any message (for example #Football) automatically creates a new chatroom and starts the discussion. If the chatroom already exists, you will be joining that conversation.
5. Invite your community. Tap on the “star” on the top right corner of the screen. This automatically creates a link and a screenshot of your chatroom, which you can share via Twitter, Facebook, SMS, Email. etc… You can also copy that link to use it anywhere or even type it yourself. The format is You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.. People who follow this link will be automatically placed into your chatroom after they have downloaded FireChat. If they already have FireChat, it will simply bring them in the chatroom.
If you are “off-the-grid”, remember to keep Bluetooth and WiFi turned on so that you can see other FireChat users nearby. That’s all. You do not need to do anything else.
Features
Public Chatrooms: FireChat chatrooms are designed for public communications. They work like Twitter and Instagram from the perspective of message distribution. Anyone can see your messages, whether you are in a big chatroom or a small chatroom. Some people use FireChat with their real name or other identifying information. Some don’t. It's up to you. Unlike Facebook and Google, FireChat does not require the use of real names. Unlike Telegram or WhatsApp, FireChat does not require your phone number (use the email signup option).
Private Messages: you can also send private messages to one person at a time. These messages are encrypted. Only the sender and the recipient can read the content of the message. You can send a private message to any FireChat user from the person's user profile.
Following: You can 'follow' someone by tapping on the circle next to their name and clicking the “Follow” button. To unfollow, simply tap the button again. If you follow people, you will be notified when they become active on FireChat. People who follow you will know instantly when you are active in FireChat. This is very useful when you need to reach your entire community at once.
Blocking: If you don’t like what someone is saying, you can block the person simply by pressing and holding down on a message they sent. The people you block will not see your messages either.
Photos: You may share photos using FireChat, in the same way that you do so over SMS. Only the people who follow you will see your photos. To see someone else’s photos, you need to follow that person.
Favorite chatrooms: If you favorite (e.g. “star”) a chatroom, you will be notified of new messages in that chatroom. If you prefer, you can turn off notifications off from the Settings menu.
Please let us know what you think-- we would love to hear from you! Email us at contact@opengarden.com. We usually respond to all communications within 24 hours. You can also find us on Twitter @firechatapp, and of course on FireChat: You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now..
