MediaLab Buys Kik (betakit.com) 8
The Kik Messenger app has officially been acquired by U.S.-based holding company MediaLab. The news comes just one day before the app was scheduled to shut down. From a report: The blog post noted that MediaLab plans to keep the app alive and also outlines ideas it has to improve the app moving forward. It is noted that the acquiring company plans to partner with Kik CEO Ted Livingston and the remaining 19 team members and is still dedicated to expanding the Kin integration.
MediaLab stated that it has a long term commitment to Kik and seeing the app succeed, but also noted the urgent need to cover expenses. The blog post stated that in the coming weeks ads will be introduced to Kik Messenger. The holding company acknowledged that some Kik users may not like this idea, but stated plans to bring in the ads in a "non-intrusive" way that "in no way takes away from what makes Kik great." "No annoying full screen video takeovers or things like that," the blog post stated. Other changes MediaLab plans to make to the app include pulling back features it said were not optimized. Kik's video chat toggle and third party bots platform will be discontinued, with MediaLab noting that it wants to eradicate spam bots and unwanted messages. It also stated it will update the app's software to make it faster, more reliable, and "less buggy." "Ted Livingston and the rest of the team at Kik have spent the last nine years building something truly special," the blog post stated. "At the risk of sounding cheesy, we are still passionate believers in what the internet promised to bring in its early days -- a connected and shared experience amongst people regardless of geography or time zone. Kik is one of those amazing places that brings us back to those early aspirations."
MediaLab stated that it has a long term commitment to Kik and seeing the app succeed, but also noted the urgent need to cover expenses. The blog post stated that in the coming weeks ads will be introduced to Kik Messenger. The holding company acknowledged that some Kik users may not like this idea, but stated plans to bring in the ads in a "non-intrusive" way that "in no way takes away from what makes Kik great." "No annoying full screen video takeovers or things like that," the blog post stated. Other changes MediaLab plans to make to the app include pulling back features it said were not optimized. Kik's video chat toggle and third party bots platform will be discontinued, with MediaLab noting that it wants to eradicate spam bots and unwanted messages. It also stated it will update the app's software to make it faster, more reliable, and "less buggy." "Ted Livingston and the rest of the team at Kik have spent the last nine years building something truly special," the blog post stated. "At the risk of sounding cheesy, we are still passionate believers in what the internet promised to bring in its early days -- a connected and shared experience amongst people regardless of geography or time zone. Kik is one of those amazing places that brings us back to those early aspirations."
I was promised the Internet (Score:2)
The promise of the Internet was never a proliferation of intrusive advertising platforms disguised as other things. Someone should tell these people ...
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I’ve always seen Kik as app for any promiscuous internet goer. You can tell me I’m wrong, but I have yet to identify any specific affiliation. Who knows why they bought that hot garbage.
Today kik is... (Score:2)
What is kik? Today, kik is a chat app that doesn't require you to give it access to all your contacts or spam you with ads.
It is somewhere in the middle of WhatsApp and Wickr/Snapchat.
Why do I use kik and not Snapchat? The Snapchat UI is a mess. Totally unintuitive. Plus I'm too old for it.
Why do I use kik and not WhatsApp/Signal? I don't want to give someone my phone number that I want to chat to.
Why do I use kik and not Wickr? I'm not buying or selling drugs.
Why do I use kik and not Viber? I don't care fo
Re: Today kik is... (Score:2)
How does it compare to Wire?
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And why not Telegram?
"MediaLab"? (Score:2)
Everybody I know in CS circles thinks "MediaLab" is a place at MIT.
who dis?