Imagine being stuck in a foreign country where you don’t speak the language (Chinese), don’t know anyone, and have a broken leg so you can’t get around very easily. Not much fun, right? That’s not what Co-Founder Steve Selfors, will tell you.
Selfors was in exactly that situation in China when he came up with a an idea for a new app that’s starting to gain some traction in the sports world: SnapCall. Selfors had broken his leg in China, and all he could hang onto for outside interaction was watching his beloved New York Yankees. After seeing Joe Girardi make another decision that he disagreed with (and maybe muttering a few not-safe-for-work terms), Selfors came up with the idea to have real time predictive questions during games. That way, he could see if others agreed more with Girardi’s decision or what Selfors thought should have been done.
Fast forward a few years, and SnapCall has become a reality. Available as an Apple and Google smartphone app, SnapCall gives users the ability to compete with friends by answering the predictive questions and also make real-time predictions about what is going to happen on the field or court.
SnapCall recently applied for and received approval on an exclusive patent with 23 different elements that make the app’s technology proprietary, setting the service up for long-term success. So, here’s how it works:
- There will be one ‘expert’ on one end of the game curating and creating questions that are then pushed out to all users watching a game and following along on the app.
- The questions can be a poll style that gauges the collective opinion of something that has already happened in the game (i.e. coach’s decision) or a real-time poll to predict what is going to happen next.
As Dale Bearden, a board member of TopSpin Networks (the parent company of SnapCall) points out, it’s a great way to rekindle friendships that might have been formed through sports debates and friendly competition. Bearden also points out the SnapCall is what he believes to be the next iteration of social media.
“Social media ironically puts up barriers between people and almost discourages personal interactions,” Bearden said. “SnapCall is the exact opposite.
Bearden has a point. SnapCall, unlike social media, is a closed-loop form of communication. It actually makes it easier to foster one-on-one dialogue in that scenario. In addition, SnapCall’s technology and ability to process information quickly gives it a distinct advantage.
“We can handle 15 million answers to a question simultaneously and process it within 400 milliseconds,” Bearden said. “That number came from wanting to be able to handle 15 percent of the Super Bowl audience simultaneously.”
SnapCall is in the process of expanding its game offerings and building a plan for future growth as well. The company plans to partner with more athletes and “experts” in order to be able to have more games on its network next year. Currently, SnapCall is working to offer prizes around soccer viewing parties, working with the rugby and lacrosse leagues, and also working to get sponsored athletes involved.
What do you think of SnapCall? Download the app, play around, and let me know what you think on Twitter at @p_mcclellan.