Looking to start a best friend group chat? This post is all about starting one!
This post is all about starting a best friend group chat.
Have you wanted to start a flexible, group chat with your new friends? There are many options nowadays! Some platforms have become overused and many are looking for a way to connect with others aside from using email, texting, or old social media platforms.
Along with finding a platform, safety is usually a number one concern. If you are paying to use a product, chances are your time and energy are what you will be paying.
If you don’t want to sacrifice your energy by getting caught on a platform where you are endlessly scrolling, or feeling that your energy is being zapped from not feeling like you are truly connecting with others, then the Marco Polo app may be the perfect platform for you!
Listed at the bottom of this post are the pros and cons of several apps. I picked some of the most popular apps being used today and the financial costs associated with each of the apps. The data shown below is what I have found as of today, Jan. 31, 2023.
Here is how I started a super successful, best friend group chat, using Marco Polo. This format has been working for many others who have tested it out as well! The groups are going strong!
Starting A Best Friend Group Chat:
1. Ask If Others Want To Join
To start things off, I sent a number of other moms in my neighborhood a text message that said this: (Keep in mind, we did start this group towards the end of 2020 so everyone everywhere for the most part was still in lockdown.)
Hi _(insert name)_! Would you like to be a part of a Marco Polo group of moms in the neighborhood? We will post weekly questions to get to know each other more and hopefully, once things open up again, we can transition to meeting up in person! – (Your Name)
Here’s some other wording you can use:
Hi _(insert name)_! My family and I just moved into the area and I am starting a consistent mom group chat. Would you like to be a part of a Marco Polo group of moms in the neighborhood? We will use the chat group as a way to communicate with each other about activities going on and ask questions to each other! Let me know what you think. – Kaylee
Hi _(insert name)_! Would you like to be a part of a Marco Polo group of moms in the ward? We will use the chat group as a way to communicate with each other about activities going on, etc.! – Kaylee
2. What To Say Next After They Say, “Yes”
3. Creating The Group
– Figure out the Details & Ideas for Rules:
- Limiting notifications: You can mute the conversation, or you can mute the notifications from the Marco Polo app. Then, you don’t have to feel pressured to respond or watch right away! Do it within your own time. Marco Polo is all about flexibility! I think this way it sets the group on a great tone. Knowing you don’t have to look or respond right away when a message appears.
- (…As a side note, Jordan Page’s block system is an AMAZING system for creating boundaries for your time during the day. She talks about how she blocks out certain times when she is more open to using her phone and other times when she can completely put it away to focus on her other values. She talks more about it HERE.)
- Leaving the group: You can let them know they are, “Welcome to leave the group whenever. You know what’s best for your life.”
- Deleting Messages: A fun idea that some groups have made for their best friend group chat, is that no one is allowed to delete any messages. For some groups, they say this puts a fun spin on the dynamic of the group where it’s more at the moment.
- I like being able to delete messages but this does sound like something that would make the group feel to live more at the moment.
- Marco Polo Plus: Options of what to do
– First Marco Polo to send to the group:
{Word for word what I said in the introductory Marco Polo that I sent to a new group of moms.}
Background:
“Hey! I finally got everything put together for the group. I put some notes together. I’ll give you a little bit of background. We’ve done some of these Marco Polo groups and we all had a lot of fun! With moms in the ward and in the neighborhood. It’s always been such a huge hit! It’s been a blast.
Details:
You guys are always welcome to leave if you ever need to or mute notifications or anything. Also, if you don’t have Marco Polo Plus, you’re welcome to …(I set my phone done while talking) set your phone down and not show your face. Sometimes I don’t like looking at myself when I’m talking.
With a couple of my friends living in other neighborhoods, I gave them the format of how to set up this type of Marco Polo group in their ward, and they’ve all said that their groups have been going strong, super successful, and lots of fun! Some people end up doing monthly ladies’ night out/moms’ night outs. They’re so much fun to look forward to! Then we can also do regular playdates and those are great for the kiddos!
Why Choose Marco Polo For The Group Chat Platform:
I also think it’s a lot easier to be a part of a Marco Polo group than be a part of a texting group. I think it can get a little mundane and hard to ask a random question to a texting group if the whole group is going to be part of it and all get notified multiple times. It’s fine for one-time things if you want to update people. I have found it’s much easier to build relationships, ask questions, and have that “landing base” on a platform like Marco Polo.
We’ve tried email with other ward groups and it feels like email is mostly for business. And texting is kind of mundane. We’ve tried Facebook and Instagram groups – and it’s just addicting when you get on, you just want to stay on for hours. Those social media platforms felt more addicting.
We’ve done Telegram, but Marco Polo has been – by far – the best platform where everyone has been super consistent. It’s fun to listen to. It’s fun to look forward to. I think Marco Polo is fun because I feel it is an “ideas platform” where you spread ideas to people!
It’s fun to see everyone’s faces too because it feels like you’re actually connecting. We started a group during the pandemic when we weren’t able to see each other in person. It was so nice to do it over here. And it was so nice doing it over here because I’m sure many of you have family Marco Polo groups on here too!
How It’s Used:
I was trying to think how active we want to be in this group. And I think we could just – whenever we want to pop in and say something to the group, we can just bounce ideas off each other and connect. And learn from other “mom mentors” if we have any questions or anything. I think that’s always fun to ask and share insights.
Please let me know – I love finding out – if there are any comedy nights, or if we want to play indoors at the church gym, and meet up for those, or trip ideas, or sweet deals on activities for the whole family. Oh yeah, once we even did a book club on Macro Polo and that was fun too!
Vision & Conclusion:
We are going to have fun supporting each other. This is going to be a great group. I’m excited to get to know you all better!”
– Create Regular Conversation:
My opinion on how the Marco Polo App is best used!
I feel that Marco Polo is what I would call an “ideas platform.” The main gift this platform gives us is the new ideas we can gain from each other as we socialize!
It has more extroverted, light-hearted energy. The #1 priority is happiness! Described as a fun-loving, bright, and optimistic platform!
It may be something that people are more prone to going on and talking too much or dropping the ball about getting back to you.
However, it brings lightness to the world! It’s all in how you look at it!
When you feel life is feeling too stifled, heavy, or too serious, a Marco Polo can help you bring the bounce back to your step.
What others appreciate most about this app is its spontaneity, flexibility, and how it’s something to look forward to. It has options of being an upward, light, buoyant, random upliftment in your life!
It provides a way for us – especially as women, family members, and members of society to reach out to each other to share new ideas.
Especially when you are talking with others who you respect and who have more authority on a topic.
It’s great for us moms to structure a community together.
And an efficient way of talking through things to get things done. “Here’s how we can make this better.”
What is Marco Polo app used for?
- Keep family and friends close across multiple time zones.
- Live video chatting is now easy and feasible. You don’t have to worry about dropped signals like FaceTime as much.
- Allows you to leave video voicemails that you can check on your own time and respond to at your leisure.
- It’s basically a “video walkie-talkie.”
Best Friend Group Chat Platforms:
What are the best group chat sites as of 2023?
What are the pros and cons of these social platforms?
What is the cost of using the platform?
Here is the list! I ordered these according to stats from the Apple App Store from most rated to least rated.
Email:
- There are many platforms for email that you can use. One of the most popular options is Gmail. You can also use a Google account to set up a free Google Group where you can send group emails to a large number of people of your choosing.
- Pro: Everyone has to have one nowadays. Probably one of the best options that people communicate with their family and friends if it’s something that doesn’t need to be responded to right away.
- Con: Many people don’t check their emails – or promptly – nowadays. Lots of businesses have used email as the main platform to get the attention of customers or potential customers.
Texting:
- Everyone has a cell phone plan and a cell phone number.
- Pro:
- Most everyone can text: Having a texting group is super popular! It’s convenient. You can now edit and “undo send” messages!
- Cons:
- No Response: There seems to be this notion nowadays that people don’t like being interrupted. Many people don’t like getting text messages either – and a huge complaint is that they forget to respond right away. It takes a lot of time (and work if you’re trying to think of how to word a message appropriately) and all of the wordiness can be a hassle. Many introverts like this option though because it helps them think through what they want to say instead of being put on the stop. My solution: Call people or use the voice feature. Always give “a way out” and give the person some time to think about a response and what action they want to create. The person can also set up boundaries on their end like not feeling like they need to answer the phone call right away.
- Cannot retrieve deleted texts: Another thing I don’t like is the “clutter” that texting creates for me. I have learned from my amazing husband to clear out email regularly and now I clean out my text messages as well. The problem with this is that if I accidentally delete important information, I don’t know if there is a way to retrieve “trash” messages like email.
- Pro:
Instagram:
- 24 Million, 4.7 star ratings. #2 Photo & Video. (Free)
- Pro: Fun.
- Con: Loose privacy.
TikTok:
- 14 Million, 4.8 star ratings. #1 Entertainment. (Free)
- Cons: Addicting. Tracking from another country. (There are lots of legal things happening with TikTok. I personally would say it’s not the safest platform for anyone. You can disagree with me. Probably the only real pro of it is that it is a trend starter… but then again, it’s just that. A trend. Trends fade…)
WhatsApp Messenger:
- 11 Million, 4.7 star ratings. #1 Social Networking. (Free)
- Pro: Can be used for business conversations.
- Con: Since I haven’t personally used it, I’m not exactly sure. It is interesting to note that it is run by Meta aka Facebook.
Microsoft Teams:
- 2.7 Million, 4.8 star ratings. #1 Business. (Free)
- I personally haven’t used this app so I am not what the pros and cons are from personal experience.
Discord – Chat, Talk, & Hangout:
- 2.4 Million, 4.7 star ratings. #6 Social Networking. ($9.99/month)
- I actually hadn’t heard of this app until I wrote this blog post.
Marco Polo:
- 2 Million, 4.8 star ratings. #68 Social networking. (Free. $59.99/year which is $5/mo or Family Plan $119.00/year split cost between people which is $2/month)
- Pro:
- SAFE!: Their slogan is: “The video chat app that brings you closer to the people who matter most without asking you to compromise on trust.” They aren’t getting their money from ads, etc.
- Practical: Stay in touch at a time that’s convenient. Perfect for group chats.
- Free: It is free to use with limited features.
- Phone Storage: The app doesn’t take up “storage” on your phone. Click HERE for more answers to questions.
- Con:
- More People on the app: Convincing your family and friends to pay and join you on the app. With Marco Polo+ you can forward your videos to others via text. I love this feature!
- No Pause Button: Another feature I hope Marco Polo adds is the ability to “pause” while sending a message. Sometimes I feel I have to rush to talk so I don’t forget what I want to say. I feel it is hard for me to think and talk while looking at myself. I think it would be great to be able to click pause, take a breath, then finish my message. Then messages could be faster. You also wouldn’t feel bad about sending a whole bunch of Marco Polo notifications because there is no pause button.
- No Poll Option: It also would be nice to have a “poll” option. Then, if you have a group, you can simply send them a poll questionnaire and get responses easier.
- Pro:
GroupMe:
- 1.6 Million, 4.7 star ratings. #9 Social Networking.
- Pro:
- Calendar Events: One-touch button to easily add events to your iPhone or Google calendar.
- Upcoming Event Notifications: You can create reoccurring events and sends out automatic notifications to members of the group before the event happens.
- Con:
- Cannot delete or edit messages: Once you have said something, there’s no turning back!
- Pro:
Facebook:
- 1.4 Million, 2.3 star ratings. #2 Social Networking. (Free)
- Pro:
- Many people used it back in the day.
- Con:
- The number of people using is fading.
- Pro:
Facebook Messenger:
- 1.3 Million, 4.0 star ratings. #4 Social Networking. (Free)
- Pro:
- Many people use it. For example, to communicate while selling things on Facebook Marketplace.
- Con:
- Privacy issues.
- Pro:
Snapchat:
- 1.3 Million, 4.8 star ratings. #4 Photo & Video. ($3.99/month or $39.99/year which is $3.33/mo)
- Haven’t ever had the desire to use this app after learning the history of how this app started. I know there are several parental concerns and privacy issues.
Signal – Private Messenger:
- 544K, 4.8 star ratings. #13 Social Networking. (Free)
- I haven’t heard of or used this app.
Telegram Messenger:
- 157K, 4.2 star ratings. #2 Social Networking. (Free)
- Pros:
- Zero Storage usage. It is cloud-based, with unlimited storage for chats, media, and documents. Auto-removes cached media.
- As a feature, it says your data is never disclosed.
- Send polls
- Send voice messages
- Cons:
- I feel like not a lot of people use this app. Even though it does say that it is the #2 downloaded “Social Networking App” from Apple Itunes store.
- Some may not respond because it’s a free app and there isn’t really any commitment from others to communicate and participate in the group.
- Pros:
WeChat:
- 68K, 4.1 star ratings. #36 Social Networking. (Free)
- I am unsure what I would rate as pros and cons because I only used this app once when my best friend was living out of the country.
HERE is a post from another website to refer to with the top social media best friend group chat apps.
A note: When you download a free app or anything that is “free”… you are selling something. There’s always an exchange of energy.
So when you are downloading a “free” app… you are the product you are selling. Your energy, your time, your privacy, etc.
This post was all about starting a best friend group chat.
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