Digital tools: Line, Peach and Kik are all names you should know

 Today we're talking about three messaging apps that are being used in different ways.

Peach

What is Peach? You might have heard about the new social app called Peach. It’s either the hottest app going, or the app that’s already been declared dead on arrival.What’s different about Peach? It seems to have more of an emotional component, allowing your words to be enhanced by media that speaks to the mood of your post, using a “magical words” tool.In other words, it’s like Oprah. It is designed to evoke feelings. As the New Republic writes, “Advertisers have known this for decades. It isn’t enough for a thing to be useful or good; the thing has to fulfill some more unconscious need. So in other words, successful apps build structures that reward our pleasure centers. They compel you to click.”

Line

What is Line? A messaging app that’s popular in Asia. Much like Facebook, it builds around a community. 60 percent of its user base are in Japan, Indonesia, Thailand and Taiwan.One advantage is that is was created with a mobile-first mentality, and, while it’s a messaging app, it has evolved into a network in which publications can share news and links to their followers.It also has some intuitive functions, like a "digital butler" service that will deliver goods and services on demand. And it’s got virtual stickers, which are like emojis. Future plans are to add payments and other mobile services onto the platform.The Wall Street Journal has harnessed it to share targeted stories to its followers, mostly in Asia. One disadvantage? It doesn't have accompanying analytics, so it's probably a hard sell to use in a wide sense.

Kik

What is Kik? Kik is a messaging platform that is being used by young people. It works like a messaging service, but the conversation can be among several people, much like a chat room. Messages disappear quickly.Kik doesn't require a link to a "real" profile like Facebook, which is why it’s being used by 40 percent of young people, by one estimation. And it’s why it’s been targeted by criminals and linked to cyber-bullying. Kik conversations between 13-year-old Nicole Lovell and an 18-year-old Virginia Tech student led to kidnapping and murder of the girl, and subsequent stories to parents and teens about the app.Have a Digital Tool question or idea? Email Betsey Guzior at bguzior@bizjournals.com