I am a fan of instant messaging. Not your usual SMS or text messages but the multi-platform IM. When it comes to communicating with colleagues it’s quite handy for quick work related questions.
What’s my ideal IM? One which has all of the following features would be my ideal IM
1) Free. As in free beer.
2) Large user base. There’s no point having an IM if none of your contacts are on it.
3) Multi-platform support. Not much point if it only supports one OS. You want to be as flexible as possible.
4) Multi-device support. You want to be able to conveniently access your IM from more than one device
4) Secure. Messages should be securely encrypted and resistant to snooping and hackers.
5) Group chat support. This is handy for group discussions and working groups e.g. medical speciality groups and societies.
6) Support media – pictures, videos and audio
7) Nice emoticons – spice up your messages
8) Stable – as little downtime as possible
9) Reliable – your messages get through, and you have an indication that the message has been received by the other party
10) No message limit
I’ve gone through many and still use a few of these: Whatsapp (arguably one of the most popular amongst serious users), Facebook messenger, Skype, TextOne, BBM, Wechat, Line, IM+, Twitter etc.
However lately I’ve used one much more than the others and it fits the bill as my ideal IM to date.
It’s Telegram Messenger. I have noticed tons of my Whatsapp contacts are now on it. It offers all of Whatsapp’s features and more. Security and privacy are what they promote (now that Facebook has bought Whatsapp, that would make users more wary of privacy issues) but I like the secret chat (self destruct timers) and the larger group messaging options – 200 limit as opposed to the 50 limit set by Whatsapp. Best of all, I am not limited to one device and I can even run Telegram as a web app on my browser to access my messages.
I have it running for various small doctor group discussions and it is really neat.
I can’t agree more with the Verge in their article Why Telegram has become the hottest messaging app in the world
What about HIPAA compliance for those of you who are subject to it? I’m afraid I am not sure but since it has secure encryption it may be similar to other HIPAA compliant messaging platforms. Feel free to comment on the HIPAA compliance of Telegram if you know more.
HIPAA compliance aside, I say this if you are still a Whatsapp user : move over to Telegram today. You won’t regret it.
I totally agree. Telegram rocks!!