Branch Media is in the news because it has just been acquired by social network Facebook for a reported US $15 million. Facebook said the company will utilize Branch’s talent to form a “Conversations” group. Branch Media has 2 social networking web apps – Branch & Potluck – which facilitate online discussions & conversations.

The New York City-based Branch Media has a host of investors including Obvious Corp., SV Angel, Betaworks, Lerer Ventures & others who poured in $2 million to fund the company.

How Branch Works

Branch is a social networking application that was launched in March 2012 with the basic idea to invite knowledgeable people to engage in topics & subjects they specialize in. It is essentially a more “academic & elaborate” form of Twitter. Most blogging platforms offer only visuals with little text or substance. Branch goes a step beyond & inspires members to share their knowledge in detail.

Branch is still in private beta & not open to all, & membership is on request. Users can pick their topics & also join ongoing conversations.

Essentially, Branch cuts out the babblers & ensures only meaningful participants are invited to ensure the conversations are private, intimate & of high quality. These conversations are Google-able & thus can be accessed later, which is a feature not offered by Twitter & Facebook. In fact, Branch gets plenty of visitors from Google.

Branch facilitates sharing of conversations on other platforms. Users can send invitations by Twitter or email. After the conversation is done, it can be embedded on blogs & shared on Twitter & Facebook.

If you have an interesting question on which you need answers, simply create the topic & invite others to add their opinions to the discussion. You can close the conversation when you feel you have received enough feedback & material. You can branch off & initiate another discussion if you come across an interesting answer. This enables creation of followup questions & new topics to discuss about.

Branch also offers a bookmarklet option that enables users to share interesting Online news articles which others can peruse & then offer their opinions thereby creating new conversations.

Branch is thus a handy social networking web app that you can use to get feedback, answers & expert opinions on any topic or issue you are interested in. The usefulness of this social networking product is limited only by the user’s creative imagination. Branch is particularly popular with techies & computer based topics are the most common ones on which conversations are initiated & developed.

To summarize, Branch can be a useful tool for many categories of users: Business owners can utilize Branch to generate ideas, get feedback & a build a community of loyal customers. If you need knowledgeable opinions, you can bring experts together to discuss your chosen topic. Branch can also be used by members of a community to share their opinions on pressing issues that have an impact on their daily life.

Image credit: Branch

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