At the start of this school year, a group of Emory entrepreneurs launched a smart-looking new social network designed to replace our beloved LearnLink. The Emory Bubble allows users to create and join "bubbles" for each of their various on-campus engagements – a stylized take on LearnLink's conferences. It's a great idea designed to fill the void created by LL's much-needed retirement. Unfortunately, its delivery hasn't been so stellar.
Spearheaded by Nir Levy, whose bubbles include A.T.eL Events and web design firm Nightly Labs, the Emory Bubble has mobile apps for iOS and Android, as well as a web app, all of which share up-to-date responsive web design and smooth, square styling in a dark blue and grey palate. As far as looks go, it's modern and follows style norms set by web services like Google Play Music and the Verge. For a service intended to replace the dinosaur we used to use, the fresh styling is a nice touch. In terms of functionality, the web app appears to work without any serious bugs. The problems arise when you go to login to the mobile app. After being directed to Emory's usual login page – the University officially licenses the service, and it proudly bears a "Licensed by Emory University" tag in the bottom left corner – the app has a way of showing little more than a blank screen. When, by chance, I've gotten past the login page, the iOS app is glitchy and doesn't run nearly as smoothly as its web counterpart.
While the Emory Bubble team did a good job of ensuring that its web app works well, the true value of a service such as this can be found in the functionality of its mobile version. Students like having the ability to stay connected on the go – and make no mistake, Emory students are constantly on the go. Without a mobile app that runs smoothly and can be used anywhere, the service becomes just another website students will need to check, of which the University has provided plenty.
For the Bubble to really take off, it will need to make a concerted effort to bring its mobile app up to par. Technology aside, the most prevalent issue that I've encountered with the Bubble is that it remains relatively unknown. Emory's orientation leaders (I among them) were granted pre-launch access so that we could start familiarizing ourselves with the interface and so that we could more effectively introduce the service to the incoming students.
But despite the University's attempts to do the same and the Bubble team's seemingly well-organized marketing campaign, it is rare that I can find a student on campus – freshman or otherwise – who knows what I'm talking about when I ask if they use the Emory Bubble. If I'm lucky, the person might respond with something along the lines of, "that's that new social network, right?"
Something like that.
There is no question that the Bubble's less-than-stellar functionality has stunted students' understanding of what the service is and what it can do. But getting students to engage with the service becomes even more of a challenge when there's nobody there to interact. I recall that when orientation leaders were being briefed on the Bubble, we were told that accounts would come pre-loaded with bubbles for the various campus activities in which we were engaged. Such was not the case. When I searched for a few of my own bubbles (The Emory Wheel, WMRE, Kappa Sigma Fraternity), I encountered bubbles with no more than three members and absolutely no activity – not a lot of incentive to get involved. The Bubble feels a lot like an abandoned city: the buildings (bubbles) are all there, but they're more or less uninhabited.
Emory is in desperate need of a replacement for LearnLink, the social/academic crossover network of years past.
Despite the assortment of services that the University has provided us, such as Blackboard and Office 365, none of them replicate the conference-based communication that LearnLink was famous for. Although I believe that the Bubble has a lot of potential, it also has a lot of issues standing in the way of its effective implementation. If the Bubble team can sort out the glitches in its mobile app and can get students to engage with the service, the Bubble will enjoy the kind of popularity that LearnLink used to.
Features Editor Nicholas Bradley is a College junior from Montgomery, N.J.
Cartoon by Katrina Worsham
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