TECHnically: Football fans finally have a social media platform to themselves in Fanssify

The last time we sat with the TECHie, Baruwa Olalekan, it was to ease us into the world of mobile application development and how to make the best use of them. Today, we go back to what we originally wanted to chat with him about, his fresh, innovative idea to create a haven for fans, pundits and lovers of everything football related online.A

Together with Frank O’Neil, Olalekan has created Fanssify, a social media platform for football lovers to connect over topics of interest, common joys, games, and in his words, the only social networking platform that offers you the best way to be a football fan.

We tried our best to tone down the excitement with which he described the app but as you will glean from our conversation below, we were not very successful.

Enjoy!

TECHnically: We are sorry for assuming it was a beauty App over the phone. Will you forgive us and tell us about Fanssify?

Olalekan: Ha ha. It’s okay. Fanssify is a social networking platform we developed and launched in December 2015 because we found that fans of the very popular game did not really have any virtual space where they could converge. And even get rewarded.

So we created this platform where fans can talk with one another, knowing that they all share a common interest, football. They can also predict the results of games all over the words for reward points that can then be cashed. The platform also allows users to interact with other fans or get the opinion of pundits on any issue. We have pundits like Kelechi Nkoro, Deji Faremi on Fanssify dropping their thoughts regularly on the platform and being accessible to fans at anytime.

TECHnically: Why football?

Olalekan: It’s the merging of two passions. I love developing mobile applications and I love football too. And I’ll really love to explore more points of convergence between the two.

TECHnically: How does it work?

Olalekan: You sign up as you would on Twitter or Instagram with your email. You can also sign up with your Facebook account once you download the application which is available in the Google Play Store for free. When the idea was first conceived, the tech eco-system in Nigeria was not yet this developed and so we had to partner with MTN to make it work as an SMS-based platform where people could cash rewards for answering football related questions.

Now, when you sign up, you have a timeline where you can see what the other fans you follow are talking about, the Fanssify+ which is a blog where you can catch up on all that is going on in the world of football -from the Spanish La Liga, the Bundesliga to the  English Premiership and the French, we feature all the major leagues of the world. So fans can choose what clubs they want to represent on the platform. We made it a point to include the NPFL too because we want to drive more awareness for Nigerian football and footballers.

TECHnically: Is it only available in the Play Store?

Olalekan: Yes. For now, only Android users can access it as we are still working on the iPhone compatible model.

TECHnically: Apart from the blog, Fanssify+ and the Footies timeline, what else do users get?

Olalekan: Okay. The app automatically updates live scores from games around the world. Users can also share other users’ posts or like them and comment too. There’s also the Predictor where you can cash in on being a fan. It has quizzes as well as games predictions. Soon we will have partnerships with viewing centres where people can earn rewards in real-time.

There’s also the Predictor where you can cash in on being a fan. It has quizzes as well as games predictions. With the games prediction, it does not have to be huge commitments like the betting platforms. Users can make their predictions and earn rewards in just minutes. The rewards can be accumulated or cashed out weekly by them. Soon we will have partnerships with viewing centres where people can earn rewards in real-time.

TECHnically: How has it done so far?

Olalekan: It’s been great. Just knowing that fans can connect and want to has been gratifying. We have had over 1000 downloads so far and we are not even on every platform yet. With the mobile app, we have attained a wider reach than when we were using the SMS-based model.

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