Clean, but still just another newsfeed
I love the idea of private whitelabeled communities. The problem is that many of them, Beam included, don't have real customization (in their defense, because they're saving us from a lot of work!). Ultimately, these types of tools end up as just another newsfeed. And that's where Beam.gg is right now.
It doesn't have memberships (it's on the roadmap, but shouldn't have hit AppSumo without the feature) and the layout is fixed and the same for all Beam sites. It begs the question as to why someone would really utilize Beam (or anything similar) when the free community tools like Discord, Slack, Telegram, etc. often often at least the same functionality.
Truly, it is great having your own CNAME and integrating into the web2 experience, but as the title and opening sentence present, Beam and others ultimately are just another newsfeed that we're paying to control when Facebook Groups or something more "cutting edge" like Gather Town could be used without any upfront costs.
Jazz_Beamgg
May 9, 2024Hi ChaseRaz! Thanks for leaving us an honest review!
What makes Beam.gg unique from other community platforms is how we gamify the online community experience through your own white-label community site. We introduce gaming elements like ranks, quests, badges, profile upgrades, etc. to make the experience more engaging for users.
Most community platforms out there suggest that the main problem for brands is setting up community tools. But really, the struggle is keeping members engaged and coming back. We know this, being community owners ourselves.
It's not really a secret that Beam.gg is still in its early stages, but we have A LOT of plans ahead of us, and we're very excited to keep improving Beam.gg in the coming months. We treasure everyone giving us a chance and believing in Beam.gg's potential as much as we do.
I'd really love to see you stick around to see us in full bloom!