Following hard on the heels of its launch of Hype – the in-browser chat service for Opera Mini users – in a number of African countries, global internet brand Opera has now added interest-based social clubs to the fast-growing chat service.
As Opera puts it, chatting with others who have the same interests is a great way to find new friends and become a part of an interest-based community. With Hype Clubs, it is claimed, fans of sports, gaming, the arts, and even software development can find a community they can truly belong to.
Hype Clubs are organized into topic-based channels where users can easily chat about their mutual interests. There they can share opinions with others and gather interested people together.
All of the clubs are public, so no invite is needed to stay in touch and spend time together. The communities are generally centred around specific topics. Opera offers some examples of the clubs users can easily join, which include Music and Art Club, Football Club, Relationship Drama, Citizens of Earth Club & Money Talk, Health Club and more.
Hype suggests clubs to users based on their interests. They can also use the integrated search function to find something specific. Hype Clubs are currently available only on mobile with more to come. Joining any club is free and invites are not required.
Hype is described as the first African-inspired chat service built into a mobile browser, allowing users to easily set up an account and start chatting with secure end-to-end encryption right away.
As we noted at the launch of the service less than a month ago, Hype’s main target audience is younger generations of internet users who expect more social connectivity from the apps they use on their devices. Hype is now available in Kenya, South Africa, Ghana and Zambia, with the promise that more countries will join them over time.
