Bonfyre Takes on Private Mobile Sharing with New App Focused on Real Life, Not Newsfeeds

ST. LOUIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Bonfyre, a mobile app to plan, capture and share experiences with the people that matter, debuts today at DEMO Fall 2012, Santa Clara, CA, as a Showcase Sponsor. The app allows users to privately plan events, chat, share photos and create group photo streams. Bonfyre is built around experiences rather than static circles or newsfeeds. It’s what mobile sharing should be - private, simple and beautiful.

“This focus makes Bonfyre a dynamic social graph built around experiences rather than an accumulation of connections that become less relevant over time.”

"Bonfyre redefines sharing in a way that more accurately reflects how people live real life: through shared memories," said Jim McKelvey, co-founder of Square and a member of Bonfyre's advisory board. "This focus makes Bonfyre a dynamic social graph built around experiences rather than an accumulation of connections that become less relevant over time."

Rather than following the “connection-based” framework of Facebook and other social networks, Bonfyre’s focus on real life experiences makes sharing content highly intimate, valuable and relevant.

“We believe that it’s time to share around events, not everything with everyone,” said Mark Sawyier, CEO of Off Campus Media, the company behind Bonfyre. “People have many options when it comes to chatting and sharing photos, but we believe that none combine planning, capturing and sharing content around experiences in a private setting with the people that matter.”

Bonfyre brings this all-in-one, real-time sharing concept to everyday life:

- Plan and capture epic nights out from the bar, concerts and festivals, road trips, and sports games.

- Experience your kid’s or grandkid’s little league game, school play or other important events while on business or living away. Or, just have one private place for all the parents to share without having to become Facebook friends.

- Follow your friend’s trip through Europe, create a group photo stream of a hiking trip or girls night out or simply relive the special moments of your honeymoon.

With Bonfyre, getting everyone’s pictures together if effortless and users don’t have to worry about who has access to the content - Bonfyre is private by design and simplifies group photo sharing.

According to Pew Research Center, texting and picture taking are the most common mobile phone activities. Bonfyre is tapping into the popularity of these features with a focus on a specific event first and the people participating in it second.

Bonfyre has a simple, visually appealing interface for users to plan, capture and share privately in one app. Features include:

Plan and coordinate before or during your event
Connect in real-time with Bonfyre’s group chat feature
Capture and share pictures through private photo streams, called Memories
Private by design to allow only those people invited to each bonfyre
Easily upload photos from your shared experiences to a private Facebook album
Easily invite and join from SMS, Facebook or current Bonfyre friends

As part of this week’s launch, Bonfyre is partnering with the St. Louis Rams around their Thursday night football game versus the Arizona Cardinals on Oct. 4^th. The app will provide Rams fans who join the official bonfyre with exclusive content from the team and its players before, during and after the game as a part of deepening their event experience.

Bonfyre is free and is available via Apple’s App Store and Android’s Google Play. Bonfyre will host demonstrations beginning today at Booth S38 in the DEMO Fall 2012 pavilion.

About Bonfyre

Bonfyre is a mobile app to plan, capture and share experiences with the people that matter. Bonfyre is one private place to create and relive many aspects of an experience - from setting up an event to group chats, photo sharing and a group photo stream. Bonfyre redesigns the sharing experience by focusing on being relevant to your real social sphere, being private, being easy to use, and being mobile.

For more information, go to http://bonfyreapp.com or http://blog.bonfyreapp.com. Follow us on Twitter at @bonfyreapp and like us at www.facebook.com/bonfyre.