If you’ve got a phone full of food photos and are hungry to share them, Forkly should sate your needs. Created for iPhone and iPod Touch, Forkly’s food-centric service reminds me of a hybrid of Foodspotting, Yelp and Instagram, and although the app’s content is slim at present, Forkly has growth potential.
The app helps users share and discover what it calls “tastes,” and what I call delicious food. I love that Forkly relies on an existing social network as its backbone, and that the network isn’t Facebook. Instead, Forkly requires a Twitter account. Some might think this move will exclude too many potential users, but I think it’s smart — the design and functionality of Forkly probably will appeal more to Tweeters than to Facebookers, anyway.
Using the “Taste & Rate” button, Forkly will determine your location and ask you to select where you’re currently chowing down. Select if you’re eating or drinking, narrow the category to type of beverage or meal (app, main dish, dessert, etc.) and input the name of the food. Once you’re ready to rate — now or later, up to you — you can take a picture of the dish or upload from the library. You can add an optional tasting note and rate the dish as you see fit. Users will find sharing options on this screen for Twitter or Facebook. The default tweet will show the name of the food you’ve entered, the restaurant’s Twitter handle (I was especially impressed with this addition) and a link to your photo, but you can customize the message to say whatever you want.
Once you post, other Forkly users will see your taste in the feed and can then add the dish to tastes they want, as well as leave comments (I got my first response within a minute). Remember, Forkly uses Twitter, so the taste will appear with your handle attached. Through the feed, you’ll be able to see other dishes from a particular venue, and create connections with other food lovers via their profiles.
While Forkly wants you to share your food finds, it also wants to whet your appetite. If you’re at a restaurant, the discover section can suggest items based on your previous likes — if there are any tastes available, that is. This app is brand new, so there’s not a wide selection available, but the more people upload, the smarter this function will become.
I’ve never been a devout food photographer, typically opting to leave it to the company I keep, but with Forkly on the table, I’m more inclined to start snapping before the first bite.
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