Zerista Launches World's First Mobile Community Platform at DEMO Spring 2010

PALM DESERT, Calif., March 22 /PRNewswire/ -- DEMO -- Zerista, a leading mobile social software provider, will break new ground today at DEMO Spring 2010 when it launches the world's first Mobile Community Platform. Zerista's platform is the only hybrid solution that combines best-of-breed elements of custom community platforms, mobile social discovery, and event ticketing and management, allowing anyone — from soccer teams to realtors to wine clubs — to quickly create a custom mobile application.  Zerista makes it possible for community managers to create and publish a mobile application, customized specifically for their group, in just minutes, and since it's a web app there isn't the delay and hassle of going through a mobile app store.

"Existing social media platforms and communities are trying to retrofit their desktop applications for mobile use," said Charlie Savage, CEO of Zerista. "But Zerista is the first community platform designed from the ground up for the mobile web."

According to Gartner Research, mobile internet reach is expected to surpass desktop access in 2013.  Zerista is specifically designed for on-the-go scenarios to enable people to maximize the potential of mobile web connectivity.  

Charlie Savage and John Kanarowski, the founders of Zerista, will unveil and demonstrate the Mobile Community Platform today at 9:57 a.m. PT.  DEMO Spring attendees can visit Zerista in Booth #1 to get more details; the conference is being held March 21-23 in Palm Desert, Calif.

To sign up for the free beta of the platform, which will be available in the summer of 2010, interested parties should visit Zerista's web site.

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

• The easy-to-use and feature-rich Zerista platform is the first of its kind, combining the most relevant elements of community-building, social networking, mobile social discovery, and event ticketing and management.  It is optimized to deliver a rich mobile experience via a 100% web based architecture.
• Zerista users will benefit because:
  • Community creation is optimized for mobile use;
  • Popular social network features and quick communications go through a private community channel, as well as external channels like Twitter;
  • Location-aware functionality allows users to "check in" from wherever they are, providing instant access to community-specific locations—like the local soccer fields—that might not be on basic maps; and
  • The ability to manage event logistics and charge for tickets and membership, allowing sponsors and advertisers to be directly involved.
• Zerista's platform works on any desktop or smartphone and does not require any special skills for set-up.  Because the application is web-based, users do not have to establish their community using any sort of controlled mobile application store.
• Zerista has a heritage of creating customized communities, and Zerista Pro, its large organization/enterprise version of the product, already powers over 100,000 active members.

Screenshots are available upon request.

QUOTES

Matt Marshall, Executive Producer of DEMO: "In 2010 we're seeing a surge of mobile use and location-based technologies, and services like FourSquare are just starting to appeal to a broader crowd beyond early adopters. With this in mind, Zerista has a bright future with its new consumer offering. DEMO is an ideal launch pad for Zerista's appealing mobile platform to debut in front of top technologists and investors who have a keen sense for the future of the mobile marketplace."

John Kanarowski, President, Zerista: "We see the growth of iPhone applications and use of Facebook, Foursquare, Eventbrite, and Twitter from mobile devices as a clear indicator of demand for a web based offering that provides the next level of integrated context-based content.  The new Zerista Mobile Community Platform is designed to provide comprehensive features while still being easy to set up, use and manage, without requiring any special tech know-how, devices or downloads.  Anyone can create and share a customized rich online mobile experience that works for everyone's phone.  People will be surprised at how remarkably easy and convenient it is to create and manage a mobile community using Zerista."  

RELATED LINKS & CONVERSATION

Zerista blog

Zerista Twitter profile

About DEMO
Produced by the IDG Enterprise events group, the worldwide DEMO conferences focus on emerging technologies and new products innovations, which are hand selected from across the spectrum of the technology marketplace. The DEMO conferences have earned their reputation for consistently identifying cutting-edge technologies and helping entrepreneurs secure venture funding and establish critical business.  For more information on the DEMO conferences, visit http://www.demo.com/.

About Zerista

Zerista is Changing the Way the World Meets. Zerista is the provider of an easy-to-use, cloud-based Mobile Community Platform for groups, clubs, associations, businesses or events and Zerista Pro, an event networking platform that enriches the event experience by creating a persistent connection between event producers, sponsors and the audience. Zerista Pro has been proven by more than 30 customers, including the Mobile World Congress with more than 20,000 users.  For more information, please visit http://www.zerista.com.

SOURCE Zerista