Haikuism [iPhone]

Haikuism is a creative networking app that allows you to compose haiku, sort them into collections, enjoy the haiku of others, and initiate haiku exchanges with others.

Composing and saving haiku is simple through the interface. You can save haiku to specific collections you create, or quickly “simple save” them in an uncollected folder for later editing and sorting–perfect for when a swell of inspiration brings an onrush of words and ideas. A further function allows you to add photographs to collections.

You can follow others so that any new haiku they compose appear in your personally curated haiku feed. Users can like haiku and also see which users have liked their own original haiku (and click through to those users’ collections).

Discovery is easy. Collection photographs appear to the right of haiku in your feed; click on one and it will take you to the full collection. Check user profiles to see whom they follow and who follows them. Click on those usernames and it will take you to their collections.

A unique feature enables users to launch a collection using the haiku of others as a kind of cornerstone or epigraph (called “hokku” in the app). That hokku appears at the start of the collection with the author credited; click through to see the original collection in which the haiku appears. You can check any given haiku to see if other users were inspired to use that haiku to launch a collection. You can additionally click through to view the collections that grew from that original haiku.

Alternatively, there is a hokku bank containing haiku from masters of the art (Basho, Issa, etc). Click on any of these and use them to launch a collection–you just have to write your own haiku to build out from there.

The exchange function allows any users who follow each other to initiate an exchange with each other. Users have several options. They can send one of their original haiku and wait for a haiku reply. They can send a haiku that they like from another user. Or, they can use anything in the hokku bank.

Simply want to read and share haiku rather than compose them yourself? The Haikuism app lets you share haiku via Twitter, Facebook or e-mail. A link sent out with the haiku points back to the collection. Invite others to join simply by sending a haiku!