A new sports-crazed app called Fancred has hit the social media platform, and Mississippi State University was the first college in the country selected to have a profile.
Fancred is a sports social network where sports fans can share, discover and talk about their favorite sports teams and athletes.  The Fancred company was started last September in Boston by MSU alumnus and CEO of Fancred, Hossein Kash Razzaghi. 
Razzaghi said the whole idea of Fancred stemmed from his desire to stay connected to his MSU fans.
“I grew up in Starkville, and I’m really passionate about Mississippi State, and when I moved to Boston about eight years ago for work, I felt disconnected from the fan base community of MSU. I wanted a better way to stay in touch with them,” he said.
The company focuses on 64 universities throughout the country that are a part of the Bowl Championship Series, and this past March the company launched its first iPhone app for users to download. The app is free to download, and currently, the app is only for iPhone users. Razzaghi said the company is working to expand it for Android users as well.
“We’re a small company with only 10 people, and we wanted to make sure we built a really good app with really good experience,” he said.  “We focused 100 percent on the iPhone, and next year we’ll offer to other phones as well.”
One key feature that separates Fancred from other social media outlets is the fact it is strictly sports-based.  Once a member joins, the app will point them to other MSU fans (or any other selected team chosen) with high Fancred scores.  Fancred users earn a “Fancred Score,” a 1-to-100 point system that measures their overall engagement and activity on the app.  
Shaw Adcock, junior communication major, currently interns for the company and said the Fancred community is a tight-knit group opposed to other social media sites.
“People are so willing to interact.  When you post something, the level of interaction with other fans you have is far better than anything you can have on Facebook or Twitter,” Adcock said.
This past week, the company released an updated version of Fancred called Fancred 2.  Razzaghi said the biggest difference in the update is it encompasses a redesigned app and includes the website Fancred.com.
“We redesigned the app from ground up, and we have better navigation, better control. It’s faster, it’s lighter and it’s compatible with iOS7,” he said.
The Fancred Company also offers internship programs to the 64 universities with which it works. Anyone who interns must be a student at one of these universities.  To apply, students must go to Fancred.com and fill out the intent form.  
Kyle McDougall, junior history major and current Fancred intern, said he has enjoyed his experience interning, and he likes the direction Fancred is heading.
“The community we have built in these eight months with Fancred is by far better than any community you’ll ever have on any social media,” McDougall said.
The Fancred company continues to grow.  It is a top-50 app, and MSU men’s basketball coach Rick Ray became the first coach of any NCAA sport to get a Fancred profile. The current MLB champions Boston Red Sox have joined.  The Red Sox are the only professional team that has a Fancred profile, but Razzaghi said the company works to branch out to other teams in different leagues to try to get them to join as well.
Razzaghi said he hopes for Fancred to be around for as long as possible.
“It’s awesome for Mississippi State to take advantage of it and use it. We’re growing really fast,” he said.  “We’re one of the fastest-growing social networks in the world, and I think ultimately, we want to be the place where sports fans go.”