What talk radio is to the AM dial and talk shows are to daytime TV, Public would like to be for messaging. Wait, that sounds horrible. Let me try this again.

Public is a new app that uses chat as a platform for broadcasting conversations. (There, that’s better.) Launch a chat with a group of your choosing, and invite viewers to watch the discussion unfold in real time, submit questions or comments, or read the archived copy of it later.

You can read along as a cast of actors discuss a new movie, you can chime in on a massive game of “Would You Rather...?’’, or you can join a communal freakout during the finale of “Game of Thrones.’’ Think of Public chats as silent, participatory podcasts. Now your book club can go global, and you won’t ever have to go to Sue’s stupid house again.

PRO Public solves the readability issues that plague discussion on Twitter as well as old-school threaded message forums. Conversations on Public are easy to follow and easy to manage.

CON Conversations on Public are not easy to navigate or locate. You can go dizzy searching and scrolling around for a chat worth following. But like any good conversation, it may take a little time and patience for Public to hit the finer points.

MICHAEL ANDOR BRODEUR

Michael Andor Brodeur can be reached at mbrodeur@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @MBrodeur.