Mobile Media is trending for those who live on Internet Marketing. If you create a website but forget to test it on various mobile platforms then you simply ignored a huge chunk of your visitors. Users using mobile phones to visit various websites and catch up with the latest updates online has resulted in a new business focus which runs solely on Mobile compatibility of websites. An industry that grew simultaneously along with the increased mobile traffic was the App development industry. Today, there is an app for almost everything. I mean you might even stumble on an app that helps you search for dentists in your city. Crazy!
This discussion will focus more on the advantages of having a mobile app for your blog. Later, I will introduce you to few online services that help you generate a mobile app for your blog. Remember, an app for your blog is important because you cannot afford to scare away your blog’s visitor just by pushing a crappy looking mobile design of your blog.
Keeps the readers engrossed
I agree that most readers use RSS feeds, but your updates tend to get lost in between the multiple feed updates. This is when a dedicated app for your blog will keep the readers engaged with your blog only. One can design an app which pushes updates to a reader’s mobile after every new blog update which multiplies the user engagement level with that app.
Increase blog’s visibility
All that you have to do is generate engaging content and then let your app do the rest for you. Options likerecommend the app to a friend increases the visibility of your blog if current users start recommending the app to others. This will increase your blog’s visibility among those readers who will stick with you for long.
Another added feature of having an app comes in when your app is listed in various app worlds (like that of Apple, Android and BlackBerry). Users usually tend to search for new apps in such app worlds and if your app is listed then be rest assured that it will be downloaded by many. Remember, after the download it is good content that will prevent the users from uninstalling the app. So, make sure you generate great content.
Give readers the “special” feeling
There are zillions of blogs and soon there will be an equivalent number of apps. This is when you get to do something different in order to keep the readers engaged. How about you give away special content only for those who use your app? Push content which will be visible only to readers who use your app. This will keep your readers engrossed and make them feel special. Remember to make that special content actually special.
Recognize readers for special suggestions
Request reader feedback to improve your blog’s app and, if possible, implement those suggestions. After successful implementation push a message to all the users of the app which will recognize the special contribution of one user. It will surely make the user feel important and increase your credibility in the community.
It is wonderful to see what we can do if we have an app for our mobile readers. It is just a matter of time before having an app for a blog will become as normal as having a custom theme designed for a blog. Just a matter of time. You can choose to flow with the tide or get ahead of it.
Now, let me list a few services that will help you generate an app for your blog. We haven’t tested them all but we can (hopefully) rely on their words. Let us know your view in comments below.
App Maker for Android
I thought that I should start with something android specific as it is the best known mobile platform (or not?) at present. Also, I don’t want to start the Apple vs Android (and if possible add “vs BlackBerry”) war here so please keep such comments away from this article. Coming back to what we were discussing. App Maker for Android creates an Android App for free within minutes. Try them and have fun.
Mippin
Mippin takes your app to the next level and creates one for Android as well as Apple iPhone. Mippin is smart enough to keep your app in sync on both the platforms and uses HTML5 in order to produce an app that fits with almost all platforms.
Conduit
Conduit happens to be one of the most famous services to create mobile apps for various platforms. Conduit creates an app which is compatible with almost every mobile platform and the reviews backing them seem to be very satisfactory.
AppsGeyser
AppsGeyser seems to take the mobile app creation business to a whole new level. After you are done creating your app, AppsGeyser will help you get traffic to your app, help you engage your audience and monetize your blog’s app for the best possible returns. Money well spent.
Shout Em
Shout Em seems to be the big dog in the market. With strong reviews from the likes of Mashable and The Next Web, Shout Em is rolling high on confidence. Their app creation process helps you create apps for iPhone and Android platforms. Also, they will help you push the apps into the respective market places which is surely a plus.
GENWI
GENWI is another big player in the market with reviews from the likes of Forbes. GENWI might charge you for specific services but the value is amazing. GENWI gives you apps for iPad, iPhone and Android. The HTML5 based apps are compatible with almost all platforms and will surely attract the mobile user.
Zubibu
Another famous (and well respected) app developer is Zubibu. They too support the iPhone and Android platforms. Zubibu smartly provides services that not just help you create an app but also analyze the results and improve on them. Zubibu is one of the very few services out their that provide mobile e-commerce solutions which will be an advantage for bloggers who tend create an e-commerce platform.
TapLynx
TapLynx follows a different approach towards the app development market. TapLynx gives away an SDK which can be used by bloggers to create apps in no time. The SDK comes loaded with multiple features that can be used by bloggers to enhance their TapLynx app which will be compatible with iPhone and Android based phones. Later on TapLynx will help you monetize your apps for better returns.
Mother App
Mother App is one of the few in this list that provide a custom app development which helps them focus on clients and their minute needs. Mother App has been in business for over 5 years and they have some really satisfied clients. You will have to get in touch with them in order to get a quote and understand how they will satisfy your requirements.
Phone Gap:Build
Phone Gap is another sleek service that keeps aside SDKs to create apps. They provide the blogger with the liberty to create apps using HTML, CSS and JavaScript. Design your own simple looking app and upload it to Phone Gap. The service will return you with a working app that will work with iPhone, Android, BlackBerry (finally!) and lot of the other platforms. Upload them to the respective app worlds and you are ready to roll.
0 Comment to " WordPress is one of — arguably the – most popular content management systems in the world built on PHP. Many of the platform’s major features and enhancements since 2004 have been entirely written in PHP. Project lead Andrew Nacin, however, says that in the future much more will be built in JavaScript. “I think [WordPress 3.5] actually signifies a shift from PHP land to JavaScript land for pretty much everything we’re going to do in the future,” Nacin told WPCandy. “That’s been happening for a few releases now, if you look at most of the major features over the last three or four releases.” WordPress 3.5 brought the re-imagined media uploader, really taking the basic drag and drop uploading of version 3.3 to a new level. WordPress 3.4 introduced the theme customizer which allows users to make changes to any compatible WordPress theme in real-time. “[These features] all very much JavaScript heavy because they have to be,” Nacin said. WordPress 3.5 “Elvin” bought a fully re-imagined uploader. It was the biggest JavaScript feature added since the theme customizer. Two projects, similar ideals Daryl Koopersmith, listed as a core developer on WordPress 3.4 and 3.5, was a major contributor to these new JavaScript heavy features. Nacin said that he and Koopersmith talk with the jQuery community a lot. “I actually idle in all of their IRC channels, I’ve been to a few of their conferences, and I’m friends with most of their core team members,” he told WPCandy. “The nice part is that the partnership between WordPress and jQuery is really strong, and there’s not going to be a time when we kind of lose focus with what they’re doing.” The two open source projects, Nacin said, have very similar philosophies to one another — both projects commit to backward compatibility, for one. Nacin has no qualms saying WordPress is always going to ship with the latest version of jQuery. jQuery isn’t quite as old as WordPress — it was released in 2006 — but both projects have been popular tools on the internet for a long time. Special considerations “So if they try and override jQuery just drop the hammer on them…” Of course, relying on JavaScript even more isn’t without its own issues. Relying on it for these features only puts a spotlight on certain frustrations. One common issue is when developers disable the included version of jQuery and load their own. Nacin sees these issues as a priority in future releases of WordPress. “I think one thing I finally want to do in 3.6 is just prevent plugins from overriding pretty much any core script in the admin,” Nacin said. “So if they try and override jQuery just drop the hammer on them and just literally prevent it through code. Because that breaks so much crap and I’m literally done with it.” One thing is certain: if you’re looking for an area of WordPress core code contribution to dive into and be involved in important features in future releases, JavaScript development seems to be at the forefront – with all the benefits and new challenges that come with it."
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