Q for freitasm I guess - Why did you stick with a mobile site and not an app?

Forums › Geekzone › Q for freitasm I guess - Why did you stick with a mobile site and not an app?

toyonut

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#154120 18-Oct-2014 13:48

Just wondering really, why not do an app like wpcentral, xda etc? One exists on Windows Phone, but no other platforms. Not calling you out, more interested in your reasoning for not wanting to jump on the app bandwagon. Is it a cost thing, or is it more that you prefer developing a website that works well on different platforms?

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#1157487 18-Oct-2014 13:56

I've toyed many times with the idea of using Tapatalk... Just never had the time to actually do it.

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toyonut

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#1157496 18-Oct-2014 14:26

Fair enough. Does the site need to be changed to be tapatalk compatible?

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freitasm

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#1157497 18-Oct-2014 14:28

Yes, we'd have to write a full API to allow for tapatalk.

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hio77

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#1157506 18-Oct-2014 14:56

freitasm: Yes, we'd have to write a full API to allow for tapatalk.

Thats unfortunate.. Tapatalk would be a nice bridge between ease of creating an app for you and a solid mobile app.

I personally use the desktop mode on my phone most of the time, things are just a little more consistent to what im used to.

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Any comments made are personal opinion and do not reflect directly on the position my current or past employers may have.

freitasm

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#1157507 18-Oct-2014 14:57

I also use the desktop version on mobile as it has much more features.

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Damager

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#1157514 18-Oct-2014 15:35

I use the mobile site for the direct notifications eg comments on threads etc. Once I've seen those, then I switch to the desktop version for general browsing around the site. Having no app has never bothered me.

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lokhor

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#1157535 18-Oct-2014 16:22

Do you think you will ever rebuild the site with a responsive design?

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networkn

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#1157541 18-Oct-2014 16:40

Is it feasible to perhaps consider having a graduate do it for work experience?

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#1157975 19-Oct-2014 17:34

I personally would pay a (reasonable) fee for Tapatalk access to this site. You could potentially use the money collected to incentivise said intern.

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#1157983 19-Oct-2014 18:10

What you suggest? Only allow Tapatalk access to subscribers for example?

I don't like the idea of getting someone to do work with the promise of payment based on future/potential revenue. I am of the idea that all work should be paid.

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lokhor

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#1158250 20-Oct-2014 09:55

You could make it a paid app that uses Tapatalk. I think plenty of people would work based on a share of potential revenue.

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networkn

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#1158361 20-Oct-2014 12:20

lokhor: You could make it a paid app that uses Tapatalk. I think plenty of people would work based on a share of potential revenue.

No I agree with MF, people should know up front what they are getting in situations like these.

When we agreed to host an intern, the position was non paying but had value in terms of the fact we simulated for him, a full employment situation and gave him work that accentuated his studies and his areas of interest. We also gave him a small amount each week to cover his transport costs.

During the internship we gave regular reviews and otherwise included him in our day to day operations and he said he was very happy with the arrangement. He was great and far exceeded our expectation and as a result got a glowing review which helped him earn a scholarship with Microsoft.

I would suggest that if you offered an expression of interest from people who might want tapatalk access which cost $10, I am sure there would be 100 people interested at least and this would cover the interns experience.

It should be a one off early access fee in my opinion to fund a feature the site should really have. I don't believe it should be tied to premium membership.

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#1158368 20-Oct-2014 12:25

Strange as it sounds I always browse the 'desktop version' even on mobile devices. Data caps aren't an issue for me (most of the time) and prefer the desktop version

TwoSeven

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#1158695 20-Oct-2014 17:52

My opinion only from a software engineering point of view, but its often ideal to stick with what one does well and try and avoid diversifying unless there is a clear benefit from doing so.

If the core information flow and workflow of the application is based around a web application, then making a platform specific application might simply break that workflow and potentially lead to a "negative affordance" scenario being experienced by the end user (that's techno-speak for its harder to install and open the [device specific] app than a web browser to achieve the same outcome).

A [web] application that has been designed and developed around the principles of responsive and adaptive design as well as being potentially implemented as an SPA (Single Page Application) can be just as effective as a device specific application especially when it doesn't depend on device specific capabilities (and these can be added by detecting and leveraging device capabilities).

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lokhor

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#1159077 21-Oct-2014 10:31

TwoSeven: My opinion only from a software engineering point of view, but its often ideal to stick with what one does well and try and avoid diversifying unless there is a clear benefit from doing so.

If the core information flow and workflow of the application is based around a web application, then making a platform specific application might simply break that workflow and potentially lead to a "negative affordance" scenario being experienced by the end user (that's techno-speak for its harder to install and open the [device specific] app than a web browser to achieve the same outcome).

A [web] application that has been designed and developed around the principles of responsive and adaptive design as well as being potentially implemented as an SPA (Single Page Application) can be just as effective as a device specific application especially when it doesn't depend on device specific capabilities (and these can be added by detecting and leveraging device capabilities).

just my thoughts

While I agree with a responsive web application being the best solution, I think that can be harder to monetize, unlike apps which can be charged for upfront.

All comments are my own opinion, and not that of my employer unless explicitly stated.

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