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"Notificator" Mobile App


Dexter_X

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Hi,

I know there has been several times people suggesting mobile apps for Invision Community, but let me tell about my "new" Idea from another point of view that should be more easy to implement and more useful for people using Invision communities.

The basis of my reflexion is still based on "how to fight social networks". One fact in social networks that makes them more "interesting" ( but in fact more "attention keepers") is the instant notifications telling users something new has happened regarding their content or things they're interested on. From my point of view it is certainly not the only point making social networks more reactive but it is one of the most important.

So if our communities may have some kind of "instant notifications" no, not e-mails because you need first to go read your e-mail then click on the link, then you'll see your content ; but one of those you click on your mobile notification and get instantaneously into the content concerned by... That would be a good "weapon" to "fight" social networks, don't you think ?

The idea is a simple app that allows users using Invision communities to only (and simply) register the invision communities they're registered on. Then in the notifications center of your communities account you'll have a new column allowing you to choose which notifications you want to get on your mobile (as for e-mail and notification center ones). So when you receive a notification by clicking on it you'll get directly into your mobile web browser at the precise location you can see the content concerned by.

So in other words, it will not be a "reader" app, but only a "notification" app. 

So, bad or good idea ?

Thankyou for reading,

D

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32 minutes ago, Dll said:

Seems like overkill, you can send push notifications from PWA's. 

can you develop please ?

 

39 minutes ago, bfarber said:

Something tells me the average end user would be better served with a full mobile app, than downloading a mobile app that only allows notifications to be sent to the device and then takes them to the website.

It allows community manager to keep their skin in use and Invision to create something not so complicated but useful. 

 

The fact is the development of a full reader app is more like some RSS reader (already possible and available) or to double the IPS code to make the new app. To create only a "notificator" app will allow "average end user" to register into the same app to all the invision communties they're listening to, then receive "pushed" notifications for all of them. A single app for all invision communities.

I may be wrong, but I see there something very powerful to keep users attention into our communities, make the communities more "instant reactive" like social networks, and maybe even "disengage" them from social network groups...

(here you'll find a more "deep" reasoning on what I'm talking about regarding social networks : https://invisioncommunity.com/news/matts-blog/why-i-try-and-avoid-the-f-word-in-public-r1134/?tab=comments#comment-210353 )

 

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Certainly, as a site admin I can understand the viewpoint.

As an end user, you would be hard pressed to convince me to install a special app from an app store for a single website just so that website could send me push notifications. In fact, it would almost convince me not to install the app. 😆

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11 hours ago, bfarber said:

Certainly, as a site admin I can understand the viewpoint.

As an end user, you would be hard pressed to convince me to install a special app from an app store for a single website just so that website could send me push notifications. In fact, it would almost convince me not to install the app. 😆

I think you see it "as a user" from some kind of "notification spam" point of view. I admit it could be hard to convince anyone saying it in that way...
It needs to be a free app (that's why I'm focusend in something Invision could easely provide) and maybe presented to the users as the "community app to keep track" or something like that. Some kind of bait to make the hook... :ph34r:

 

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It seems I've not convinced anyone.

I already use RSS readers to keep notified of new posts in the community but it does not notify about new PMs neither any new post in areas where you need to authentify to see the content. It is still more useful than just e-mail notifications but not completely adapted to the need, and RSS readers are clearly seen as "some geek stuff" people don't want to understand...

But just to finish about it. Once the first application in use, if it works (meaning lot of people use it) there are a lot of new features that could be added to the app making it more attractive & useful for the users and still without converting it into a "community reader" that will not have (from my point of view) any added value regarding the standard IPS communities or RSS readers.

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Push notifications is definitely something on the horizon for any software looking to stay abreast of mobile trends, and mobility will continue to a major focus for Invision Community.  

The question is not if, but how to best implement push notifications.  As others have pointed out, push notifications can be available on PWA but in a limited manner.  

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No worries 😃

PWA stands for progressive web applications.  It's a modern form of developing web applications with many of the benefits of standalone apps.  

For example, the Application Manifest feature in 4.4 helps lay the groundwork for that.  

(And by the way, every community admin needs to set that up in case your members add your community to their home screen.)

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Thankyou for the explanations !

If I understand well, it is the way some notifications are sent to the desktop (for example) while my browser is open on my community. It is useful but not working in all OS, neither when the browser is closed...

So... until this "technology" is not yet fully functional in all OS (mobile or not), my idea still remains a - good - way to get push notifications wathever the OS or device... The app may dissapear in the future if things evolve in the right way, but by the time it could "do the job, awaiting for better"...

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On 3/22/2019 at 1:19 PM, Dexter_X said:

Thankyou for the explanations !

If I understand well, it is the way some notifications are sent to the desktop (for example) while my browser is open on my community. It is useful but not working in all OS, neither when the browser is closed...

So... until this "technology" is not yet fully functional in all OS (mobile or not), my idea still remains a - good - way to get push notifications wathever the OS or device... The app may dissapear in the future if things evolve in the right way, but by the time it could "do the job, awaiting for better"...

I don't even think apple allows publication of apps that only serve as a notification of external notifications.

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On 3/22/2019 at 6:21 PM, Joel R said:

Push notifications is definitely something on the horizon for any software looking to stay abreast of mobile trends, and mobility will continue to a major focus for Invision Community.  

The question is not if, but how to best implement push notifications.  As others have pointed out, push notifications can be available on PWA but in a limited manner.  

I don’t think that’s the question. 

The question is how does IPS create and support an Android and iOS app with push notifications that’s affordable for their clients whilst profitable for company and does not stretch their resources.

Well that’s the question I would like to believe is being asked and causing a lot of head scratching at IPS HQ.

I would also be surprised if they haven’t at least looked at the possibility of an in house app team with the potential of app based only communities. 

Don’t any of you Dev’s dare quote me and say the thought has never crossed your minds, let me dream even if it may never come true. 

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8 hours ago, Morgin said:

I don't even think apple allows publication of apps that only serve as a notification of external notifications.

why not ?

If it may be true, to add some adjustments or a basic* "something" may be enough to make Apple happy...

*basic : easy, then not costing too much to implement

 

@dayh 

An IPS app in that way should be free (or included with licence) because it is a final user app, and if the final user needs to pay for it : nobody will even try to get it.

Until now, everybody is focused on readers apps that could replace the standard IPS website, as said before there are already a lot of RSS readers that could do the job for most of the "reading" needs, but even them are not good enough for the notification needs ; the ones that could keep better attention on a community...

 

As said before, I may be wrong, but from my point of view it seems a good idea at least to experiment, always in the "fighting social networks" direction... The experimentation or testing of this idea does not have a very high cost of development : it could be tested with no much risks and a real potential of success...

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3 hours ago, Dexter_X said:

@dayh 

An IPS app in that way should be free (or included with licence) because it is a final user app, and if the final user needs to pay for it : nobody will even try to get it.

What you charge your users in the App Store would be up to you, the cost I was talking about is us the website owners to IPS for the app files. 

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21 minutes ago, dayh said:

What you charge your users in the App Store would be up to you, the cost I was talking about is us the website owners to IPS for the app files.  

I don't think it may be easy to provide "app files" to any administrator. Unless invision provide the App code, but it means the administrator shall register into the appstore as a seller to provide a free app : it is not easy to perform, it cots 100$/year and it supposes the administrator knows how to code swift/objectivec/java/C++. The way I see it is a global app for all invision communities (one app for all communities).

Users downolad one single app, whathever the communities they want to register in. Then register in the app for any invision community they want to follow. In other words some kind of "invision communities notificator/hub", not a "my community notificator".

OK, it'll not allow administrators to change the icon of the app neither the look of the app, but it is not the purpose, at least in first time to see if it is useful or not. I think it can even be developed as an invision plug-in. Unfortunately I don't have yet the knowledge to make it.

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1) PWA push notifications are not the notifications you get on your OS when your browser is open. These notifications can be truly "pushed" to your device even when you are not using the site at all (and/or your browser is not open). Support for this type of notification is not available on iOS yet, however, as has been mentioned, which is partly why we haven't gone full steam ahead on this approach (we support much of the PWA groundwork and are continuously monitoring and evaluating for improvements in this area).

2) Yes, discussions on support of push notifications are had at "IPS HQ".

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16 minutes ago, bfarber said:

2) Yes, discussions on support of push notifications are had at "IPS HQ".

Good to hear that ! :)

 

17 minutes ago, bfarber said:

1) PWA push notifications are not the notifications you get on your OS when your browser is open. These notifications can be truly "pushed" to your device even when you are not using the site at all (and/or your browser is not open). Support for this type of notification is not available on iOS yet, however, as has been mentioned, which is partly why we haven't gone full steam ahead on this approach (we support much of the PWA groundwork and are continuously monitoring and evaluating for improvements in this area).

OK, I've no means to test it. I'll try to ask our users about it.

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49 minutes ago, Dexter_X said:

Good to hear that ! 🙂

 

OK, I've no means to test it. I'll try to ask our users about it.

It's not in place at present. PWA groundwork is there, but push notifications (for devices that support it) are not.

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