A Push for MGOBLOG app notifications

Submitted by GVSUGoBlue on

I was thinking yesterday before the Peppers commitment and came up with a genius idea.

What if the MGOBLOG app had push notifications every time something important happens (Hello posts)?

I know a lot of members use this blog at work, school, etc. I just thought that this idea could be explored more. I check MGOBLOG at least once an hour but there are times when I can't check it and would appreciate knowing when a new recruit comes on board.

There could even be settings for what notifications are sent out (new front page material, new diaries, etc.). Just thought I would throw this out to the board for thoughts.

EDIT: Also direct reply notifications!

GO BLUE!

evenyoubrutus

May 27th, 2013 at 1:37 PM ^

And decrease the number of hits to the website, thereby reducing ad clicks and reducing website revenue? Personally I don't mind having to hit refresh fifteen hundred times a day.

evenyoubrutus

May 27th, 2013 at 2:01 PM ^

But it still counts as a hit any time a person views the website, even if the same person does it fifty times in a day, that is fifty hits. And in larger quantities people are more likely to click the ads, especially if they see there us no update. And so if people got out of the habit of checking the site several times a day and just waited for the notification on their phone, the site will get less hits.

elaydin

May 27th, 2013 at 3:41 PM ^

I've had the same thoughts with respect to whether or not to add push notifications to the iphone app.  I have no problem with people checking the app every other minute.

It's not too difficult to do, but it does require some server side resources (which I do have).  It would also require some work to scan for new posts and filter out which ones are notification worthy.

I think it's lower on my list then figuring out a way to show points.  I also just submitted an update with some minor things that have been bugging me:

- Added comment counts to front, board and diary lists 

- Added pull to refresh on lists 

- Added show/hide buttons for posts with over 50 comments 

- Added refresh button to top bar for posts

 

samsoccer7

May 27th, 2013 at 1:51 PM ^

Great idea.  But I have another question:

Is it really expensive to have a forum setup like, say, slickdeals?  It's such a nice interface, the reply system is great, PM system is wonderful, and the forum notifications that tell you if someone replied to your post is excellent.  It seems like an easy system that you'd just plug-n-play, but I have no clue.  I would love to contribute to something like that.  The notifications would then essentially be built in, people could trigger notifications based on keywords, etc.  Just thinking out loud...

joeyb

May 27th, 2013 at 2:40 PM ^

Push notifications aren't likely. It requires a dedicated server and for all of your phones to maintain a connection. The next best thing is for the app to phone home every so often and check for news then alert you if it found anything. That would result in a lot more traffic for the site and less ad revenue. Plus, it's an independent developer doing it in his free time. All in all, I'd say it's not likely to happen.

bacon

May 27th, 2013 at 2:59 PM ^

It would be better if there was a threshold that you could change depending on what types of posts you wanted notifications for. Something like:

All MGOblog board posts
All frontpage posts
All diary posts
All posts with Kate Upton and/or muppets

RioThaN

May 27th, 2013 at 3:23 PM ^

I have a system, whenever I read a Hello post I immediately text my brother with a Hello: Someone and the other way around, I almost never lose a thread.

TWSWBC

May 27th, 2013 at 4:32 PM ^

While we are giving app suggestions, I would like to see the comments on my phone in chronological order instead of scrolling down to the bottom of the screen and working backwards.  And as others have mentioned, showing point totals and the ability to vote/mod comments. Even if these changes arent made I'll still use the app just as much as I do now, which is often.

MichiganTeacher

May 27th, 2013 at 6:19 PM ^

How about first getting some board software and servers that aren't from 1999?

Gulogulo37

May 28th, 2013 at 10:05 AM ^

I guess it'd be cool, but I'd still check mgoblog a million times a day anyway. Sometimes I check even late at night when I know nothing new is posted anyway lol. I'm sure I'm not alone.