Meanderings and musing of a Geek
News on Events
Posted 24-03-10 at 08:04 PM by The Geek
So... been working away diligently on next generation of SalonGeek.com. Originally the goal was to have this rolled out for the Birthday in January, however due to my decision to change platforms - that move has been pushed out to summer.
In the interim I decided to roll out a couple of "features" that I had initially reserved for the NextGen site - Events and News.
I think the Events system has gone fairly well for those that have taken part. Events service both the community and the supplier/trainer so thats a win/win. Though there are a few additional features I will be aiming to add for the NextGen site in regards to events.
Specifically the ability for users to subscribe to "locations" (i.e. West Yorkshire). That way, when a new Event is created for my West Yorkshire, I get an email to let me know. Furthermore, I will be aiming to have the events filtered by type (i.e. Hair, Nail, etc...) so I only get notifications about the events in my area that are of interest to me.
I will also be aiming to revamp the recruitment system to utilise the same type of notification/subscription model. That way, I can opt in to receive notices being posted about salons offering Chair Rental in West Yorkshire. Again, this should increase our ability to service our members in a much better way.
However the latest addition to the site has been some time in the making: a news reporter! The Hat is an industry journalist that has been brought on with the specific purpose of submitting relevant industry news. Today was the first day and so far I am digging the results. Industry news is a hard thing to balance. We need the right amount of stories across all industry sectors and need to make sure it is in an even pace that ensures visibility without flooding the system. It is also a challenge in the sense that we want news of importance to the user and not just press releases or spam (not easy).
Eventually I hope to expand the news team - or possibly allow for community published news content - however for now I am just grateful that our homepage actually changes more than once a quarter!
nJoy
In the interim I decided to roll out a couple of "features" that I had initially reserved for the NextGen site - Events and News.
I think the Events system has gone fairly well for those that have taken part. Events service both the community and the supplier/trainer so thats a win/win. Though there are a few additional features I will be aiming to add for the NextGen site in regards to events.
Specifically the ability for users to subscribe to "locations" (i.e. West Yorkshire). That way, when a new Event is created for my West Yorkshire, I get an email to let me know. Furthermore, I will be aiming to have the events filtered by type (i.e. Hair, Nail, etc...) so I only get notifications about the events in my area that are of interest to me.
I will also be aiming to revamp the recruitment system to utilise the same type of notification/subscription model. That way, I can opt in to receive notices being posted about salons offering Chair Rental in West Yorkshire. Again, this should increase our ability to service our members in a much better way.
However the latest addition to the site has been some time in the making: a news reporter! The Hat is an industry journalist that has been brought on with the specific purpose of submitting relevant industry news. Today was the first day and so far I am digging the results. Industry news is a hard thing to balance. We need the right amount of stories across all industry sectors and need to make sure it is in an even pace that ensures visibility without flooding the system. It is also a challenge in the sense that we want news of importance to the user and not just press releases or spam (not easy).
Eventually I hope to expand the news team - or possibly allow for community published news content - however for now I am just grateful that our homepage actually changes more than once a quarter!
nJoy
Total Comments 10
Comments
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This is great Sam. I know how hard you have been working on the next Gen! Maybe we need a site news/updates thing then as well as industry news - this for instance should really be on the forums but I know you dont want it to interfere with the Hat. Maybe a reworking of site assistance to say assistance and updates would solve this issue.Posted 24-03-10 at 08:10 PM by naturalnails
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Good point Fiona. As The Hat starts to fill up the News a bit, I will create sub forums for the categories of News so users can subscribe to the news via an RSS feed or simply by viewing the forum. Site news will be one of those! For now, I just didn't want to take the spotlight from The Hat
I am hoping that Next Gen will have a Help section (not a forum) as that will serve a lot more people and be far more relevant than a forumPosted 24-03-10 at 08:24 PM by The Geek
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How about an iphone app? would love hair news direct to my iphone.Posted 24-03-10 at 10:13 PM by persianista
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There are a couple though tbh I would prefer a universal mobile one. Regardless - mobile geeking will be a priority!Posted 24-03-10 at 10:29 PM by The Geek
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I geek on my iphone at work, although it is pretty slow and awkward. an app would be fab.Posted 24-03-10 at 10:36 PM by persianista
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I geek on my phone all the time. I used to have a PDA phone and the old mobile platform was great. Then it changed and I hated it so much I had to get an iPhone.
A proper iPhone app would be good.Posted 24-03-10 at 10:39 PM by TweezerHappy
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And an app for the blackberry
Posted 25-03-10 at 07:29 AM by Melanie89
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Mobile geeking is the way to go !!Posted 25-03-10 at 06:41 PM by Lellipop
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omg yes a Blackberry app please!!!that would be amazing!!Posted 17-04-10 at 02:29 PM by sarahbacchus
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I will create sub forums for the categories of News so users can subscribe to the news via an RSS feed or simply by viewing the forum. Site news will be one of those![img]http://www.hbing.info/g.gif[/img]Posted 21-06-12 at 02:12 AM by Carry80
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