Photo-illustration — ALEX MESSMER
DEJAN KOVACEVIC, DK ON PITTSBURGH SPORTS
A weekly look at what’s new, what’s coming on our site …
• Our Android app went live late Wednesday night, and it brought 708 downloads on its first day, as well as contributing to our biggest subscription week since our launch week in July.
To say this is exciting for the site’s future is an understatement. Studies show that apps create a powerful connection between user and content. Our hope is that people accustomed to reading on apps become more frequent readers of what’s here, even as we also hope that those who never tried apps will give this one a chance. Either way, it’s all about retention. That’s why the app is free. The site has had an above-and-beyond first 3 1/2 months, but retention will be priority No. 1 at some point. And that, by our way of thinking, comes in part from offering the product on as many popular platforms as possible. Today, it’s the app. Tomorrow, it might be something else.
This is also why we aren’t all that concerned that both Google and Apple take colossal cuts from any subscriptions purchased on the app — 30 percent compared to the 3 percent fees we pay everyone else. We don’t expect to find a whole lot of new subscribers finding us by browsing through Google Play or iTunes. Rather, again, the end game is to offer greater value to those who already have subscriptions because, well, hey, it would be just wonderful if 100 percent of everyone would stick around for all eternity.
• Google works far faster than Apple in approving apps. So even though we submitted our app to Apple first, we’re still waiting for that one. Best I can offer for a timetable — and these range from days to weeks — is that we were told about a week from submission. That would put the release in the early part of the coming week.
• We’ve heard you regarding comments on the app. There are further talks planned with the builder this week, and we’ll ask what our options are for both threaded replies and reversing the order. Expect an update in this space next Saturday.
• A store? We’re going to have a store offering site merchandise here?
Ridiculous!
• We have a new Facebook page. Not my personal one, but a special one to promote this site. Please, if you haven’t already, hit us up with a like and share. It helps.
• As of this writing at 3 a.m., we’re at 5,491 subscriptions. We’ll be four months old on Nov. 23, and our full-year goal is 10,000. Our unique page views are at 1,056,938.
• We do gift subscriptions, and it works like this: Buy a subscription, whatever level, as if it were for you. Then, email us at [email protected] with the name and email address of the person on the receiving end. We’ll do the rest and, once it’s done, we’ll send a really cool, personalized graphic note to welcome them to the site.
• Thanks to all who came out for subscriber meet-ups this week in St. Paul and Winnipeg, but alas, none will be possible Sunday in New Jersey. Just no time.
• Thank you so much for reading and for your support.
November 8, 2014
Saturday Site Stuff: An app a day …
by Dejan Kovacevic • Site stuff
Photo-illustration — ALEX MESSMER
DEJAN KOVACEVIC, DK ON PITTSBURGH SPORTS
A weekly look at what’s new, what’s coming on our site …
• Our Android app went live late Wednesday night, and it brought 708 downloads on its first day, as well as contributing to our biggest subscription week since our launch week in July.
To say this is exciting for the site’s future is an understatement. Studies show that apps create a powerful connection between user and content. Our hope is that people accustomed to reading on apps become more frequent readers of what’s here, even as we also hope that those who never tried apps will give this one a chance. Either way, it’s all about retention. That’s why the app is free. The site has had an above-and-beyond first 3 1/2 months, but retention will be priority No. 1 at some point. And that, by our way of thinking, comes in part from offering the product on as many popular platforms as possible. Today, it’s the app. Tomorrow, it might be something else.
This is also why we aren’t all that concerned that both Google and Apple take colossal cuts from any subscriptions purchased on the app — 30 percent compared to the 3 percent fees we pay everyone else. We don’t expect to find a whole lot of new subscribers finding us by browsing through Google Play or iTunes. Rather, again, the end game is to offer greater value to those who already have subscriptions because, well, hey, it would be just wonderful if 100 percent of everyone would stick around for all eternity.
• Google works far faster than Apple in approving apps. So even though we submitted our app to Apple first, we’re still waiting for that one. Best I can offer for a timetable — and these range from days to weeks — is that we were told about a week from submission. That would put the release in the early part of the coming week.
• We’ve heard you regarding comments on the app. There are further talks planned with the builder this week, and we’ll ask what our options are for both threaded replies and reversing the order. Expect an update in this space next Saturday.
• A store? We’re going to have a store offering site merchandise here?
Ridiculous!
• We have a new Facebook page. Not my personal one, but a special one to promote this site. Please, if you haven’t already, hit us up with a like and share. It helps.
• As of this writing at 3 a.m., we’re at 5,491 subscriptions. We’ll be four months old on Nov. 23, and our full-year goal is 10,000. Our unique page views are at 1,056,938.
• We do gift subscriptions, and it works like this: Buy a subscription, whatever level, as if it were for you. Then, email us at [email protected] with the name and email address of the person on the receiving end. We’ll do the rest and, once it’s done, we’ll send a really cool, personalized graphic note to welcome them to the site.
• Thanks to all who came out for subscriber meet-ups this week in St. Paul and Winnipeg, but alas, none will be possible Sunday in New Jersey. Just no time.
• Thank you so much for reading and for your support.