COM 597 Mobile Development and Integration Instructor: Kelly McIvor Anna allegos

!us" #oti$ications $or #e%s Apps

Introduction: &it" smart p"one users being attac"ed to t"eir devices '()7* pus" tec"nology allo%s $or personali+ed and direct communication bet%een app publis"ers and users, !us" noti$ications become a type o$ on-demand communication because users "ave to opt in)out o$ t"em* and %it" .do not disturb/ $eatures on smart p"one operating systems or built into t"e app* users can de$ine time $rames o$ %"en t"ey desire noti$ications, It0s an invitation $rom users* and according to mobile mar1eting $irm 2rban Airs"ip* t"ey create intimacy %it" t"e most devoted users o$ a brand0s app since t"ey0re t"e ones ma1ing t"e c"oices to listen, &"ile being able to o$$er users value-added content according to t"eir sc"edules* pus" tec"nology is a less invasive nudge to use t"e app, 3i1e %it" te4t messages* a receiver can immediately open it* open later or ignore it entirely, 5or ne%s organi+ations* t"is is crucial, As more ne%s organi+ations bot" mainstream and nic"e - are launc"ing t"eir o%n mobile apps* t"ey are not only competing against ot"er apps* but also every ot"er current media plat$orm and t"e numerous 6ournalists on 7%itter vying to brea1 ne%s $irst, !us" noti$ications are anot"er %ay to get a"ead o$ t"e competition, &"ile t"ere are no numbers on "o% many ne%s app users "ave opted in to pus" noti$ications* The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal "ave used pus" tec"nology to p"ase out 8M8 alerts as recently as '9:'* according to #ieman ;ournalism 3ab, Why Push Notifications: 5or brea1ing ne%s* pus" noti$ications are as real time as ne%s can get %it" current tec"nology, !rior to pus" tec"nology* t"e need to 1no% %as placed on t"e user0s ability to get to a computer* television or radio, <o%ever* $or ne%s organi+ations loo1ing to captivate and build upon t"eir current audience* pus" tec"nology is an investment, According to t"e !e% =esearc" Center0s !ro6ect $or >4cellence in ;ournalism The State of the Media 2013, over ?9 percent o$ smart p"one and table o%ners use t"eir devices %ee1ly to get t"e ne%s %"ile over @5 percent o$ o%ners use t"em daily to read t"e ne%s, Among younger and more educated mobile users* rates are "ig"er, 5or organi+ations* apps alone are anot"er %ay to reac" a ne%er and younger audience %"o ignore traditional mediums,

5or ne%s apps* users opting into pus" noti$ications are not only a %ay to 1no% t"at t"ey are paying attention to apps0 content* but pus" noti$ications also increase user retention rates, 5or all types o$ apps* pus" noti$ications lead to a 9@ percent "ig"er retention rate %it"in t"e $irst mont" a$ter a user do%nloads and opts in* and a 9' percent "ig"er long-term retention rate compared to users %"o are not receiving noti$ications* according to 2rban Airs"ip, Among media app users* t"e pus" noti$ication opt in rate is 59 percent* and a$ter si4 mont"s* 59 percent o$ users receiving noti$ications still "ave t"e app* compared to only @: percent o$ users %"o opted out, 5or ne%s apps* not only is t"e retention by pus" noti$ications essential* but t"ey also lead to an increase in engagement, The New York Ti es and The Wall Street Journal are t%o e4amples o$ brea1ing ne%s noti$ications done rig"t, According to !d !ge, t"e papers0 increase in sent noti$ications corresponds to in an increase in mobile readers"ip at bot" ne%spapers, 7"e 7imes more t"an doubled its number o$ uniAue visitors on iO8 and Android devices over t"e last year* to :(,@ million in Marc" $rom some ? million in Marc" '9:'* according to com8core $igures encompassing bot" app users and visitors on t"e mobile %eb, 7"e ;ournalBs mobile uniAues increased to (,? million $rom ',: million over t"e same time period, C D&eBve seen steep gro%t" in ;ournal readers accessing content on mobile devices and %eBve $ound pus" alerts to be a very e$$icient %ay $or us to communicate brea1ing and mar1ets-moving ne%s Auic1ly*D a spo1es%oman said by email, Alone* pus" noti$ications do not guarantee an increased retention or engagement rates* but t"ey can be a boon $or organi+ations i$ done correctly, Disadvantages: 2n$ortunately* poor pus" noti$ications $rom ne%s organi+ations are t"e ones t"at tend to go viral %it" users $leeing in droves and complaining about it on social media along t"e %ay, In #ovember '9:@* 7%itter gained notoriety by testing out brea1ing ne%s pus" noti$ications even t"oug" t"e microblogging site is not a 6ournalism outlet, Ey pus"ing an unsolicited t%eet by t"e !sso"iated Press and Erea1ing#e%s,com to @5*999 random test users* 7%itter managed turn o$$ users by not giving t"em any c"oice, &"at made t"is more embarrassing $or t"e social media plat$orm is t"at Erea1ing#e%s,com* %"ic" is o%ned by #EC* apologi+ed to users and as1ed 7%itter to remove t"em $rom t"e trial a$ter a barrage o$ complaints, 8ending out irrelevant noti$ications can also $orce users to opt out as %ell, According to Cory Eergman* general manager o$ brea1ingne%s,com* C## and >8!# %ent $rom reputable ne%s outlets to spammers by sending noti$ications about ;ustin Eieber0s arrest and a Eoston =ed 8o4 players s"aving "is iconic beard,

!us" noti$ications also present t"e c"allenge o$ space limitations, Apple iO8 limits noti$ications to '5? bytes %it" Android allo%ing up to :9'( bytes to be sent, Across devices* noti$ication presentation can vary as %ell, &"ile t"e general consensus is to 1eep noti$ications s"ort* noti$ications cut o$$ by devices can lead to conte4tual Figure 1 - Photo from Slate.com misunderstandings* as seen in a noti$ication sent by t"e Eritis" television station 81y #e%s, Implementation: 8trategy: According to Appiterate* a mobile app publis"er* .annoying noti$ications/ are among one o$ t"e top reasons t"at smart p"one users delete apps, It0s also a reassertion t"at user demands are more important t"an t"e c"oices o$ an editorial board, &it" ne%s apps and noti$ications* users are t"eir o%n gate1eepers* and providing c"oice is already a user e4pectation, 7"ey %ant content relevant to t"em and an easy %ay to provide t"at is by simply letting t"em pic1 sub6ects t"at t"ey %ant to receive noti$ications $or, Erea1ing#e%s,com0s app is success$ul in part because it allo%s users to pic1 or ban trending topics* general sub6ects or location, O$$ering users t"at ability to disable noti$ications during certain time periods also gives t"em more control over noti$ications and avoids un%arranted pus"es, Most smart p"one operating systems o$$er users some $orm o$ general)all-app Auiet "ours* but apps o$$ering t"eir o%n sc"eduled disable $eature is e4tra mind$ul o$ users,
Figure Screen shot of !rea"ing Ne#s$ options.

5or apps t"at do not allo% $or users to ma1e sub6ect c"oices* geo$encing can also be po%er$ul i$ targeting noti$ications, 7"is $eature is most "elp$ul $or apps t"at cater to a national or global audience because it allo%s $or user segmentation, In 6ournalism* %"atever is "appening in a person0s o%n bac1yard %ill al%ays be more relevant to t"em t"an %"at0s "appening t"e ne4t state over or on t"e ot"er side o$ t"e %orld, 7"e EEC uses basic geo$encing to tell i$ users are in t"e 2nited Kingdom or not* %"ic" decides %"o receives %"at noti$ications, &"ile $ocusing on user e4perience is essential* ne%s organi+ations still need to be mind$ul o$ editorial standards and basic 6ournalism et"ics, !us" tec"nology allo%s $or outlets to get t"e ne%s out $irst but being rig"t s"ould al%ays ta1e precedent, During t"e Eoston bombings in '9:@* Erea1ing#e%s,com c"ose not to send out noti$ications $or ever "eadline because t"ere %as so muc" misin$ormation being reported, In an intervie% %it" t"e Ferge* Eergman said t"at t"e company "as to balance bet%een speed and accuracy* and t"at not trying to be t"e $irst %it" ne%s about Eoston %as an .antagoni+ing decision 6ust to sit and %atc",/ 7ec"nical: 5or most 6ournalists and editorial sta$$ers* app strategy %ill be more important t"an 1no%ing t"e

tec"nical details o$ "o% noti$ications are sent, 7"e EEC allo%s 6ournalists to send messages to t"eir in-"ouse Erea1ing #e%s tool t"at does not reAuire t"em to 1no% any coding or programming, 7"ird party companies t"at create apps generally o$$er %ays to send noti$ications $rom clients0 das"boards, Eot" Apple and Android o$$er $ree messaging services $or app developers to send noti$ications, On bot" systems* app publis"ers must "ave t"eir o%n server to connect to t"e operating systems0 cloud services, Kno%ledge o$ A!Is and ;ava8cript is also needed to send messages, %onclusion: 2sing pus" noti$ications $or brea1ing ne%s straddles a $ine line bet%een user e4pectations and 6ournalism et"ics, As mobile gro%t" continues* most ne%srooms %ill need to "ave t"eir o%n app in order to survive and cater to a younger audience, !us" noti$ications %ill also be an e4pectation* but $or outlets* it0s 6ust anot"er %ay to "old an audience0s attention,

&eferences: "ttp:))adage,com)article)media)times-sending-pus"-noti$ications)'(:9G') "ttp:))%%%,clic1+,com)clic1+)column)'@9?9:7)?-must-"aves-$or-your-ne4t-mobile-pus"noti$ication-partner "ttp:))%%%,bbc,co,u1)blogs)internet)posts)#e%s-App-!us"-#oti$ications "ttp:))stateo$t"emedia,org)'9:@)digital-as-mobile-gro%s-rapidly-t"e-pressures-on-ne%sintensi$y) - mobile "ttp:))mas"able,com)'9:')9?)'9)pus"-noti$ication-mobile-apps-mar1eting) "ttp:))%%%,t"everge,com)'9:@)5)')('G97?()"o%-brea1ingne%s-1eeps-ne%s-6un1ies-up-to-date "ttp:))blog,brea1ingne%s,com) "ttps:))medium,com)p)b7?edc(5:7(: "ttp:))appiterate,com)7-reasons-%"y-your-mobile-app-gets-uninstalled) "ttp:))developer,android,com)google)gcm)inde4,"tml "ttps:))developer,apple,com)library)IO8)documentation)#et%or1ingInternet)Conceptual)=emote #oti$ications! )C"apters)I!"oneO8ClientImp,"tml - ))appleHre$)doc)uid)7!(999G:9(-C<:9@8&: "ttp:))urbanairs"ip,com)good-pus"-inde4 "ttp:))urbanairs"ip,com)resources)%"itepapers)t"e-poc1et-guide-to-good-pus" "ttp:))%%%,niemanlab,org)'9:')9()as-ne%s-s"i$t-to%ard-mobile-%ill-te4t-alerts-get-le$t-be"ind) "ttp:))%%%,slate,com)blogs)le4iconHvalley)'9:@):'):9)o4$ordHcommaHs1yHne%sHt%eetHsuggest sHt"atHobamaHandHcastroH"aveHsetHaHdate,"tml