AEGEE again proves to be a frontrunner in adopting new technologies for associations. While AEGEE already created websites before the Internet Explorer even existed in the 90ies, today some antennae are making their own smartphone apps. AEGEE-Enschede was the first, now AEGEE-Budapest followed. The Golden Oldie had a look at them and looked at options how easy it is for other AEGEE antennae to get their own app.
Apps under the eyeglass – AEGEE-Enschede: the mobile website
Both apps run on smartphones, but that’s all they have in common. The AEGEE-Enschede app, which is available for every kind of smartphone, features in its starting window an overview on the next events and activities of the antenna with a focus on fresh members as target group. Below you find information about AEGEE in different categories, such as a description of AEGEE, local committees, the AEGEE-Enschede pub and more – information that you would also find on a general website. Very useful are two buttons on the top of the starting screen: one which leads you to a page with the latest Twitter tweets, the other one with info how to become a member. AEGEE-Enschede also wants to develop the app further for the participants of next year’s Agora. You can download the app from the Android Marketplace or here: http://m.aegee-enschede.nl/.
Apps under the eyeglass – AEGEE-Budapest: focus on social media
The AEGEE-Budapest app, which runs on android smartphones, focuses more on channelling social media info on the mobile. It has four main buttons: one with the latest Facebook status updates, one with an RSS feed with latest news from the webpage, one with Youtube videos of the antenna and one with a feed of AEGEE-Europe’s calendar of events. So it is basically all about fresh news for people who know the antenna well. You can download it here: http://www.aegee-budapest.hu/aegeebudapest.apk.
Make your own app now!
The Golden Oldie checked out the online platform mobilecp.conduit.com, which AEGEE-Budapest used to create the own app. It’s a great platform, free of charge, for creating apps for different mobile operation systems. It works quite easy – it takes indeed about three hours to complete all steps. You can stream the content of your website, Facebook pages, your Youtube channel, photo sites and more. Just watch out that you don’t create empty channel. Rather make it simple first and extend it later. After finishing it, you have to submit it to revision by Conduit. This takes one or two days, then your app is ready for use. You can upload it to the Android market place or other app shops, however this costs money. It’s easier to upload the app programme to your own website and give your members the link for a download. In our test, we did not create an iPhone app, because for that you need to register as developer, which costs 99 Euro. You can download the Golden Oldie app here in an Android version. Just intall it on your smartphone and have fun!
Interviews with the two creators
The Golden Oldie interviews the two creators of the apps. Paulus Schoutsen (http://paulusschoutsen.nl/) programmed the one of AEGEE-Enschede. The 25-year old student of Business & IT has been AEGEE-Enschede member for over 7 years and is also the Founder of AEGEE-Drienerlo.nl, the Dutch AEGEE-weblog. Next to IT issues travelling is one of his biggest passions: “Five more countries – Russia, Belarus, Romania, Moldova and Ireland – and then I have paid all countries of Europe a visit,” he says. Tamás “Tom” Keller is the creator of the AEGEE-Budapest app. The former IT responsible of AEGEE-Budapest studied Management and Marketing at the Paris-Sorbonne university and International Business Economics at the Corvinus University of Budapest. He is mainly responsible for making AEGEE-Budapest the most advanced antenna in the network for adopting social media solutions.
Paulus Schoutsen: “Over 300 daily users”
Golden Oldie: How did you get the idea to make a smartphone app for AEGEE-Enschede?
Paulus Schoutsen: AEGEE-Enschede is the biggest student association in Enschede. This means that during the introduction period we do our best to be as prominent as possible to attract a lot of new members to keep this status. This year we had the social media approach and part of our strategies was having #AEGEE, the AEGEE-app and big LCD screens with the latest tweets on it, http://twitter.aegee-enschede.nl/ For a pic see here: https://picasaweb.google.com/board.aegeeenschede.nl/2011KickIn24AugustusComeOnGetIt#5644390612895397058
Golden Oldie: What are the main features of the app in content and technology? How much is it linked to website, Facebook, etc.?
Paulus: Main features are a moment-to-moment agenda of the events during the introduction period including maps and more. Besides that it contains all information about AEGEE-Enschede that you need to know and useful tips for new students in Enschede. The introduction period is over and now we have a two-month period of introduction for new members and have we adopted the app to show the agenda of the events that we have every Tuesday and Thursday.
Golden Oldie: What feedback did you get from your members?
Paulus: Our members were euphoric. But they were not the target audience. The fresh members of the university are. And they liked it a lot too.
Golden Oldie: How many people are using the app?
Paulus: We released it mid-August just before the introduction period. The university supported our initiative and wrote about us on their website to promote the app to new university members. We had 1000 fresh members at the university and probably another 1000 students joined them to promote their own associations. This made a target audience of 2000 of which we managed to get over 300 people to use the app daily. Considering that not everybody has a smartphone this is a great success.
Golden Oldie: Did you make apps before?
Paulus: I have been doing stuff like this for a long time. For AEGEE-Enschede and also for my own company. For example I made TankTeller.nl, an app to keep track of your drinking behaviour and that of your friends.
Golden Oldie: How much work was it to make the app in hours?
Paulus: Hard to say, didn’t keep track, but a lot. Programming itself is not the most time consuming. It is all about the experience and the value that it adds for the user. They need to get back to the app and find relevant content.
Golden Oldie: How much would it cost to ask a company to program it?
Paulus: Something about 2000 to 3000 Euro.
Golden Oldie: Are you still improving the app?
Paulus: As I am about to finish my studies I am not but there are people that are going to take over the development of the app. We will add features to connect it to the AEGEE-Enschede website and systems. This will offer the user the ability in the future to lookup the info of other members, their drinking bill of the pub and attend AEGEE-events. Also we will adopt the app for the Agora in Enschede, so everybody can know their way around.
Golden Oldie: On which platforms does the app work?
Paulus: It is a web-based application and runs on every modern smartphone. Just head your pc, phone or tablet to http://m.aegee-enschede.nl/.
Golden Oldie: I saw that you also managed to get it in the Android marketplace. Was that difficult?
Paulus: Nope, not at all. Google does not have restrictions or requirements that you have to fulfil like Apple has.
Golden Oldie: In 2 years from now, what do you think how many antennae will have own apps?
Paulus: Not too many. Making apps is not something that just everybody can do. You need people with the skill and knowledge to do it.
Tom Keller: “Three hours of work”
Golden Oldie: How did you get the idea to make a smartphone app for AEGEE-Budapest?
Tom Keller: In the recent years the PR and IT policy of AEGEE-Budapest was based on innovation and now the time has come to have an app, because the penetration of smartphones with Android OS reached a significant level.
Golden Oldie: What are the main features of the app in content and technology?
Tom: The application uses all of AEGEE-Budapest websources, it gathers all the data you can find on Facebook, on our official homepage, on our Youtube channel and the international events of AEGEE-Europe.
Golden Oldie: What feedback did you get from your members?
Tom: Mainly positive, accessing all our important data with just few clicks is really impressive for our members, only the web-based style and the lack of offline use can be mentioned as a negative point.
One of our members told me that it was a really good moment, when he could show the app and AEGEE-Budapest’s advance in the use of technology to members from other youth organisations.
Golden Oldie: How many people are using the app?
Tom: Officially it was released on the 25th of September on our homepage and it was tested on 14 Android devices in the last week.
Golden Oldie: Did you make apps before? What kind of? What else did you programme?
Tom: Well I used and made some projects with Google’s Android App Inventor, but just for testing the possibilities and to experience the logic of the system.
Golden Oldie: How much work was it to make the app in hours?
Tom: With data collection, research it was about three hours max.
Golden Oldie: How much would it cost to ask a company to program it?
Tom: Depending on the features the app has I would bet between 100 and 150 Euro, but I’ve never seen a price list with these services.
Golden Oldie: Are you still improving the app? Any features you want to add?
Tom: I’ve ended my career as IT officer of AEGEE-Budapest, so I am not improving this application anymore. Adding an offline members’ database with contacts would be great, but there are some privacy issues with this. A Foursquare integration witch check-in function would be also a great idea.
Golden Oldie: Did you make only an Android version or are you planning other platforms too?
Tom: This native app was designed for Android, because this operation system allows you to download applications and install outside its app market. Of course I could upload it to the Android Market also, but there’s a registration fee.
Golden Oldie: In 2 years from now, what do you think how many antennae will have own apps?
Tom: If I’m right then now there are two native AEGEE applications in the network, I think there’s a high correlation between the growth of the smartphone penetration and the upcoming apps. The usage of apps and the permanent development is up to the future member’s of AEGEE.