I would second Mike's worry about lock-in. We were using Everytrail, were just setting up a little workshop to show the public how to use it when lo! it disappeared - had been bought by TripAdvisor but then neglected and removed from the app store.
We could get data points down - but there was no way of getting the full works (images etc) dumped out for upload to another package.
Whatever vendor you choose and whatever app/webservice technology you choose you may have this problem, so looking for the most open platform that also works for you is a consideration.
Annette
________________________________________
From: Museums Computer Group [[log in to unmask]] on behalf of Mike Ellis [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 20 January 2016 10:22
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [MCG] ready-made guided walk 'apps'?
I guess what would concern me about using some of the services mentioned
is lock-in. Writing and developing tour content is quite an investment
in time. "Free" is great, but if you're using 100 people hours putting
in stuff but then can't get it out again things are likely to go
pear-shaped further down the line when vendor goes bust / stops
developing service / gets bought by Google / etc.
My gut feel (am I right? maybe I just know the web better than I know
apps!) is that this content lock-in is probably particularly true of
apps, and something else worth thinking about? Don't know.
ttfn
Mike
_____________________________
*Mike Ellis *
Thirty8 Digital: a small but perfectly formed digital
agency:http://thirty8.co.uk <http://thirty8.co.uk/>
* My book: http://heritageweb.co.uk <http://heritageweb.co.uk/> *
Nick Clarey wrote:
>> We haven't got any plans for developing an app as the costs are so
>> restrictive and the
>> general consensus seems to be that if your website is dynamic and
>> responsive enough you
>> don't really need them.
>
>
> That's an interesting remark - I think that the prevalence and popularity
> of apps on mobile suggests otherwise...! I think a great web experience is
> essential for the desktop, but I really don't think users are gravitating
> to mobile web applications. Putting aside the offline benefits (which sound
> like a requirement in this case), I just don't think the browser experience
> meets what users have grown to expect from their devices.
>
> As for restrictive costs, I expect this will continue to drop as more
> off-the-shelf solutions become available for these sorts of problems.
>
> Best regards,
>
> Nick
>
> On 19 January 2016 at 16:25, Beverley Gormley<
> [log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
>> Hello everyone, I organise the South Lincolnshire Walking Festival and am
>> also heavily
>> involved in the organisation of Lincolnshire Wolds Walking Festival.
>>
>> We haven't got any plans for developing an app as the costs are so
>> restrictive and the
>> general consensus seems to be that if your website is dynamic and
>> responsive enough you
>> don't really need them.
>>
>> Our schedule of walks runs to 35 pages of A5 and is printed, however we
>> also produce a
>> google map on our website that is easily built using Google MyMap. This
>> means that the
>> maps, descriptions, co-ordinates, difficulty levels, facilities etc are
>> all there for people to see
>> whether they're on desktop or mobile. The only problem is that the the
>> details aren't printable.
>>
>> If you're sure you want to upload walks to an app, would iFootpath be of
>> interest?
>>
>>
>> Beverley Gormley
>> Cultural Events
>> Heritage Lincolnshire
>> Tel: 01529 461499
>>
>> Heritage Lincolnshire is celebrating its 25th anniversary as a charity.
>> Find out more about our achievements and special anniversary
>> programme on our website and keep up to date with our latest news on
>> Twitter, Facebook and Instagram
>> www.heritagelincolnshire.org
>>
>>
>> On 19 Jan 2016 at 14:13, Lyndsey Clark wrote:
>>
>> Date sent: Tue, 19 Jan 2016 14:13:15 +0000
>> Send reply to: Museums Computer Group<[log in to unmask]>
>> From: Lyndsey Clark<[log in to unmask]>
>> Subject: ready-made guided walk 'apps'?
>> To: [log in to unmask]
>>
>>> Hello,
>>>
>>> Has anybody used a ready-made 'create a guided walk' app for a site? Or
>> an online guided walks database?
>>> I'm working on a project we're looking to put our walks into a
>> pre-existing 'walk app builder' or a database to share with visitors and
>> also allow on-going walk-generation by groups of volunteers.
>>> We do not want our own bespoke app built because we want to build a
>> growing selection of different walks over the next few years (and we have
>> very little money).
>>> Also, the walks will have to be downloadable as the routes themselves
>> are likely to take people away from 3g signal range.
>>> There are many services out there but if anybody has used one could you
>> please let me know how it went before we spend any money.
>>> Thanks,
>>> Lyndsey
>>>
>>>
>>> Lyndsey Clark
>>> Interpretation - Exhibitions - Engagement projects
>>> www.ltclark.co.uk
>>> @ltclarkuk
>>>
>>>
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