{"id":2265,"date":"2019-07-23T11:32:09","date_gmt":"2019-07-23T11:32:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.tchop.io\/?p=2265"},"modified":"2024-08-14T07:01:09","modified_gmt":"2024-08-14T07:01:09","slug":"tchop-as-mobile-communications-platform-for-communities-of-interest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.tchop.io\/en\/tchop-as-mobile-communications-platform-for-communities-of-interest\/","title":{"rendered":"tchop as mobile communications platform for \u201cCommunities of Interest\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Content<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

There is an undeniable trend of users in the digital world to mingle, exchange views and get informed in closed communities<\/a>. Even Mark Zuckerberg speaks of the end of the classic Facebook newsfeeds and of the fact that the future of his platform<\/a> will be closed groups. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a mobile communications platform, tchop links communication<\/a> experts and editors<\/a> as well as creators and makers with their target groups and users on their most important terminal equipment: the smartphone! Existing online services, communities and contents can be extended to mobile in an efficient way, without complicated IT integration and longish start-up costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this blog post we will illustrate why this is exciting for your \u201cCommunities of Interest\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than a mobile\nplayback device<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It is essential to view your own mobile app<\/a> not just as a technical extension of existing online news services. Rather think of them as a part of your product strategy<\/a> to be permanently developed and understand them as a mobile communications platform which offers more to your own communities – and allows more possibilities. Because we think that good mobile apps<\/a> are always about the notion of \u201cempowerments\u201d, too. It is about what you allow your communities to do (or at least selected users within it) on the most successful device in human history, the smartphone; what you empower them to do with it. It is also about linking the community<\/a> closer with the editorial side and to equip the editorial (or for example single \u201creader reporters\u201d as well) with a more powerful, highly efficient tool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After all, every day millions of amateurs become content producers on\nsocial networks – so why not transfer the simplicity and efficiency of these\nmobile processes into professional, editorially managed communities?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a complete technical solution tchop offers a variety of advantages and exciting opportunities for companies, editors and creators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. A Place for (really)\nall relevant content<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Today even for niche topics there is no lack of content. But often there is a lack of context<\/a> and understanding. This is exactly where \u201cCommunities of Interest\u201d, as a central access point for a specific topic, offers a long-lasting added value. They make it easier especially for users who are not willing or able to follow events on Twitter or the established news tickers and portals on a daily basis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For many smaller editorial departments it is economically not feasible\nto cover all relevant topics with their own self produced articles in a\nsufficiently comprehensive and speedy way. Therefore the curating, commmenting\nand classifying of third party content plays an important role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

tchop makes it easy to efficiently aggregate your own as well as random\nexternal content sources in your own app and create a central access point on\nusers’ smartphones. Lean Input-API and the tchop Integrations<\/a> allow for\nscraping of RSS feeds, social media<\/a> sources or just any website. Newsworthy or\ntimeless content can be combined in one service. In a flexible structure that\ncan be modified dynamically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And by the way: In many communities content is already curated, but mostly outside of your \u201cown world\u201d, namely on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter. An exclusive added value for your own \u201cpaid services\u201d goes missing that way. Many users are happy enough with the activity in these open, external networks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Editorial control<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There is an obvious difference between an editorial service and a social\nnetwork. For that matter tchop tries to rethink \u201ccommunity\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that we think it is wise to let all users within a community to become content producers. Many users do not want that either. We believe in the quality of capable moderators and editors, who know exactly which user in the network can deliver a meaningful contribution to which topics and issues, and who ensure a quality in content that is not available for users in \u201copen\u201d networks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For that reason with tchop the last word and the final control always\nlies with real people, with editors or a communications team made of flesh and\nblood. They decide how and where their own offerings will go \u201csocial\u201d. This\nmakes sure content is up to date and relevant for the target group. tchop can\nbe considered primarily as an efficient tool for such teams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Share content the easy\nway<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

By using the tchop apps editorial community can share, with just a few clicks, all kinds of digital content either via other apps or directly \u201cin the app\u201d (just like in the well-known social networks). This goes for images and videos as well as for tweets or interesting links, because a community will only become a place for all relevant content if the right users in editorial and community are enabled to take part in an efficient way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The focus is on simplicity and comfort, because in the long run\nsomething like this can only work if technology makes it as easy as possible\nfor the user. Therefore tchop deliberately goes for well known functionality\nand \u201cuser patterns\u201d most of us are familiar with from other apps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The possibility to share content in an easy way within your own app or\nvia other apps and to add it to your own offerings – regardless of where you\nare – allows even small teams to curate a daily up to date, relevant news app\nservice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Discussing content in a\nsimple, direct and safe way<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Today exchanges in closed groups on smartphones takes place in chats. It\ndoesn’t matter if it is professional communication in a company (e.g. Slack or\nMS Teams) or on a personal basis \u2013 real time chats are standard. However, for\nyour own community these platforms come with disadvantages: Not every user is\nwilling to use any of these or other specific channels. Users relinquish a lot\nof control and questions regarding data and privacy protection have to be\nraised, which has to be regarded as critical especially with WhatsApp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

tchop is the first platform to link up to date content with a real time\nchat \u2013 in an app of your own. Makers always keep full control over who gets to\nhave an exchange with whom and in which chat group, which chat groups are\nvisible for everyone and which are private. In private 1:1 chats users can give\nfeedback<\/a> or editors can communicate with users directly. The possibilities are\nmanifold and we illustrate them in this separate blog post here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But having your own chat is also a perfect \u201cretention\u201d instrument, because \u2013 like we know from WhatsApp & Co. \u2013 users get push messages for chat news even when not actively taking part in the app. And with each push message your own brand will make an appearance in the \u201cmessage center\u201d of the user’s smartphone!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. A premium user experience<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The majorty of smartphone use takes place in native apps. Basically\nevery important app with corresponding userbase is natively programmed and\ndiffers regarding user experience<\/a> and often functionality of mobile websites\nand the Safari browser, too. On smartphones the brower based internet rather\nplays the role of final destination \u2013 but not that of access point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Users demand a great deal of today’s mobile apps. This presents a\nproblem for many online publishers and communities, because developing your own\napp is complex and expensive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That is why tchop apps rely on state-of-the-art, native app technology.\nBecause only a premium user experience creates acceptance and secures lasting\nuser commitment. And native features<\/a> like real time chat can only be realised\non such a premium quality level with true app progamming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The apps are optimised for iOS and Android, which means they are not one hundred percent identical, but they use the strengths of each platform. So for users UX details are familiar straight away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. \u201cKiller Feature\u201d: push messaging<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Some apps also offer further USPs not available on a responsive website,\nas an addition to an existing online news service. One of the key points here\nare the famous \u201cpush messages\u201d. If used correctly these are, for many users, of\ncentral added value, because they keep the community up to date even ouside of\nthe app. Often these messages perform better than the classic newsletter, with\nopening rates between 60 and 70 percent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Push messages bring users back again and again and in doing so offer\nadditional added value for a brand, because the app icon becomes visible and\nrelevant in the daily news stream of a user. tchop allows for the sending and\n\u201ctiming\u201d of push messages with just a few steps. That way linking important\ncontent in or outside of the app is a walk in the park.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Summary<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you are looking to not rely solely on existing platforms when building your own community in the mobile world, but wants to invest in your own customer relations, tchop provides you with a powerful and complete solution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A solution which combines the main advantages of native apps with the\npossibility to bring together all relevant content in one place, in a most easy\nand efficient way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All the while we at tchop will take care of the complex technology, so\nthat communication experts, editors, creators and makers can concentrate on the\nmost important issues: content and target group!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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