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The Vinyl District, an record store locator app recently created and released using ShoutEm, is enjoying some great success and quality mentions in the press. We thought we’d share some of what’s been said so far!
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There is little that can’t be done with WordPress plugins, as they provide many additional levels of functionality for WordPress sites. Whether you want to turn your site into a podcasting platform, add a smart looking gallery to your site, or integrate with external service such as Facebook, you can find a WordPress plugin for just about anything.
Our latest release of the ShoutEm API plugin on WordPress is all about letting you leverage the power of plugins from your ShoutEm mobile app! We’ve made it easier to integrate the most popular content: galleries, podcasts, events, and video plugins. You can see these new changes via the WordPress import panel in ShoutEm builder, under “Integrations”:
We have provided integration with the two gallery plugins that we feel are the most prominent: NextGEN Gallery and GRAND FlAGallery. There are two aspects of how the galleries integrate with ShoutEm. Firstly, you can use the galleries as photo feeds. For example, the two galleries that we have set up on our test site (safari, and ships), automatically became available inside the Photos section of ShoutEm builder.
For Podcasts, we have selected two plugins: podPress and PowerPress. These plugins make it easy to add a podcast to your posts, and provides a way to create and manage RSS feeds with your podcasts (iTunes podcasts integration is one of the main features). Although you can import RSS podcasts feeds directly into ShoutEm, we now make the integration even easier by automatically detecting your podcast. For example, your “podcasts” feed from WordPress will automatically appear inside ShoutEm builder:
If you’d like, you can mix in podcasts with your news posts. For example, you could have a category of posts relating to sports, and decide to include an interview as part of one of the posts. Even though that post is not in the podcasts category, the interview will be shown inside your mobile app.
For events integration, the following two plugins are selected: Events Calendar and Events Manager. Event feeds from WordPress will be automatically available under the events section of the builder:
For videos, you can directly embed video inside of your posts, or use one of the popular plugins like: Viper’s Video Quicktags or Smart YouTube PRO. Either way, your videos should be visible in the posts on your mobile app.
You can find this the new settings panel by navigating to “Settings”, and selecting Shoutem API from the menu on the WordPress admin interface. You can control all the basic settings of the plugin from this panel:
1) Change the encryption key
2) Control cache expiration – This setting affects the amount of time that the changes to your posts such as updates and/or adding new posts get propagated to ShoutEm app; For example, it would take one hour for a new post to be visible inside your application if your cache expiration time is set to 3600 seconds, or one hour.
3) “Include featured/thumbnail image” – If unchecked, the “featured image” of a post, as WordPress calls it, is ignored and not shown in the app.
4 ) Facebook/Wordpress comments - You can enable/disable these comment options for your application.
5) Plugins Section – The plugins section lists all of the plugins that ShoutEm is capable of integrating with, and shows you a integration status message for each one.
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A big thanks to our own Dino Matijaš for his work on this post!
We’re always here to help! Drop us a line at shoutem@shoutem.com if you have any questions about the plugin integration process, or in general.
Looking to try us out? We’d love to have you! Sign up here to begin work on your mobile app today.
The application submission process may seem intricate at times, but ShoutEm takes care of the heavy lifting by submitting your app to the iTunes Store on your behalf. One requirement, which allows you to release your mobile app under your, or your company’s name, is a paid iOS developer account. We have more details on how to sign up, and what information ShoutEm needs from this process, below.
The iOS developer approval process can take anywhere from three days to a month, depending on the type of account you select (see Individual vs. Company below). It’s easiest to begin the process now, so your account is ready for submission when your app’s review process is complete. We suggest beginning this process immediately, should your application’s approval and in-store date be time-sensitive.
If you already have a paid developer account, you may skip to “Preparing Your Account for ShoutEm’s Submission Process” further down.
If you’d like to release your app in the iTunes store, you are required to sign up for a paid Apple developer account. ShoutEm is unable to release your app under our company developer account.
If you don’t already own a paid iOS dev account, you may sign up for one here:
http://developer.apple.com/programs/ios/
Keep in mind that there are two types of developer accounts with Apple. One is a free account, the other, which you want to make sure you select, is a $99 a year service. The link above will make sure you’re in the right place.
You’ll be prompted with a few options, depending on your existing Apple account situation.
The first option is for those who don’t have an Apple ID account. The second option is for those who do have an ID account with Apple, which is typically your iTunes log-in information.
If you’ve already signed up for a developer account you would choose from the following:
The first option is for those who have the free developer account with Apple. The second option is for those who already have a paid developer account with Apple; Mac/OS X developers, for example.
Individual accounts require less paperwork/verification, and are typically quicker to be approved. However, you may wish to tie your company, LLC or other business entity to the developer account through the “Company” option. Be prepared to provide copies of your company’s legal documents as proof of ownership. This can extend the amount of time it takes to approve your iOS account.
After verifying which is best for you, you’ll be prompted to complete your professional profile for the account. This is a quick, and required questionnaire.
The last choice you’ll make before the Apple account review process is the program type. For now, all you’ll need is the iOS developer program.
Now it’s time for the waiting game… As we mentioned at the start of the article, this process can take anywhere from 3-30 days, and it’s best to be patient and let Apple do their thing. If there’s any part of the process they need to re-confirm or verify, they’ll contact you at the email address you signed up with.
Once Apple approves your your iOS dev account, you’ll have to pay the $99 per year fee and activate the program.
Congrats, iOS developer!
When it’s time to submit your finished app to Apple for approval, we’ll need your iOS developer log-in information.
When logged in at ShoutEm.com, look for the “Publish Info” section in the builder:
As you already have your paid developer account, fill in your iOS dev account log-in information under “Your iOS developer account”.
When you’ve finalized and submitted your app for review, we’ll double-check that your iOS developer account is ready for submission, and email you if we run into any issues.
As always, we’ve got your covered! Send us an email at shoutem@shoutem.com or use our handy contact form.
We hope that your ShoutEm app is the next big success in the iTunes Store!
Just in time for the holidays, we’re pleased to introduce the latest addition to the ShoutEm app family, The Vinyl District! If you’re looking for a unique and meaningful gift this season, why not give the gift of music and support your local record store at the same time? The Vinyl District (TVD) app has a GPS-based directory of record stores around the US, as well as the excellent blog content that’s made TVD the voice of vinyl. We connected with Jon Meyers of The Vinyl District to get his take on the new app.
I like to think of TVD as a virtual trip to any record store with its divergent genres, news, freebies, and whatever else one might find under one roof at any mom and pop shop.
The readership is as diverse – young and old, male and female – who appreciate the warmth of wax or the community that the brick and mortar shops engender.
Firstly and most obviously, it’s a tool for the like minded to easier patronize indie music retailers. Secondly and perhaps more importantly, it fosters a sense of community among fans of vinyl records and the shop keepers, underscoring the value that these brick and mortar shops offer to the actual community in any city.
The GPS-based store locator is an invaluable resource. Couple that with the real time ability to sign in at any store and share your finds on Facebook, Twitter, or Foursquare and you’re building a bedrock of community among the record store …fetishists.
TVD was founded upon my favorite record store memory. My dad passed away in 2006 and of the many, many warm remembrances that I have of him and our time together was the time we spent in the record department of the now defunct chain store, Two Guys in Neptune City, NJ.
Every Saturday afternoon we’d head over there so I could purchase the latest 45s that were blowing up my ears at age 6 or 7, courtesy of WABC or WNBC AM radio out of New York City. Soon I graduated to my first LP—The Beatles’ Rock and Roll Music, the Capitol compilation (with the thumbs on the cover) from the mid 70s, purchased at the aforementioned Two Guys.
Cut to the scene, 35 years later, my most recent and perhaps most cherished ebay item recently arrived in the mail; a sealed copy of The Beatles’ Rock and Roll Music. With a Two Guys price sticker.
Cutting through all the chatter about vinyl and analog recordings being richer and warmer (they are) and the feel and experience of a 12″ x 12″ physical product in your hands (nothing beats it) vinyl was simply…first. And it’s forever ingrained in our culture.
I was a Record World employee in DC the day the first load of CDs arrived at the store for which we offloaded about 50% of the vinyl on the floor in the shop, and I recall all of us looking at each other…”We’re pitching the records for…these?
You could tell it wouldn’t fly long term from the outset (longboxes anyone?) and almost 25 years later that inclination was proven to be accurate.
And cassettes? Well, you know.
In my office at TVD HQ are wooden crates on the floor with nothing but sealed records—copies of records I already own, but in this case pristine bookmarks of a time and place.
Because, aren’t they all?
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We appreciate Jon taking the time to chat with us, and encourage you to check out the The Vinyl District app today! You’ll find the download links below.
The Vinyl District is available in both the iTunes Store and Android Market. We’ve included the links to each version here:
The Vinyl District – iTunes Store
The Vinyl District – Android Market
Enjoy!
If you haven’t explored opportunities in the mobile marketplace, ShoutEm offers an extremely easy solution for app creation. We’re free to build and test, so we invite you to check us out!
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