One of our most important feature releases to date is also among the most versatile, creating an endless amount of content opportunities. We’re proud to introduce our new Custom Content!

This new feature turns the ShoutEm platform into a CMS in which you can add blog posts, song lists, or anything else you can think of. We’ve created a few modules for specific uses, such as our Menu module for restaurants, as well as our People module which creates bio-style lists.

However, you’re welcome to create any list from scratch using our various schema, through the “Add New Content” feature. For the full rundown, keep reading below!

People

The People module allows you to list groups of people such as general staff bios, team rosters and more. Its formatting allows for easily identifiable thumbnail images and name information on the list screen.

After selecting an individual from the list, you’ll see more details on who they are, created using a WYSIWYG description builder and various contact related fields.

Here’s a quick walk-through of the item creation process in our builder:

• First/Last Name - The name of the person who will be the subject of the bio.
• Biography – A WYSIWYG entry box which allows you to write a brief bio of the person.
• Image – An image file of the person. Currently this must be a file, rather than a URL reference.
• Phone – The phone number at which this contact can be reached.
• Email – The email address the person can be reached at.
• LinkedIn profile URL – The URL location of the subject’s LinkedIn account, for example: http://www.linkedin.com/johndoe.
• Twitter page URL – Provide a link to the person’s individual or company Twitter account, for example: http://www.twitter.com/shoutem.
• Website URL – The URL address where you can find the persons person or company website.

As with all Custom Content, you’re able to group, section and itemize these lists in any fashion you wish. Using a basic company as an example, you can create a “Staff” group, separate them by department via sections and the employees would be the individual list item. Let your imagination take care of the rest!

Menu

Our new Menu list is fairly self explanatory, in that it allows you to created sectioned digital versions of your menu. Customers will know exactly what they want when they walk through the doors of your establishment. Rotating specials list? No problem! Last minute change to the third-course? They’ll be the first to know.

Let’s take a look at the menu-item creation process:

• Name – The name of the menu item or dish.
• Description – A brief description of the item, which will display on the main list.
• Price – Price of the item, where currency can be determined by a keyboard character, based on your local currency.
• Image – An image file or photo of the menu item.

You can use the new sectioning feature to separate your menu items by time of day, cuisine or anything else you can think of.

New Content

In addition to the main People and Menu modules, we offer a few other list content types and opportunities under the “Add new content” option. They are:

• Event – Similar to our Events module, allows you to create a custom calendar of events.
• News article – The static content equivalent of our News module, write articles or blog posts from within the builder.
• Shop – Allows you to list shop-based items, and use existing URLs to link to your product’s e-commerce solution.
• Song/track – For musicians or podcasters the ability to reference .mp3 or audio files directly, negating the need for RSS-based audio elements.

Feel free to build and test some of these list-types to see what will best fit the style of your app. Also, keep in mind that the Menu, People and New Content lists can be used in any way you wish, you don’t have to adhere to the content-type specified by their module.

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We built these features based on our customers’ suggestions, and we look forward to seeing what you create in the coming months! If you have any questions during the list creation process, don’t hesistate to contact us at shoutem@shoutem.com.

Happy building!

The Deals module allows you to create deals or coupons, redeemable at the point of sale, to give your app users some incentive to visit local businesses, or merchants you have partnerships with.

There are many options included in this module, which allow you to based your deals on a certain timeframe, amount of coupons offered and more. Keep reading for more details on this new feature.

Setting up your Deals module

As with our new “Custom Content” features, you’re able to create a “Group” which is an overlying module. This allows you to create different icons based on your deal situation. For example, if you app focuses on both restaurants and entertainment, such as movie ticket deals, you’re able to separate these icons to make it easier for your user to find the deal they’re looking for.

Also, you can choose to create sections in the Groups. Using restaurants as an example, you can create sections for breakfast, lunch or dinner deals, or whatever combinations you can think of.

Once you’ve created these Groups and Sections, you’re free to begin adding your list of deals. To do so, select “Add item” to begin.

Here you’ll see many different options to customize the individual deals, which are listed below.

• Title – The title of the deal is how you want to display the deal to your user. Typically this is a short summation of the deal.
• Description – Here you can add additional information about that particular deal via our WYSIWYG editor.
• Valid From – This allows you to set the dates the deal will be active. Also, you can choose to make your deals available on certain days, by using the checkboxes below this option.
• Between – Choose which time of the day your deal is available, or select the “All Day” option to make it good at any time of the day.
• Time Zone – Set the main time zone your deal will be a part of, or draw its time from.
• Regular and discounted price – Set the original price, and the discounted price to show the user how big of savings they’re receiving. Also, you can choose your local currency, based on the localization of your app.
• Coupon expires in – Set the amount of hours the deal will expire in after a user has claimed it. This helps prevent users from stacking coupons and not using them, so other users can have a chance to redeem the deal.
• Number of coupons – Make your deal exclusive to any number of users. For example, if you’d like the first 10 to redeem to have this opportunity, the app will limit the number of individual deals available to 10 for that deal.
• Image – Here you can upload an image that pertains to that particular deal. If it’s a certain dish or album cover, upload the appropriate image to coordinate with the deal.
• Link – Refer back to the business, or any particular link that relates to the deal.
• Location – If you have our “Places” module enabled, you can tie your deals to custom created or Foursquare locations, which makes it easier for users to find the point of redemption or business.

Deal Redemption for Users and Merchants

After your deals are created, and published to the app, users will see the deals they can redeem. To be eligible for these deals, users must log-in to the the in-app social network through a Twitter, Facebook or proprietary app account. After they’ve completed this process, there is a multi-point process to final redemption.

1. Your user accesses the deal, which gives them the initial option to claim the deal. This reserves the deal for the user for the amount of time you designate under “Coupon expires in”, mentioned above. If the deal/coupon isn’t redeemed during this time period, its claim is reverted and the deal is opened up to another user.
2. Redemption is meant to be at the point of sale, whether initiated by the user or the merchant. If there are special rules that are to accompany the redemption of the deal, we encourage our customers/deal-makers to include this information as part of the deal description.
3. When the deal is redeemed the merchant is given a bar-code and corresponding coupon code to track redemptions. How merchants and business decide to handle these redemptions at the point of sale is entirely up to them, as Shoutem only offers the tools by which to deliver the deals.

Any Questions?

We’re happy to help! Hit us up at shoutem@shoutem.com.

If you haven’t tried us out yet, we’re free to build and test. You can register here.

Open Mic List, created by comedian Max Goldberg, is an app that features a simple list of open mic locations available to comedians to get a little practice, test new material or launch their careers.

Max was kind enough to take some time to answer questions about himself and the app, found below.

Tell us a little about yourself, and what prompted you to to create the Open Mic List app…

I love stand-up comedy. From an artistic standpoint, stand-up comedy is a meritocracy — anyone can start performing at an open mic, without the need of an agent, booker, or manager. The only things needed to get on stage are some jokes, and the knowledge of where the stage is located. That second part always drove me crazy. I’ve been a stand-up comedian in Los Angeles since I was in high school, and I’m 27 now. Los Angeles is a very expansive city that basically requires folks to use cars, and gas prices are some of the highest in the country here — and open mic comedians tend to be poor. The comedy open mics around town were always changing, and I needed a good way of knowing where the closest open mic was going down. There were some show directories online, but I always had to print out the list, stick it in my car, figure out what was closest, and hope the list was up to date before I got to the gig. When I finally got a smartphone years later, and this type of app STILL didn’t exist, I decided it was time I just make it myself. Open Mic List does all of this for me now auto-magically.

Your app is limited in its feature set, but its strength is in its simplicity. Was that something you intended?

Definitely. I saw a need for very specific features — finding nearby comedy open mics — and I built the app to serve that need. I added some social sharing, but I strove to keep it very straightforward and simple to use. I also kept it free for the same reason: I want people to actually use and benefit from the app.

Who were your favorite comedians growing up? Presently?

Recently I’ve been listening to Doug Stanhope, Myq Kaplan, and Bill Burr (all Northeast comedians) and mixing it up with Chris Rock’s stuff from the 90′s.

Some people don’t realize that comedy can be a tough business, what keeps you going?

It’s not entirely a business, which leaves room to stay happy. I started doing stand-up because I absolutely loved it more than anything else, not because there was a paycheck. I work hard to get that paycheck now, but what ultimately motivates me is a love of the work itself.

It looks like you’ve expanded your open mic list to Boston, anything else in the works?

Definitely! We’ll be featuring every major comedy market before the summer time. I want the world to laugh more, and better, than we do now. And I want comedians to feel empowered, not powerless.

Any words of wisdom for those who are currently creating their app with Shoutem?

Like every other indie project on the internet, the most time-consuming parts will be building a database of content, and graphic design.

Parting thoughts?

If you’re a comedian needing more stage time, or a novice looking to get your foot in the door, Open Mic List can help. You can learn more about Open Mic List here.

If you giggled at my comedy video, you can follow my comedy work here:
http://www.facebook.com/maxgoldbergcomedy

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Download Open Mic List today!

We’d like to thank Max for sharing his thoughts, as well as choosing ShoutEm to build his app! You can download the Android/iOS versions of the app using the images below.

If you’re looking to create your own mobile app, ShoutEm is free to build and test. Sign up for your account today and you could be the next ShoutEm success story!

Step 1: Enrollment

To begin the application process for our agency program, visit ShoutEm.com/agencies.

We have two packages to choose from in this program:

• Medium  - $280 a month, including a white-labeled dashboard, individual client login and additional support and training resources.
• Large – $850 a month, which add phone support solutions and a white-labeled version of our Mobilizer test app for iPhone.

These pricing plans include their equivalent in apps. For example if you choose the $280 plan, you’re able to build $280 worth of apps as part of the package. Any apps after this amount has been reached are subject to regular pricing, minus your 10-15% reseller discount.

When you’re ready to apply for the program, select the large yellow “Apply Now” button at the bottom of the screen.

Step 2: Setting Up Your Dashboard

After you’ve been approved for the program, it’s time to create the custom elements of your domain specific builder.

You’re able to customize the following:

• Agency Name – Enter your agency, company or personal name.
• Custom Domain – After changing your domain’s CNAME settings, you’ll see your builder at the domain, or subdomain, you choose.
• Logos – Add your own branded images, which you and your clients will see when using your custom builder.
• Brand Color – Select a single color which is in line with your brand.
• Welcome Message – Write a brief message welcoming your clients to your app builder.
• Company Email – Designate an email for notifications and support emails to be sent to and from.

Step 3: Logging in and Creating an App

After you’ve set this up, and your domain change has propagated, you can log in to your account at the address you’ve designated previously.

Here you’ll able to create the apps that will be under your agency’s fold:

If you have an existing account and apps with ShoutEm, these will be migrated into your new builder. Should these not appear immediately, let us know at shoutem@shoutem.com and we can migrate apps for you manually.

After you select “Create It”, you’re brought to the same app builder that you’re familiar with.

Step 4: Giving Access to Your Client

Agencies will see a new tab at the top of the builder, called “Moderators”:

Should you wish to do so, you can create an account for your clients to manage their own apps. Enter a user name and email address for your client, and you’ll be given a temporary password for them to access their app. In this case the password is: test5509, seen below.

When the user is created, they’ll receive an email from the “Company Email” you designated in Settings welcoming them to your platform. They’ll also be prompted to change their password to whatever they may choose.

Step 5: Client Login

After your client has finished these final steps to create their account with your new builder, they can log in via the dashboard at the URL you’ve designated in settings.

Clients differ from your admin account in the following ways:

• Your client can see only their apps, or the apps you give them moderation privileges to see.
• Clients can modify the app, create content and other features/functions of the normal app creation as if they were the admin of their app.
• Clients cannot upgrade pricing plans.
• Clients do not see pricing details, and most importantly, any references to ShoutEm.

That’s it, we here at ShoutEm hope you enjoy your new business opportunities!

Remember, as member of our Agency Program, you receive priority support options. If there are any questions, please feel free to send a message to us at shoutem@shoutem.com.

We arrived on a refreshingly rainy Austin night, and decided to explore the downtown area, heading down to Sixth Street.

Saša (left), Nika and Luka (taking picture) having a great time on Sixth

In anticipation of the Trade Show, we did quite a bit of work to transform our booth from this:

A bit vanilla, don't you think?

To this:

Much better! (From L to R) Nika, Saša, Gasper and Josh

You can see why our booth caught people’s eyes! With chocolates strategically placed, life-sized app literature carefully strewn and smiles on our faces, we were ready to share ShoutEm with the masses.

The team making friends while explaining our features

We made sure that everyone who stopped by had enough knowledge about our platform to go back to their hotel room, home or office, and build an app with ease. We almost lost our voices, but it was worth it to connect with everyone on a more personal level. We met people from all over the world who wanted to talk apps, and it made us happy to see that mobile technology is a true international experience!

Josh answering questions about ShoutEm. He was a demo machine.

In the spirit of keeping Austin weird, we had some lighter moments. Our CTO Saša provided some of the comic relief.

Saša (CTO/Comedian) having a good time at the booth

Saša loves cars, and took the crew on a test drive with a brand new Camaro, courtesy of Chevy.

A man of many faces. Good thing we had Nika's million-dollar smile!

You could say that we literally left our calling card in Austin… We were walking back to ShoutEm HQ and saw that Saša’s business card had been deposited on a nearby street. ShoutEm has a firm grip on street marketing!

After the photo op, we gave the card a dignified exit. Keep Austin Clean!

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We look forward to seeing everyone at SXSW next year! We made some great new friends, had some late nights on Sixth and ate enough BBQ for a lifetime… or until next year.

Thanks for helping make SXSW a success for us, from ShoutEm!

Year by year the SXSW community grows steadily, and every year there are more events to keep track of. Drinkups, film premieres or label showcases, the list grows by the day. This year, ShoutEm and GarysGuide have teamed up to put every event into a simple, mobile solution, the “Austin Party Guide” app.

The Austin Party Guide provides a handy events list for the duration of SXSW, whether it’s interactive, film or music related. Detailed event descriptions let you know more about the event or its sponsors, RSVP status and much more. Location-based features point you directly to the event with convenient maps or directions.

If you’re one of many with a hectic schedule, leave the rest to the Austin Party Guide, your personal party-planner.

Available for Download Now!

Be the one to confidently lead your team to the next event. Be the one who’s first in line and first to the bar. Be the one who buys ShoutEm their first drink… kidding, kidding, but seriously…

Download the Austin Party Guide today!

Austin Party Guide – iTunes

Austin Party Guide – Android Market

ShoutEm’s Austin Party Guide, in stores soon, is a go-to app this year, giving festival-goers the inside scoop as to where and when the parties will be, who’s putting them on and key information about the events. We’re making it easier for the masses to find your event, so you can share your company’s triumphs and developments with as many as possible.

We’re also offering an exclusive NYC startup/tech events list, which allows others from around the globe to get a closer look at why New York tech is home to the best and brightest in web, film and music.

Our in-app social network allows you to exchange details, check-in to the parties and share your comments and photos from the events.

We’d like you to be a part of our app, whatever your presence may be this year!

To add your event, fill in the conveniently pre-crafted email below.

NYC Startups

Interactive

Film

Music

Be sure to stop by the ShoutEm booth, number 339 in the Expo area, to get a glimpse of how our app creation platform works. We’re building personalized demo apps for conference attendees to share to their friends, and we have some AMAZING Croatian chocolates to satisfy your sweet tooth.

We hope your SXSW 2012 is a success. See you there!

ShoutEm is pleased to announce our new “About” module, which allows you to tell others about yourself, your business or whatever you’re representing!

Now it’s easier for users to find your contact or profile information at the tap of a finger. We’ve included many different options in this module, detailed below.

Features

Company name –  This part is fairly self explanatory. Although it says “Company name” you can add any information you’d like in this space, if you’re an individual, a band or whatever applies.

Address –  Enter your address information and the module will provide users with an address and map to find your location. If you don’t wish to display this information, you’re free to leave it blank.

Picture – Here you can add a picture of yourself, a company logo, or any image you’d like to represent you. Any image over 600px wide will be resized to fit this app, anything under will remain the same size. You’re free to “Change” or “Remove” the image whenever you’d like.

Info – In this section you’re given room to tell others about yourself, what your company does, or the history of your business, as a few examples. You can also add links to to section.

Phone – Add your phone number here if you’d like to be contacted from the device, or otherwise.

Email – You can enter whichever email address you’d like to be contacted at. As always, these elements can be changed later if you wish.

Website URL – If you have a site you’d like to point users to, you can enter your full URL here.

Twitter page URL – Add your full Twitter profile URL, and users will be able to see your profile to send you a Tweet, follow you, and more.

Facebook page URL – Direct users to your Facebook page to let them share on your wall or “Like” your page.

Remove ShoutEm branding – Customers on the Advanced plan or above can hide Shoutem branding in this specific module by unchecking this option.

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Build Your App Today!

As always, check back here at the ShoutEm blog for more information on feature releases and other announcements.

If you haven’t tried us out yet, you can start building your app with ShoutEm today by signing up here.

]]> http://blog.shoutem.com/2012/02/22/getting-to-know-our-features-about/feed/ 0 http://blog.shoutem.com/2012/02/14/shoutem-shares-the-love/ http://blog.shoutem.com/2012/02/14/shoutem-shares-the-love/#comments Tue, 14 Feb 2012 15:15:34 +0000 Josh Wolff http://blog.shoutem.com/?p=3568 Continue reading →]]> Dear Valentine,

ShoutEm is happy to be part of a vibrant mobile app community, which has added around 500k jobs in the past 4 years! Without all the app love over the past few years, we wouldn’t be having as much fun as we are now. As a token of our appreciation, we’d like to show our love and bring someone new into the community!

Hop on Twitter and catch us at @ShoutEm. Tell us which app you love the most, and why. If you have some room, throw in some #applove for good measure!

We’ll choose a winner at random to receive A FREE APP/SUBSCRIPTION TO SHOUTEM! Considering the cost of a custom-developed native app, which can range from $5k to $50k, this is a huge value! ShoutEm is all about providing quality iOS and Android apps at a decent price, and our customers currently enjoy one of the most affordable app experiences around.

We appreciate the support of our customers and those who’ve stopped by to check us out. As always, we’re free to build and test, so why not sign up today?

Love,

ShoutEm

Feel free to share this infographic and embed it in your website.

Small – 600px wide
<a href="http://blog.shoutem.com/2012/02/07/infographic-the-history-of-mobile-app-stores/"><img src="http://blog.shoutem.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/mobile-app-stores-history-small.jpg" alt="History of App Stores" width="600" height="1746"/></a><br /> Brought to you by ShoutEm – <a href="http://www.shoutem.com/">App Creator</a>

Medium – 760px wide
<a href="http://blog.shoutem.com/2012/02/07/infographic-the-history-of-mobile-app-stores/"><img src="http://blog.shoutem.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/mobile-app-stores-history-medium.jpg" alt="History of App Stores" width="760" height="2212"/></a><br /> Brought to you by ShoutEm – <a href="http://www.shoutem.com/">App Creator</a>

Big – 960px wide
<a href="http://blog.shoutem.com/2012/02/07/infographic-the-history-of-mobile-app-stores/"><img src="http://blog.shoutem.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/mobile-app-stores-history-big.jpg" alt="History of App Stores" width="960" height="2794"/></a><br /> Brought to you by ShoutEm – <a href="http://www.shoutem.com/">App Creator</a>