A new Android store application for the wiki?

[Antvasima]

Hello.

I recently contacted Wikia's staff, citing our recent monthly number of page views according to Similarweb, to ask if they are sufficient to get an official Android store application, and received a reply:

"Hi Antvasima,

There aren't any specific numbers or criteria for when a community is ready to have an app, but those are certainly impressive numbers. I'll pass your request to our mobile team, and they'll take your community into consideration for their next batch of apps.

In the meantime, please make sure your main page is curated for mobile users. This is a requirement to have an app, though it doesn't guarantee that we can approve you for one. You can learn more about how to set up your mobile main page here: http://community.wikia.com/wiki/Help:Curated_Main_Page

Thanks!

Eva Niroomand Community Support Manager"

So, is anybody in the staff willing to spend some time checking out and evaluating what is necessary for us to change to get an Android application?

 

[The_real_cal_howard]

I for one love the idea of a vsbattles app (though I couldn't get it because I have an iphone. I could use my old phone tho). I'll try to look at the link to try to evaluate it, but I don't know much about computer software. Heck, I don't even know if I used software correctly.

 

[CrossverseCrisis]

Does anybody in our staff use a phone that has Android? Cause i don't have one atm so.....yeah.

 

[Antvasima]

Well, the main problem that I could see is that, given how controversial nature that our wiki has compared to ones focusing on a single series, we have had to place links to lots of rules and instructions in the front page.

These are absolutely necessary to keep some semblance of order in the wiki, so if we have to remove them, in order to streamline the front page for the application, we would be in serious trouble.

But maybe it is possible to only streamline the front page for the mobile application, and keep the regular one as it is?

 

[CrossverseCrisis]

Uh......nah.....that sounds like that could cause us into serious trouble indeed, Ant. Nah.....nah.

 

[The_real_cal_howard]

We could always just provide links to the rules instead. Don't we have like, 4 pages for rules? Think of it like the terms of service and agreement (I think that's what it's called)

 

[CrossverseCrisis]

We have like 5 page rules.

 

[The_real_cal_howard]

I think we could always just say something like:

Please read the rules here, here, here, here, and here (pretend there's links on each of the heres.)

It could be ***in asterisks***, or in bold, italics, IN ALL CAPS, or ***ALL*** so people can't miss it.

 

[Antvasima]

We do currently have links to the rules on the front page.

Anyway, that is why I would appreciate if some staff members could try to evaluate this.

http://community.wikia.com/wiki/Help:Curated_Main_Page

 

[The_real_cal_howard]

Links added here can be to any piece of content on your community — articles, blog posts, videos, etc. These items will appear in a slider-style layout that can cycle from one linked image to another.

For each item, you can set the displayed text, the linked page, and an image. Images can be existing images from the community, or you can upload a new one. Use the image cropping guide after adding an image.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

That's from the thing you linked to us. We could do the thing in the first paragraph.

 

[CrossverseCrisis]

Do you want us to do it by phone or even Tablet? Cause i don't have one and i'm more of someone who uses a computer more when going on here and such. @Antvasima

 

[The_real_cal_howard]

Are you sure it can only be for Android, Ant? At best I can use a relative's Android to help if what Cross said is true and we can only do it from phone/tablet.

 

[Antvasima]

Well, maybe it is enough to click the "Edit Mobile Main Page" link, and edit that, while leaving our regular front page layout as it is?

 

[Antvasima]

So, would any of our administrators be willing to start editing the mobile layout page to look fun and attractive for casual visitors?

We should probably strictly stick with linking to the entertaining, and the easy to understand informative pages, within it, not the rules, help section, and calculation instructions.

 

[The_real_cal_howard]

If it helps, I'll give as much advice as I possibly can.

 

[Antvasima]

Thank you.

 

[Professor_Voodoo]

I use Android and i wanna see it if it's made. Also if this goes through....PLEASE tell me this won't be a paid app.

 

[Antvasima]

No. These applications are free as far as I am aware, but, in order to get one, we are under a ticking clock regarding creating a mobile interface for the front page.

 

[TISSG7Redgrave]

so we could have an app for this wiki eh? sweet

 

[Antvasima]

Only if one or more of the administrators and/or content moderators are willing to help out with editing the mobile interface page. I am thoroughly exhausted myself, and do not have the energy.

Other staff members should also feel free to offer advice regarding which page links that we should focus on in the layout.

 

[Ryukama]

I'd hate to sound like a stick in the mud, because I think us having an app would be something extremely cool and fun to have. But it kind of seems like something that'd realistically require more work and attentiveness for the staff than that which would be rewarded through having an app.

Though I shouldn't be the last say on this and if other administrators believe they could handle this on their own, then I support the decision. Sadly I would not be able to assist as I do not have an Android phone.

 

[Antvasima]

Actually, all that we need to do is design an appropriate mobile front page. The wikia app development team would do the rest.

 

[AidenBrooks999]

I like the idea


I have an Android and, due to school and everything, I check the wikia from my phone (Like.... Right now.)

 

[Reppuzan]

I might be getting an Android phone somewhere down the line, but at the moment I have a Windows phone, meaning that I won't be much help in this matter.

I suppose I can pop in again once I do get one.

 

[Antvasima]

Just to clarify: You do not have to possess an Android phone in order to edit the mobile interface for the front page.

There are two edit buttons visible there:

To the left there is the regular one, and to the right the one for mobile phones and Android applications.

 

[Antvasima]

As a content moderator, I thought that it would be visible for you, but perhaps it is admins only locked?

 

[Antvasima]

 

[Reppuzan]

Unfortunately, I only see the standard edit buttons.

 

[Antvasima]

Okay. Perhaps only administrators can see the "Edit Mobile Main Page" button? I took a screen capture above in any case.

 

[Gwynbleiddd]

I don't use my phone to check the wiki so for me this makes no difference, but i see why this may be good for a lot of people.

 

[Antvasima]

Well, I hope that it will increase our number of visitors.

 

[TheMightyRegulator]

I noticed on mobile, you can't actually access the threads from the home page with working in desktop mode. We should likely link the forums, as well.

 

[Antvasima]

I do not think that linking to the forums on the separate mobile layout page is a good idea.

The application is likely just for casual visitors who wish to read the profile pages, and explanations for our terms and concepts, not the ones who wish to interact with others here.

 

[TheMightyRegulator]

Okay.

 

[DontTalk]

Does anyone mind if I add a few random things to the design temporarly (as in delete them again right away), to figure out how everything works and looks?

 

[Antvasima]

I think that would be fine.

 

[Antvasima]

It is probably good to insert a description at the top, about that this is the world's largest English statistics indexing wiki, featuring characters from a wide variety of fictional franchises.

 

[Antvasima]

Then it is a matter of linking to character indexes, and the most relevant information pages.

 

[DontTalk]

Ok, I have looked a bit into it now.

So we first should talk about what comes where.

First in the "Optional Categories" section I would put a link to the "Powers and abilities" category, to the "weapons" category and to the "Important" Category.


For the "Feature Categories"-Section we could make Sections/Categories for "Anime", "Manga", "Cartoons", "Comics" etc. and simply sort in the categories of the verses accordingly.

Additionally I would suggest doing a tab for characters, which leads to categories our characters are usually sorted into, like for once again the different media they come from (so the "anime characters" category for example), gender, species etc.


Leaves the question what is supposed to go into the "Featured Content" tab.

Well, this is where kavpenys "featured articles" contest (or what you want to call it) would have come in handy. I'm not quite sure what we should put there...

Any suggestions for that part?


Aside from that we would require fitting pictures for all the sections (only the top sections for the rest I would just take what is suggested for now). The images will be cropped to squares. So if someone would have suggestions for fitting images that would be great.


I would be willing to take care of sorting the categories into the sections.

 

[DontTalk]

About the description thing: Is that possible? For me it seems like the page is so highly standardized that one can not insert text fields on ones own.