Please Vote

[Admin]

Hi All

 

We continually strive to provide you with a greater user experience here at Aircraft Pilots so over the last week we have been testing, and letting you use yourself, various "Socialising" solutions. We now need to make a decision so I am asking for your assistance in helping to decide what you think, by way of this poll, which solution we should have. So please don't just use the site, help us to make it better by simply reading the options we have listed here and add your vote to the poll...thanks, it is greatly appreciated.

 

Objectives

 

There are two main objectives:

 

1. To provide an "Instant 1 To 1 Chat Feature" so users can socialise with each other by having live and private chats whilst they are online. This will also be used to provide a feature for users to have instant chats with online Manufacturers, Suppliers, Governing Body Representatives etc
    
    
   
2. To provide "Social" tools for users that use social media accounts and other socialising and fun or interesting side lines however, this must be provided in a way that allows users to elect to display and use, or not to have or be hindered by it at all
    
    
   

 

 

The Options

 

The various options have been on display and available for you to use over the last week and are comprehensively detailed in the thread:

 

http://www.recreationalflying.com/threads/socialising-aircraft-pilots.34517/

 

Option 1: Instant 1 To 1 Live Chat

 

 

Provides an instant chat function ONLY sitting in the bottom right corner of a users screen. Displays the users currently online and their country. Clicking a user starts an instant chat with the other user being notified of a conversation request. Conversation boxes are then listed across the bottom of the user's screen and extra users can be added to the conversation making it a little text chat room.

 

Cost:

 

FREE - maximum 25 users, includes adverts, supplier's logo and branding (Note...once 25 users are reached the chat says "Closed" to all other users...we often have 40 odd users online at the same time)

 

Pro - $24 p/m, 75 users, no adverts, supplier's logo and branding

 

Premium - $49 p/m, 150 users, no adverts, our own Aircraft Pilots branding

 

Option 2: Social Bar with Instant 1 To 1 Live Chat

 

 

Alternative display is just a little Socialise box in the bottom right corner of the screen like Option 1 but when clicked a popup shortcut menu appears:

 

 

 

Provides an instant chat function along with social media and other tools across the bottom of a user's screen. The bar can be contracted to just a little image in the bottom right corner of the screen when not being used (can also be completely turned off in user's site settings). The user has available all their social media account tools like posting to their own social media "walls" as well as tools that Aircraft Pilots can use. There are many different applications (widgets) that can be placed on the bar. The widgets that we would have on the bar would be decided by the discussions with site users on which ones they prefer. Note...there are currently only 38 different apps to choose from however the bar provides a powerful template where we can develop our own apps specific to this site and place on the tool bar for you.

 

Costs:

 

FREE - limited apps (no custom site ones), 15 max apps, 500k site page views p/m, supplier's logo and branding

 

Basic - $4.95 p/m, premium apps (like inc our own chat room etc), unlimited apps (out of 38 + our own ones), 500k site page views p/m, supplier's logo and branding

 

Pro - $19.95 p/m, premium apps (like inc our own chat room etc), unlimited apps (out of 38 + our own ones), 500k site page views p/m, Aircraft Pilots branding

 

Extra Costs - $4 p/m per extra 500K page views

 

Option 3: Social Bar ONLY

 

 

This option is for a Social Bar ONLY so it would be envisaged that as this bar is across the bottom of the user's screen, the instant chat only of option 1 is not possible however, option 5 would be the only way to include instant chat for users.

 

The Social Bar provides for all the different social media needs of users and can be minimised to an icon in the right bottom corner of the user's screen when not required (can also be completely turned off in user's site settings). This option is very similar to option 2 but without the instant chat, is a more worldly recognised Social Bar and has many great powerful apps that can be added to suit user's needs. Note...there are currently only 75 different apps to choose from.

 

Costs:

 

FREE - limited apps (no custom site ones), 15 max apps, 1m site page views, supplier's logo and branding on bar and apps, no support

 

Pro - $9.95 p/m, 15 max apps, 1m site page views, supplier's logo on bar only, email support

 

Unlimited - $23 p/m (must be paid per year $276), unlimited apps (out of 75), 5m site page views, Aircraft Pilots branding, priority email support, own icons, integrate our chat room, can have 5 bars setup differently

 

Option 4: Aircraft Pilots Tool Bar

 

 

The Aircraft Pilots Tool Bar is independent of the site and relies on the user downloading the tool bar for their web browser. It remains as a tool bar in their browser no matter where they are on the internet and thus allowing the user to not only use their own social media logins, they can be having a 1 to 1 instant chat with an Aircraft Pilots user or chatting in the chat rooms anywhere on the internet. The only elements that relate to Aircraft Pilots is a single drop down menu with links directly to different sections on Aircraft Pilots. The user can customise the toolbar themselves by adding their own apps, like we have done with the listening to ATC app on it. There are many apps that the user can choose from:

 

http://apps.conduit.com/

 

Whilst this option is completely FREE, and caters to all the social media needs and more for users, there are many limitations to it. If a user doesn't install and use it then instant chat would be pointless and limited even though it could be included in the tool bar. So we would still need to have option 5 "on-site" to provide the instant chat function and add that to the tool bar for off-site chat to site users.

 

Costs:

 

FREE - user dependent on what apps they would like to add to it themselves

 

NOTE: This option is some what irrelevant now to consider in this poll as it can always be available to all users however it is included to allow the opportunity to have the option 5 instant chat function included in it.

 

Option 5: Flashcoms Site Messenger (instant chat only)

 

 

A very powerful 1 to 1 instant chat application that is driven by adding an icon next to a user's name for another user to start an instant chat with them. Includes Video/Audio/Text features for those that do or don't have a webcam and great to be able to see or hear something like a supplier demonstrating a tool etc.

 

This option does not include any social media components so for that we could also include options 2 or 3. It could be embedded into a button on the Aircraft Pilots Tool Bar for off-site communication to other site users.

 

Costs:

 

No monthly costs as it is a one off software purchase of $399 (includes the installation and integration to our site and the video/audio component). As a comparison, our video/audio/text chat room with whiteboard we have here cost us $800

 

So there you have it...please vote and let me know your thoughts...thanks

 

 

 

[Guest SAJabiruflyer]

Maybe I need to become more modern, but I personally do not like the idea of a website forcing me to socialise and "link" to things such as FB, Twitter etc. If you havent already thought of it, i'd like an "opt out" option. But then again, it's not my site, you do what you feel you need to do

 

 

[Admin]

I thought I made it very clear, but perhaps I may not have, that users will choose if they want to use this or not...there will be a user setting that you click to turn it on or turn it off...that was one of the mandatory requirements that I set down when I started to do the research...it will only be available for those that want to use it...but thanks for the comment

 

 

[Guest SAJabiruflyer]

I thought I made it very clear, but perhaps I may not have, that users will choose if they want to use this or not...there will be a user setting that you click to turn it on or turn it off...that was one of the mandatory requirements that I set down when I started to do the research...it will only be available for those that want to use it...but thanks for the comment

Excellent. Now that you've cleared that up...

 

 

[Bryon]

Ian said "we often have 40 odd users online "

 

Good one Ian......

 

 

[Admin]

For everyone, the social bar used in Option 2 that shows across the bottom for registered site members can be minimised by simply clicking the little two arrows at the far right of the bar:

 

 

To use the bar as a shortcut bar from then on, simply click the up arrow that shows:

 

 

You will then just get the shortcut popup:

 

 

As you can see when you minimise the bar it is very unintrusive by just displaying a little image...its even smaller then the Instant Chat rectangle of Option 1 and the least intrustive of all the bar options.

 

The poll results will determine which option we end up with and then I will include a user option to turn it off completely, however if the poll results show Option 2 then users will have 3 choice...Bar On, Bar Minimised and Bar Off.

 

PLEASE don't forget to vote in the poll at the top of this thread

 

 

[djpacro]

Ian, just wondering if there are any privacy considerations with these options? (I know it could be a long story so a "yes" or "no" will satisfy me)

 

 

[Admin]

No DJ, if you choose to use it and say use it with Facebook, you have to approve the connection of the bar to your facebook account. I did extensive testing on each option in my development environment including the connecting to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, MSN etc and then tried what I could do to break it, hack into it etc but couldn't..I also checked what packets of data were going through my internet connection and more. There were two bars that I found that didn't measure up with harvesting info so they were not even considered...hope this helps however nothing is 100% secure

 

 

[eightyknots]

Ian said "we often have 40 odd users online "Good one Ian......

Oddfellows, no doubt.

 

 

[Admin]

Here is some more info on Option 2

 

When it is displayed in the condensed version, you can click the Arrow Up to go to the top of the site page or click "Socialise" for a popup menu where you can choose instant chat etc...Note when using the instant chat you have available some great tools to use together with the person you are chatting with:

 

• Whiteboard
   
   
  
• Create a document together
   
   
  
• Share images and videos with each other
   
   
  
• Go to the same site page and discuss a specific element of what you are reading
   
   
  

 

 

Here are two videos that show more on what we can do with the "Skysa" bar:

 

 

Please remember to vote in the poll at the start of this thread

 

 

[Guernsey]

Ian said "we often have 40 odd users online "Good one Ian......

There's actually 41 as I am the one trying to get EVEN.

Sorry Ian, but I have not voted as I do not have a use for the chat features and being not very computer literate poses a problem anyway.

 

I do not use Twitter or Facebook, however I can see others possibly liking it but so far the response has been very poor. Disappointing no doubt.

 

Alan.

 

 

[Admin]

Ok, I can't hang on any further and even with the low vote count it seems that Options 1 and 2 are very close together.

 

I think that some of Option 1 votes were because, and naturally so, not everyone uses social media so just having the "Instant Chat only" was a driver of Option 1. But option 5, which was also an Instant Chat Only option, didn't score that well so one could interpret that as the convenience of the Instant Chat just being a little block in the bottom right corner of the screen was popular.

 

Option 1 was the most expensive option as it has been proven, by the testing, that we need more then the bottom limit of 25 users. This makes the cost of Option 1 being $24 per month ($288 a year just for instant chat). If you compare this to the other "Instant Chat Only" option (Option 5) at a "one off" cost at $399 which includes Video/Audio and Text plus Friends List etc, it makes Option 5 better value especially that we can also have a FREE "Social Bar" as well for those that want to use that, and users that don't can just simply turn the social bar completely off.

 

Now with the vote between options 1 and 2 being equal we can compare option 2 to that above. Option 2 has both Instant Chat as well as Social Media. It can also be made to look like Option 1 in that of a little box in the bottom right corner. Clicking that box not only pops up the Instant Chat, like option 1, but also a list of Social Media options for a user to choose from, if they use social media. Users that don't use social media would just ignore the social media options in the popup list. The other benefit of Option 2 is the extra items do not have to just be social media ones, they can be extra site functionality things that can be called on at any point of the user browsing the site...Aircraft Reg Lookup, Aviation Terminology Lookup etc etc etc, all in little pop out boxes without leaving the page they are on or leaving what they are currently doing on the site.

 

If we also compare the cost of Option 2 with Option 1 (which is $288 a year) we find that Option 2 is only $49.50 a year. This is a huge difference in cost.

 

So, the features and cost of Option 2 when compared to Option 1, and the vote being equal between the two, it is very clear that Option 2 is the way to go. The question left is user impact on both sides of the fence...those that use social media and those that don't...instant chat is common across both and this site must have for its increased features. The secret to user acceptance is to not just have social media elements on the popup list of options but to have some very useful features that every user can avail themselves of. Features like as mention a lookup box of an aviation term and a quick explanation of it is returned for the user, a box that a user can enter an aircraft rego and click lookup and the aircraft info is returned in the box etc etc etc.

 

These are my thoughts on this, do you have any comments...and a sincere thanks to those few that voted and helped this site to provide more for its users.

 

 

[pudestcon]

I voted option 1 but don't really care which one you go for Ian. I probably won't use any version that much.

 

So, as they say... "I'm easy" :)

 

Pud

 

 

[eightyknots]

I don't have Twitter, MySpace or Facebook so I may not use it, Ian. "I'm easy" as well.

 

 

[Admin]

It won't contain just the social media components but also many other tools for you to use for example there is the instant chat function so you can start up an instant 1 to 1 chat with another registered site member if they are currently logged in...that is socialising without the need, or use of, any Facebook, Twitter, MySpace etc...it is just for the registered users on the site

 

 

[eightyknots]

I understand now: that would be a useful function. I am glad I selected the correct option.

 

 

[Guest SAJabiruflyer]

Looking into it further, i'd be inclined to support Option 1.