by David Berkowitz , Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Ever since Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC), the coverage I've read has been far more excited about the forthcoming alert upgrades in iOS, Apple's mobile operating system, than the iCloud launch or hundreds of other updates. As more prominent alerts lead to even faster adoption of various mobile services and technologies, mobile social media should be disproportionately affected.
If you wonder why, remember that the Internet was always designed to be for communication above any other purpose. Mobile devices are similarly designed around communication first. We're social creatures, and we'll always pay the most attention to what other people are doing above all else.
To get an appreciation for the potential for how alerts can be used through Apple's mobile devices for social purposes, here are 101 possible examples. These are largely culled from current use cases, or potential use cases for existing apps -- but with a little more time and creativity, this list could reach 1,001 examples before long.
Here are 101 types of mobile social alerts:
1. Someone is calling you
2. You miss someone's call
3. You receive a text message
4. You receive an instant message
5. You receive email
6. A friend starts a video chat with you
7. You're invited to a group chat
8. A group chat's information has been updated
9. A friend joins a group chat
10. A friend leaves a group chat
11. A friend is near you, based on their mobile device entering your area
12. A friend explicitly checks in near you
13. Someone with whom you share mutual friends checks in near you
14. A friend plans to attend the same event you're planning on attending
15. A friend plans to be in the same city as where you are or where you're going
16. A friend follows multiple stages of an itinerary you have shared
17. A friend earns a badge for their check-in activity
18. A friend becomes the mayor, duke, or other leadership title of a venue
19. Someone steals the mayorship or other leadership title of a venue you used to "own"
20. A friend responds to an event you posted
21. A friend sends you a recommendation
22. A friend shares a recommendation with you based on a product they scan
23. A friend seconds your recommendation
24. A friend adds a recommendation to somewhere you've been
25. Your status jumps to a new level because people like enough of your recommendations
26. Your recommendation leads someone to purchase what you recommended
27. A friend requests your recommendation on something they're considering buying or doing
28. Responses arrive for a recommendation you're seeking
29. A friend proactively shares a tip to help with a program or project you're involved with
30. Someone responds to a question you asked through a question and answer service
31. Someone rates your answer as helpful
32. You become an expert for a given topic or location through a Q&A service
33. Someone responds to a poll you asked
34. Someone requests that you answer their poll
35. You receive a photo or video
36. You are tagged in a photo or video
37. A friend updates their photo
38. Someone posts a photo of the event or location where you are
39. A friend takes a photo of the same person, place, or thing you previously shot
40. A friend likes one of your photos or videos
41. Someone responds to one of your photos or videos with a photo or video of their own
42. A friend invites you to listen to their music playlist
43. A friend sends you an application
44. A friend sends you an e-book
45. A friend sends you a virtual gift
46. Someone tweets you
47. Someone direct-messages you on Twitter
48. Someone you follow tweets
49. Someone on a list you follow tweets
50. Your tweet is retweeted
51. Someone tweets using a search term or hashtag you're following
52. Someone follows you
53. Someone sends you a friend request
54. Someone accepts a friend request
55. Your friend shares a status update in their social network profile's feed
56. A friend likes your status update
57. A friend comments on your status update
58. Someone has viewed your profile
59. Someone invites you to play a game
60. A friend makes a move in a game you're playing
61. A friend reminds you to take a turn in a game you're playing
62. A friend beats you in a game
63. A friend beats your high score in a game
64. A friend reaches or surpasses your level of achievement in a game
65. A friend helps you out in a game
66. Someone shares a deal with you
67. A friend invites you to take part in a deal that can only be redeemed if you both participate, whether virtually or in-person
68. A friend sends you a progressive coupon that becomes more valuable the more it's shared
69. A friend buys you a drink or another gift you can redeem in-store
70. A friend offers to split a bill or tab with you
71. A friend's contact information is updated
72. Someone shares a contact with you
73. It's a friend's birthday
74. A friend becomes an expert of a product or category based on their barcode scanning behavior
75. A friend invites you to collaborate on a document
76. A friend updates a document you're both working on
77. A friend sends you a file
78. Someone updates traffic information in your area
79. Someone updates weather information in your area
80. A friend records having a better night's sleep than you did
81. A friend comments on the page of a brand you like
82. A friend likes a photo of a dish you ate
83. A friend changes their relationship status
84. Someone has a crush on you, such as through a dating site or app
85. A potential relationship match is in the same venue or general vicinity as you
86. A food truck or other mobile business you follow enters your area
87. Your friend tunes into the same TV show that you're watching
88. Your friend posts a comment to a TV show you're watching or interested in
89. You or a friend earns a reward for regularly watching a TV series
90. A friend joins you virtually for a run or another exercise program
91. A new potential relative is discovered via shared connections on a family tree or genetic matches
92. A certain number of your friends shared the same link
93. A blog you read is updated
94. Someone comments on a blog you read
95. Your social influence ranking changes
96. A friend installs the same app you're using
97. Someone contributes to a crowd-sourced program you're running or participating in
98. A friend bookmarks something you shared
99. A new friend is added into your search engine's social search results
100. A friend searches for something you've recently searched on as well
101. The public sentiment of a trend you're following materially changes
Remember, this is just the beginning. Also keep in mind that not all mobile alerts are social. Alerts will tell you about sales, travel updates, game updates, and plenty more, but the ones that will really get people to pay attention are those focused on other people. If your mobile program includes communication at its core, you're setting yourself up for success.