OneSite readies mobile social notification tool, iPhone app
The company, which works with businesses to help them create their own social networks for customers, announces eNotify to bring its services to mobile devices.
OneSite, a company that works with businesses to help them create their own social networks for customers, on Monday announced that it's coming to mobile devices in the form of eNotify. This product, the company's first mobile solution, will provide enterprises already deploying OneSite's offerings a mobile presence. Members of the communities will get a mobile place to find out when friends are online and when special promotions or events are happening.
"eNotify essentially extends the social network community platform beyond the computer by enabling users to follow the latest developments on their mobile device," said Thad Martin, vice president of strategy and business development at OneSite. "It goes beyond traditional syndication tools like RSS by providing users a mechanism to interact with the content they receive by immediately posting a response or forwarding it to others, for example, just like they would from their Web browser."
Aside from updating users about online friends and the news, eNotify can be used by organizations to deliver targeted brand messages to the app's users. According to the company, GPS mapping technology can be employed by retailers and brand marketers to inform users about new product launches and special promotions in their particular area and use the mapping feature to pinpoint where the promotions are taking place.
"Events will be a major part of the application," Martin said. "Event promoters, like radio and TV stations, entertainment venues, and others, can use eNotify to send out instant updates on events happening at a certain time, in a specific location, and to only those subscribers within proximity of the venue, if desired."
eNotify will be integrated into OneSite's current social offerings, but some companies may need to pay an additional fee to have access to the service. That's probably bad news for OneSite's partners: current plans start at $49.95 per month for a bare-bones social-networking package offering features like groups and forums, but quickly skyrocket to $5,000 per month, plus a $75,000 deployment charge if they want full Web integration.
eNotify will officially launch as a free iPhone app later this year and will be followed by additional iterations that will be compatible with any Web-enabled mobile device soon thereafter.