Recommendations for distribution

Scripture App Builder
1

In a month we’ll have the dedication of our New Testament. I have basic versions of the app for both iOS and Android (no audio yet). I am wondering what is the best way to publish these. From looking at previous messages, it seems that I’m best off putting it on the Apple iOS App Store myself. What about the Android version? Do I have to do that myself as well, or can I use the publishing service? Anything else I should be thinking about at this stage?

Thanks,
John

2

The latest version 5.4 has the ability to publish Android apps through the recently released Scriptoria service. It is built into the app.

Without audio to go with the vernacular and no second version included in the app, getting it into the iOS App Store may fail due to lack of features. A unique language with few resources published does not count as a feature in their scheme of things.

There is a PDF called Distributing Apps that is accessible from the Help menu of SAB. Read that too.

3

OK, thanks for that. I guess that I’ll hold off on iOS (not that I anticipate much demand for it at first), and look into the Scriptoria option.

4

The app Publishing checklist (at https://software.sil.org/scriptureappbuilder/resources/ ) also highlights promotion

How are you going to let people know about your app? Will you use social media (e.g. Facebook)
marketing? Do you have a budget for paid advertising, e.g. using Facebook Ads?
IMPORTANT: Please take this subject of app marketing strategy seriously. It is not enough to create and publish an app: we want to see it used!

There are lots of ways to do this.

  • With every New Testament you could supply a book mark with instructions of how to download and install the app or how to share it phone to phone.
  • As part of the dedication church leaders could encourage people to use their phones there and then to tell someone the New Testament is available as a book and an app. In one day can they let every Mussau near and far know that God’s word is in their language.
  • There’s a very simple screen recording app https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.spectrl.rec that people could use to record themselves using their Bible app, so that even before you have the audio version people can be sharing videos of portions of scripture being read. (I searched facebook for Mussau and there seem to be a few people and groups online)

Lots more possibilities. What ideas do you and others have for promotion and for some follow up to find how people are using the scriptures?

5

I can’t seem to make anything of the Scriptoria links. Clicking on Scriptoria gives me a message that the web site is down. Clicking on Request Access gives me a JSON error and then a request for an organisational invitation. Finally, saying I want to use Scriptoria and going to the Scriptoria tab and clicking Go to Scriptoria Website takes me to a login page. When I log in with my Google sil.org address, I get the same JSON error and this message:

In order to use Scriptoria, you must be a member of at least one organization.

Please contact your organization administrator to discuss receiving an invite to an organization on Scriptoria.

I would have assumed that SIL was a member organisation, but it’s hard to know what is going on.

I was planning on having the app promoted at the dedication. We have two dedications, one in the village (no network coverage), and one in town (3G signal most of the time). There are some very well-connected people in town, and I will sit down with them before the town dedication to make sure things can be promoted properly at the time and in the following months.

6

Hello,

Sorry for the problems. Thank you for posting here. I invited you to the Wycliffe USA organization. I will correspond via email shortly to help with the rest of the details.

Chris