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www.thevillagenews.co.za
4 March 2020
New app launched by The Village NEWS Writer Raphael da Silva
services they may need.
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The My VILLAGE app has a geo-positioning facility so it will show users the businesses that are closest to them, first. Each listing will also allow users to “like'' and make comments about a particular business providing valuable recommendations to other users.
fter almost a year of hard work The Village NEWS has launched My VILLAGE, a news, information and tourism application (app) for Overberg residents and visitors that can be easily downloaded from Google Play Store or Apple iTunes directly to a smartphone or tablet. Apart from providing news and information from the Overberg, My VILLAGE will offer a breaking news service that will send push notifications about important events such as fires, flooding and road closures to users. By keeping our communities informed of the latest news and delivering updated reports on unfolding stories, we foresee that the app will become an invaluable tool for residents. In addition, the My VILLAGE app can be used as a handy directory to find businesses in the Overberg. For R50 a month, companies will be able to list their businesses on the app and users will be able to make a direct booking, for a restaurant or tourist activity for example, or email an enquiry to an electrician or plumber, or make contact with businesses whose products or
“We are really excited about connecting Overberg businesses with both visitors to the area and the existing community at the touch of a button. To have all this information about a specific area in a condensed space is really something special and we're proud to be the vehicle that achieves this,” says Dylan Verhave, a Director at PeppaComm, the company that has partnered with The NEWS to launch My VILLAGE. “For example, I've been a resident in Hermanus for a year now and, up to two weeks ago, I didn't even know who to speak to in order to get my laptop repaired. Now, with this info readily available in the business listings, things will become simpler and ensure that local businesses are supported,” says Dylan. “On a personal note, I'm really excited about
staying up to date with events and upcoming concerts in and around the area, something I could never previously do. With the app, these events can be synced into my calendar and I can receive timely reminders,” adds Dylan. The My VILLAGE app follows the successful launch of The Village NEWS website, www. thevillagenews.co.za, last January. In its first year the website attracted over 135 000 users from 198 different countries and territories. “This year, we are hoping to add readers from North Korea, Tajikistan, Yemen, Turkmenistan and Vatican City,” jokes TVN digital team member, Mitch Scholtz, as an indication of the global reach of the website. “We are hopeful that the My VILLAGE app will be just as successful as the website,” adds Mitch pointing out that the number of website users this year has nearly doubled compared to the same period last year. “Interestingly,” points out TVN publisher, De Waal Steyn, “50% of the website users live either in Cape Town or Gauteng, a very clear indica-
tion of the interest that these very important markets have in our region. We expect My VILLAGE to appeal to Overstrand residents and visitors first and, over time, to Overberg residents and visitors.” While My Village will be a valuable information tool for residents and visitors, there are some challenges. “Probably the two biggest challenges will be dealing with the data intensity of the app and keeping up with the frequent changes,” says Eugene Rousseau, Head of Development at PeppaComm. “As the app grows and as more users join, the amount of data available in terms of content will grow, and the increasing number of users will consume more data. Dealing with data is tricky. Only so much data can be stored on the device and still be relevant, while on the other hand, using a network connection to sync up with a cloud-based data source brings with it another set of challenges. You want to use this effectively but still ensure that you are not using too much of a user's data. Also, you need to deal with factors that are not always under your control, such as the loss or speed of network connectivity on the user's side,” says Eugene.
PeppaComm partners with TVN Originally developed to service smaller communities, PeppaComm is partnering with The Village NEWS to expose the My VILLAGE app to a broader unlimited national and international audience, in a way that was not envisioned before. “My VILLAGE is an excellent opportunity for PeppaComm to test itself in a large community environment where downloads of the app are by choice rather than by directive or necessity,” says Dylan Verhave, a Director at PeppaComm and a Hermanus resident. “My VILLAGE opens up the PeppaComm platform to a public forum which allows us to test its capabilities on a much larger scale as well as tap into an industry segment we have not yet played in. This could escalate our growth by exposing our platform to potential customers,” says Managing Director, Donald Baillie. “PeppaComm was founded on the basis of eliminating WhatsApp groups in residential estates and small communities like churches which wanted to share more than the odd text message and re-
port issues and faults in a more orderly and controlled manner. It then mushroomed into more than just a platform to deliver a message, it became a complete communication and community hub for all things happening and relevant to a specific group, in this case, the residents of the Overberg,” says Dylan “WhatsApp Groups cause too much noise and people use them to discuss personal nonsense in a public forum. Emails are simply being ignored due to the large number people receive on a daily basis and insights into the community's needs, likes, wants, issues and grievances are often missed as there are simply too many digital platforms for them to communicate on,” adds Donald. “PeppaComm was born from the need to address these issues in any community by creating a single digital platform that could address just about every communication and engagement requirement that a community may have through our feature-rich offering,” says Donald. “We'd like to see PeppaComm become the
leading small-community connector in South Africa and then repeat this model abroad. We feel that we have the tools, team and product for the job and are constantly innovating and listening to what our clients and their ‘people’ want”, says Dylan. PeppaComm offers a Software as a Service (SaaS) platform that allows small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), such as The Village NEWS, to create their own application (app) by choosing from a list of available modules, a method that is faster and more cost-effective than trying to develop an app from scratch, a process that can take up to a year and costs millions of Rands. Through the SaaS model, a company can potentially launch their app in two weeks after the delivery and licensing in which the software is accessed online through a subscription, rather than bought and installed on individual computers.
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How to download the My VILLAGE app: • If you have an android smartphone go to Google Play Store. For Apple phones, use iTunes. Make sure you are on the South African versions of these app stores. Type in My VILLAGE. • Look for the My Village icon and install the app.
An app is the same thing as a software programme and is most often used to describe programmes for mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets.
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The PeppaComm team are spread across South Africa, working remotely to build their business. Managing Director, Donald Baillie, lives in Cape Town, Director, Dylan Verhave lives in Hermanus while Eugene Rousseau, Head of Development, lives in Johannesburg. PHOTOS: Supplied by PeppaComm
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