[coip]

This thread is about the #MobileEquality online social movement. Please read below for details and then head to the official Twitter account (@MobileEquality)

A few months ago we organized an online social movement (the #SaveXboxWP movement, described here) to encourage the development of Xbox games on Windows Phone. The movement has had a lot of success on Twitter, garnering replies from Microsoft Studios, Ubisoft, and others.

In light of Tinder recently forcing Microsoft to remove Rudy Huyn's excellent 6tindr 3rd-party substitute from the Store, I think it's a good idea to start a similar, but more general, movement to encourage companies that don't currently have official apps on Windows Phone to support the platform. In the past, other users and I have used the #MobileEquality hashtag to call out companies like Grindr and Geico to port their iOS and Android apps over to Windows Phone. Using this hashtag enables us to keep track of the tweets of other WPcentral activists, regardless of what company they are calling out, and re-tweet them in support.

WPcentral has recently given a lot of attention to the 'app problem' as well. Feel free to post below the Twitter handles of companies you want to call out, and then feel free to search Twitter for #MobileEquality to re-tweet your comrades' tweets too.

Update: All of the online pressure seems to have knocked some sense into Tinder: they are now working with Rudy to make an official Tinder app for Windows Phone. Given this success story, we think it's a good idea to target other companies, but with a uniform attack strategy in which we all tweet at a particular target for greater effect. I will update this post here with the current target as it changes.

Current Target: All companies are fair game. Feel free to tweet to them asking them to make a Windows Phone app. Be sure to include #MobileEquality in your tweet. Remember, at any time you can click this link to search directly for other #MobileEquality tweets.

[mpt15]

This is a nice move. :-)
@ZyngaGames
I would really like if Zynga improved the quality of their games on WP. Somebody please contact them I dont use twitter so I can't make the request :-(

[sueha]

This is a nice move. :-)
@ZyngaGames
I would really like if Zynga improved the quality of their games on WP. Somebody please contact them I dont use twitter so I can't make the request :-(

Well, why dont you just sign up for Twitter, where is the problem? I only use Twitter for WP stuff, don't have any followers or friends. Come join us :)

[Zapella Tiago]

Nice! Done!

[greedypnguin]

Were gonna need a lotttt of people for this to have any effect

[shamrock1988]

Rudy was keen on #save6tindr. I'll go with that in that case

[pgg101]

Bottom line is developers are not interested in native WP8 apps in comparison to iOS or Android. They will look at marketshare, then look at the amount of time required to build it. It's just isn't worth it. I think HTML5 is going to be good for WP8 and BB10. For example, https://m.hmvdigital.ca/ pretty much feels like an app. MS should include an Android runtime just like BlackBerry 10. I have Amazon App World, Google Play(snap), and other cesspool android markets like 1mobile. I'm not a big app user myself, but it's nice to have Google Maps on my device, and the option of installing 99% of the Android apps on my phone.

Sent from my BlackBerry Z30 using Tapatalk.

[coip]

Rudy was keen on #save6tindr. I'll go with that in that case

The problem with that is that it is limited to just 6tindr. There are thousands of more companies snubbing Windows Phone than just Tinder, so why limit it to just them? Regardless, you do know that you can include more than one hashtag in a tweet, right? Why not use both #save6tindr and #MobileEquality?

Bottom line is developers are not interested in native WP8 apps in comparison to iOS or Android. They will look at marketshare, then look at the amount of time required to build it. It's just isn't worth it.

Rudy has shown that a one-man team can make a quality app in just a few weeks time, so I don't sympathize with any company who says it takes too much time and resources to make an app. If they don't want to do it, toss a few grand towards Rudy or another developer and let him make it for you.

[Jordan Mills]

Well, why dont you just sign up for Twitter, where is the problem? I only use Twitter for WP stuff, don't have any followers or friends. Come join us :)

Because twitter pretty much sucks. A few well written posts on popular weblogs would do a lot more.

[greedypnguin]

Twitter sucks??! You my friend, are crazy :P

[coip]

Because twitter pretty much sucks. A few well written posts on popular weblogs would do a lot more.

Sorry, but a few blog posts will be nowhere near as effective as having a ton of people continually dinging the Twitter accounts of companies. Twitter is way more popular than any blog out there, it's more public, and we can be sure that the companies we are targeting are actually getting the message (because it dings their accounts every time you write @Tinder, for instance, and every time it's re-tweeted). Twitter is definitely the way to go with campaigns like these.

[anon(123856)]

Well, why dont you just sign up for Twitter, where is the problem? I only use Twitter for WP stuff, don't have any followers or friends. Come join us :)

While in this case it is a noble cause, some of us don't like Insta-Face-Twitagram or any other so called "social networking" and aren't interested in the slightest.

[coip]

While in this case it is a noble cause, some of us don't like Insta-Face-Twitagram or any other so called "social networking" and aren't interested in the slightest.

So how about emailing, telephoning, or hand-writing letters of complaint to these companies instead? While Twitter is definitely the easiest and most effective, it wouldn't hurt to attack them from all sides.

[WanderingTraveler]

So how about emailing, telephoning, or hand-writing letters of complaint to these companies instead? While Twitter is definitely the easiest and most effective, it wouldn't hurt to attack them from all sides.

E-mails normally lead to automated responses, or at least a clueless person working behind a desk. (Stephen Elop is an exception.)
Phone calls? If it's large enough, chances are they're outsourcing it to the Philippines/India.
I don't really think letters are effective either. The letter may arrive several weeks late, rendering it ineffective (and considering the fact that I'm in the Philippines, this is the norm, so np can do.)

They're all worth a shot. I personally know some companies that actually respond to these

[despertador]

E-mails normally lead to automated responses, or at least a clueless person working behind a desk. (Stephen Elop is an exception.)
Phone calls? If it's large enough, chances are they're outsourcing it to the Philippines/India.
I don't really think letters are effective either. The letter may arrive several weeks late, rendering it ineffective (and considering the fact that I'm in the Philippines, this is the norm, so np can do.)

They're all worth a shot. I personally know some companies that actually respond to these

It's pretty obvious when you get an automated response. That being said, I haven't seen many companies that seem to actually respond, without it being an automated response.

[coip]

Indeed. This is why I suggested Twitter. I was just giving other options to the anti-Twitter folk.

[anon(123856)]

So how about emailing, telephoning, or hand-writing letters of complaint to these companies instead? While Twitter is definitely the easiest and most effective, it wouldn't hurt to attack them from all sides.

I have no problem emailing a company to show my support of WP. I don't have an interest in a lot of these apps though. While I'm fine with the general concept of getting more apps to help grow the platform I just don't get all the clamoring for these trendy, flavor of the week apps regardless of the platform. I also agree with Wandering Traveler's assessments. Have you actually emailed or called a large company lately? It usually leads to anger and frustration because that's exactly what they want. They don't want to help you. That will cost them money.

[coip]

Have you actually emailed or called a large company lately? It usually leads to anger and frustration because that's exactly what they want. They don't to help you. That will cost them money.

Which is why I recommended Twitter: it's fast (takes a few seconds to compose a tweet) and public (everyone else can see it), which makes the company more likely to address or respond to the issue, because they don't want bad publicity. Twitter and Facebook are the greatest things to happen to customer service since the 30-day exchange policy became standard.

[anon(123856)]

Which is why I recommended Twitter: it's fast (takes a few seconds to compose a tweet) and public (everyone else can see it), which makes the company more likely to address or respond to the issue, because they don't want bad publicity. Twitter and Facebook are the greatest things to happen to customer service since the 30-day exchange policy became standard.

Except that I think social networking is dumb and don't want any part of it. I'll just have to go to old school (email) when I feel the need to bug a company.

[mpt15]

While in this case it is a noble cause, some of us don't like Insta-Face-Twitagram or any other so called "social networking" and aren't interested in the slightest.

my thoughts exactly.

[sueha]

Funny thing that some here are calling social networks bull****. I mean, this thread is about saving an app for a social network lol :D I am confused :D

[coip]

Funny thing that some here are calling social networks bull****. I mean, this thread is about saving an app for a social network lol :D I am confused :D

Indeed. And nevermind that posting comments on a forum like WPCentral isn't all that different from posting things to Twitter. I don't get the hate for social networks like Facebook and Twitter. Sure, people post some pretty stupid stuff on there, but at their core, both services are extremely useful and it's up to you how you want to use them. I've been a Facebook user since it started rippling out in early 2004, but I avoided Twitter until about a half a year ago because I thought it was stupid. Now, I love it.

[anon(123856)]

Funny thing that some here are calling social networks bull****. I mean, this thread is about saving an app for a social network lol :D I am confused :D

You're not confused, It's called irony. I didn't say that they are bull****. I said I think they are dumb and don't want any part of them. Some of us don't need/want our face in a phone 24/7. I don't want a 1000 "friends" I've never met. If you or others want to participate in them, go right ahead. It won't bother me a bit.

[anon(123856)]

Indeed. And nevermind that posting comments on a forum like WPCentral isn't all that different from posting things to Twitter. I don't get the hate for social networks like Facebook and Twitter. Sure, people post some pretty stupid stuff on there, but at their core, both services are extremely useful and it's up to you how you want to use them. I've been a Facebook user since it started rippling out in early 2004, but I avoided Twitter until about a half a year ago because I thought it was stupid. Now, I love it.

Again, I think you guys are going overboard. Feel free to social network away. It was you that brought up Twitter again after I said I'd take a pass. I don't hate them, I'm opting out. I don't see any need for me to participate in them and to compare a forum to Twitter is a bit odd. Here you have the ability to express yourself clearly without truncating a thought to 140 characters. Most your posts in this thread as well as mine would have never made it on Twitter. I think we've beaten this thing to death so I'm out of this thread. I do appreciate the fact that we could express our opinions and keep it civil. Thank you for that.

[greedypnguin]

This thread hasn't gone off course at all!