May 2011 - Parks & Recreation - 57

Greg Manns: As with the printable completed profile option, this would be a valuable enhancement. It will take some
time to do the back-end programming and development of the
PDF files of the various sections of the profile, but we will make
these download/print options available by June.
" NRPA believes strongly that PRORAGIS will be the most significant benefit ever provided to membership, " Fitzpatrick-Navarro says. " To ensure that is the case we invite anyone with

questions to contact any of the PRORAGIS management team
directly. "
Tara Fitzpatrick-Navarro: TFitzpatrick-Navarro@nrpa.org
Bill Beckner: bbeckner@nrpa.org.
Greg Manns: gmanns@industryinsights.com (for Operating
Ratio Questions)
Priya Sankalia: psankalia@appgeo.com (for the GIS element)
To fill out the survey, visit www.nrpa.org/survey.


Going Mobile

Introducing NRPA's new technology alliance

RPA has recently formed a partnership with
San Francisco-based Guide by Cell, the leading mobile technology provider to over 800 organizations worldwide, including several city
and suburban parks and recreation agencies.
Under the partnership, Guide by Cell will act as mobile technology advisor to NRPA's member organizations and report on
market trends pertinent to the advancement of parks and recreation in local communities.

Why go mobile?
Currently, there are 4 billion mobile phones in use around the
world. 91 percent of Americans own a cell phone, and we never
leave home without them. Mobile is a convenient way to reach
out and engage with your visitors, no matter where they are.

shutterstock

What can you do with it?
Cell phone audio tours-Perhaps the most familiar mobile technology available to parks is a cell phone guided audio tour. Cell phone tours allow you to easily share
interesting facts and information, simply by providing your
visitors with a dial-in access number. Anyone from your organization or community can record a stop for your tour.
Text messaging-Text messaging is
another basic feature you can harness.
Allow your visitors to opt in for text message alerts about seasonal park events,
safety and weather advisories, Little
League games, event registrations,
and any other information you want to
push to your audience, whether they're
at home or enjoying the outdoors. You
can even allow your visitors to text in a
keyword that triggers specific information to be sent to their cell phones. Organizations have used text messaging

in other creative ways such as games, quizzes, visitor surveys
and feedback collection.

Smartphone apps and mobile web
Currently, more than half of the mobile phones in the United
States are web-enabled smart phones, and the number is only
rising. Many organizations are investing time and money into
downloadable Smartphone apps for the iPhone, Droid, and
Blackberry platforms. These are great for displaying driving
directions, Google maps, opening hours, event information-
and they allow you to create a multimedia experience with audio, video, images, or links to a mobile website.
But the mobile web is growing in popularity as a practical,
affordable, and accessible alternative to apps. You can create
one website that's available on any web-enabled phone, without
having to offer multiple sites for different platforms. Imagine creating a multimedia-rich, mobile version of your regular website
and being able to share information that your visitors would normally access online-in the absence of desktop Internet.

Is there a big difference between Smartphone apps and
the mobile web?
Not in terms of function. You can offer your visitors the same experience with either option, but they can
easily access a mobile website without
having to download or update an app.

So what does this mean for you?
Mobile is here to stay. If you'd like to explore your options or have questions
about mobile technology, feel free to
contact us-we'll be glad to advise on
the do's and don'ts of starting your mobile campaign. Contact Guide by Cell,
phone: 877.695.731, email: info@guidebycell.com, web: www.guidebycell.com.. 

www.NRPA .ORG

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May 2011 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of May 2011 - Parks & Recreation