Version 3 of i-volunteer is underway!
Planning has begun on the next stage of i-volunteer's evolution. The current version, V2, was launched in September last year and brought a host of new functionaility which has been well received by the members. But here at i-volunteer we want to keep the platform moving forward so that it becomes the best possible social networking site for people that loves all things voluntary, so we're constantly looking at ways we can improve it.
Thanks to your feedback over the past 6 months which has been really useful and has helped us to focus Version 3 on sharing and networking. Although we're finalising the full spec as we speak, here is a taster of what's to come:
- Share i-volunteer wall posts with Twitter and Facebook: means that if you write on your i-volunteer wall it can be automatically posted on Twitter and facebook
- Share i-volunteer content with your followers: the existing 'Like' button will enable you to quickly share blogs, events etc with your i-volunteer followers
- Profile and location based homepages: to provide more relevant content based on who and where you are. So if you're an available volunteer, your homepage will show you volunteering opportunities and other content that match your interests, if you're a volunteer manager you'll see posts events aimed at professionals, and for organisations you'll be notified of new available volunteers.
Work will be starting soon and we'll aim to have Version 3 live by the end of September 2011, a year after our formal launch.
Before then we'll be adding facebook like and new twitter share buttons to all content and will also be enabling a way to feature events and volunteering opportunities on the homepage.
Got any ideas for Version 3 and beyond? Please let us have your comments and we'll consider them for future developments.
Cheers guys! @HelpFromHome, yes a 'follow this conversation' on blog comments is on the list and @SimonH we are looking at a rss type feed of events and opportunities for external websites, but we need to see how we can make this work within the budget we have. @nickify lol I wanted chat in v1 but it's a mare to do and there was no real demand for it, but it's certainly an option for future... But deffo to mobile site/app, am out at the mo but back at desk around 2 for a phone chat :0)
I think there could be some features to allow members to interact more with each other and share experiences. i-volunteer is the volunteering social network so features like chat.
I also think some sort of mobile site or application would be great - something I'll talk you, Jamie, about this afternoon :)
It would be nice to be emailed when a blog post has been updated with a response, rather than manually going into the post to see if anything has happened.
Hi Jamie, love the sharing with twitter/facebook idea. It was on my list to speak to you about! Can this development also include synchronising to other websites too? Our own Community Action website for example?
Also like the sound of plugging/featuring events a bit more. Well done so far, as I've mentioned before, I clearly see us making more use of i-volunteer as time goes by :)
Simon