New apps available for ChalkySticks - Pool table + people finder

[mattkenefick]

It has since been released and is in all three app stores. If you currently have the iOS app, there was an update today that fixes a few obnoxious bugs you may have noticed.

Apple - https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/chalkysticks/id976472356?mt=8

Android - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pm.chalkysticks

Windows - https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/apps/chalkysticks/9wzdncrdm2mg

Mobile Site - http://m.chalkysticks.com

The app now allows you to suggest new places, submit revision data on places, has more details on certain places, and generally works far better than before.

If you're unaware of this at all, read more about it at http://www.chalkysticks.com. Basically it helps you find other people that play pool and bars / pool halls near you wherever you happen to be.

There have also been some updates to the Pad tool ( http://pad.chalkysticks.com ) that make it easier to use text, share diagrams, and more. If it's good enough for Darren Appleton to use, you'll probably like it too. ( http://fb.me/82i2mCUtf )

Tournaments will be coming soon. It shows you tournaments closest to you, let's you sign up for the roster, view brackets in real time, and more. A fair amount has been implemented and we'll try to work specifically with a few places to start. Eventually we'll open it up to more players so they can host their own.

There should be a good amount of venues setup in New York, San Francisco, Philadelphia, and Raleigh at the moment. It takes some time for me to add locations, but we have details and photos on roughly 300 places so far.

There may not be a lot of beacons being activated near you currently or check-ins, but that's because the word needs to spread. If you like ChalkySticks and the other tools, please support it by spreading the word and continuing to use it to encourage others to also use it.

It's a personal project of mine and I've spent many hours designing, building, revising, etc and spent many dollars building, hosting, and supporting it. It's free too, so there's that.

Thanks!

 

[mattkenefick]

I think this is an excellent idea and hope it gets used. None of the other similar apps/websites ever have information near me. Have you considered some required fields for adding entries? Somebody near me added a bunch of places, which is great, but only the names of bars their addresses and phone numbers are there. I would never bother with any of them because I don't know if they have a 7' quarter table pushed into a corner, or a dozen 9' tables and a great happy hour.

I understand that too stringent requirements might hurt participation, but good participation is better than just participation. I could name a dozen bars in my neighborhood that have pool tables, but only about 3 might be worth going to and only 1 has a table where you're likely to get challenged if you're looking for a game.

At the very least I'd want to know how many tables they have. Additional fields (some multi-select) could include table sizes, regular and happy hour rates, quarter or hourly tables, free play days, whether there's a lively scene. Do they host leagues or tournaments?

None of this feedback is to take away from the work you've done.

Thanks! If we all like the idea, we have to keep using it and sharing it with people. Otherwise it'll never grow.

As for your feedback about the required information: I 100% agree. If the information doesn't have images, that means I haven't gotten to it yet. I intentionally tried to automatically populate data in the top 50 cities in the country so it would have a little bit here and a little bit there. I figured it'd be better than seeing nothing in most cases. There is a little "Revision" button on the bottom of each venue where you can suggest details to us, and then we can add them in the CMS.

Currently, I've been trying to fill out data mostly for New York City, San Francisco, Philadelphia, and Raleigh. I intend to cover as much as possible, but there are only so many hours in the day.

It's funny you mention the leagues, happy hour, etc because this is what the CMS looks like: http://cl.ly/420a3C1W1B3G

Then when I get revisions from you guys, they come in and look like this: http://i.imgur.com/CUO9mvw.png


So we have the ability to add all that data.. but I just need more time or more people to help fill it out. Revisions help, suggesting places helps, and I've even given access to the venues section to some users to add their own.

 

[Black-Balled]

While the info you suggestt is definitely useful, it might be more hassle than it is worth: who is going to check the integrity of the info?

I think this is an excellent idea and hope it gets used. None of the other similar apps/websites ever have information near me. Have you considered some required fields for adding entries? Somebody near me added a bunch of places, which is great, but only the names of bars their addresses and phone numbers are there. I would never bother with any of them because I don't know if they have a 7' quarter table pushed into a corner, or a dozen 9' tables and a great happy hour.

I understand that too stringent requirements might hurt participation, but good participation is better than just participation. I could name a dozen bars in my neighborhood that have pool tables, but only about 3 might be worth going to and only 1 has a table where you're likely to get challenged if you're looking for a game.

At the very least I'd want to know how many tables they have. Additional fields (some multi-select) could include table sizes, regular and happy hour rates, quarter or hourly tables, free play days, whether there's a lively scene. Do they host leagues or tournaments?

None of this feedback is to take away from the work you've done.

 

[mattkenefick]

That's a problem with anything crowd sourced. Anybody who reads Yelp or Amazon reviews knows that half the information is garbage so you sort through the crap and figure out what might be accurate. Room owners could contribute and try to make their places look better than they are. I'd be surprised if it was much of a problem in a small community of users.

So far I have been doing integrity checks on these things. I don't add it if I don't see it. I check multiple sources to see if there are pictures of food, ok "Has food". Things like "Has League" etc aren't added unless I personally know it or someone specifically tells me about it.

The "Revise this place" feature on each venue is there to encourage actual locals to submit information based on personal encounters; which is also reviewed and updated.

 

[mattkenefick]

Had to uninstall. On Android it kept opening by itself when my phone is locked. The interface appears full screen with Android buttons (back, home, etc) disabled so the only way to get out of it is a reboot. I thought I was just leaving my phone on in my pocket at first but it happened too often for that to be the problem. Let me know if the issue gets resolved and I'll try again.

What in the world.. I've never heard that one. I don't blame you though, that's super annoying.

Can you tell me what type of phone you have and if you know the Android version? Like... Samsung Galaxy S5 with Jelly Bean (or 4.2, or whatever it is) That way I can try to look at that sort of thing specifically.

Anywho, good news is that you could try to view the mobile site in Chrome browser instead (http://m.chalkysticks.com) I can't imagine that Chrome would ever open automatically when it's locked. The mobile site should function the same way as the app.

 

[mrinsatiable]

great idea

great idea!! i've just downloaded it and have sent you some information regarding a tournament.

 

[BmoreMoney]

android 5.0.1 running htc sense 6.0 on a htc one m8. In each instance i would take my phone out of my pocket and see on the lock screen that the gps was trying to find my location. I would unlock the screen and the app would be open full screen with navigation controls inaccessible.

quick run!!!!! They found you!!!

 

[mattkenefick]

Android 5.0.1 running HTC Sense 6.0 on a HTC One M8. In each instance I would take my phone out of my pocket and see on the lock screen that the GPS was trying to find my location. I would unlock the screen and the app would be open full screen with navigation controls inaccessible.

I see the issue. I'll work on it and let you know. The soft buttons disappear when the phone goes to sleep and wakes up.

 

[mattkenefick]

Android 5.0.1 running HTC Sense 6.0 on a HTC One M8. In each instance I would take my phone out of my pocket and see on the lock screen that the GPS was trying to find my location. I would unlock the screen and the app would be open full screen with navigation controls inaccessible.

I updated the version in the app store to 1.3.7 which should fix the missing buttons. I tested on HTC One (m8) with 5.0.1 and it seemed to work correctly as far as I could tell.

If the location isn't working, I've had to adjust my location settings on my old 4.2.2 tablet like this: http://www.chalkysticks.com/image/screens/android-location.jpg (right is for older models, left is for newer models I think)

Do you have to do that too on yours, or does the location just work? I've only seen this on some Android devices. Windows, iOS, and mobile are usually fine.