Dear Gordie,
Thank you for your enduring support of OC and constructive ideas. OC actually did have an app on the Apple store. The app was launched in 2014. The company that helped me develop it ended up closing its doors. So I had to take it offline because I didn't have the needed technical and financial support to continue development and improvements.
Recently, the site underwent another visual redesign which you are seeing now. There are still some bugs here and there that need to be fixed (much like yours truly) but the nice thing about this new design is that it is responsive. Responsive design means that the site and everything it offers can be viewed on various screen sizes, including your smartphone's browser (safari or chrome) as well as tablets, laptops and of course large computer monitors. The site simply resizes to the screen it is being viewed on. On very small screens, e.g. smartphones, some other navigation elements appear to make the site menu and any content in the left and right columns accessible.
So, in other words, it is my hope that this new, responsive design version of the site which makes OC accessible via any mobile device, tablet or computer, makes having an app unecessary.
The other challenge with developing an app and maintaining it on an ongoing basis, is that any new features which I may dream up have to be developed twice...once for the website version and again for the app version, because these are two different technologies. The cost of ongoing app development makes this difficult for me since, as you know, OC is completely self-funded, with the exception of a few generous donors such as yourself. Therefore, my ongoing development of this new design includes incorporating many mobile-friendly elements. For example, if you login to the site from your mobile browser or tablet, you can now playback the audio/songs that members upload. Before, the player was using Flash technology which wasn't supported by iOS.
The chat is another feature that wasn't possible before on the previous version of OC and even through the app. The new chat can also be accessed on any mobile device.
As you know, OC has been a labor of love for a long time. I ask the Lord to bless my work and make this ministry a helpful resource for the faithful. But I also realized some time ago that another social network is simply not enough. Facebook does a great job and many Orthodox people, ministries and churches use it to their advantage. While OC will always provide a similar social networking experience as one can find on Facebook (without the ads and tracking) , my new goal is to transform OC into a place we can learn about the Orthodox Faith through emerging media. I need your prayers and support because the things I want to do will require financial resources.
For the next couple of weeks, I'm working on getting all the bugs fixed and making sure the site is functioning properly on every device. I am also looking into forming a non-profit for OC so that I can apply for grants and solicit donations on a more substantial level.
I also believe in keeping a grass-roots approach as much as possible. Members of OC that want to support my work and the new offerings on the horizon will have an opportunity to pitch-in through forthcoming fundraising appeals.
Thank you again for bringing up this topic and rallying support for OC. Please take some time to try out the site on a mobile browser and write to me with any feedback or bugs you find.
Wishing you all a Blessed New Year!
Fr. Ninos
