Prepping app

[That guy]

I'm currently in the very early stages of making (planning) an app to help new preppers.
At the moment I'm planning to include;

Basic first aid
Equipment (KIT)
Fire lighting
Shelter
Water
Food
Fire
Signalling

I am starting off with just a "basic/beginner" section for people getting started and a "advanced" section will eventually be added for people looking to improve there knowledge.
My questions is this, What else should i include in the "basic" section?

[Britcit]

I like the idea of an app guide, but a list of what to include would depend on your target 'market'.
For example, are you aiming towards people prepping for teotwawki? If so, a guide on foodstuffs to store, how to make water safe, etc would be useful.
Also, bugging in or bugging out may present different challenges, and have different requirements.
Alternatively, are you aiming towards people who prep for more likely scenarios. Flood, fire, power cut ect. In these circumstances, a BOB may be set up differently as the needs are different. Fire lighting and signaling may not be as important as, for example, emergency cash if you need to overnight in a B&B or copies of insurance papers (in case of a catastrophic fire).

I hope I don't seem 'picky' but if you tell us the kind of scenario you are basing your guide on, it may be easier to offer suggestions.

[pixie1111]

Just from a legal point be sure to put in a disclaimer in case anyone follows any instructions or advice given and injures themselves. Being in the current Claim culture we have to be so careful.

[Yorkshire Andy]

It already exists..

[Brambles]

Ooo didn't know there was an app. This means I can take Lofty out on the phone.

[Jamesey1981]

The first thing that occurs to me is does it actually need to be an app?

What functionality is it going to have besides information?
If it is basically a web link and doesn't actually DO anything, then I would say a website is more useful as it can be accessed on any device and doesn't clog up your phone/tablet with an unnecessary app, I personally wouldn't download an app that is just a link to a website or could have been a website, space is at a premium on my devices and I don't waste it on things that I don't need to.
Most devices now also give you the option to download a website for offline use too, most apps are either offline and locally stored or permanently online, and if it could be a website then making it an app actually takes away some functionality rather than adding to it.

Another question is are you planning to charge for it, because if you are it needs to do something beyond what you can do on a website, otherwise you'll get hammered in the App Store reviews and after selling a few you'll never sell any more, in that case you'd be better off making a website and monetising it with Adsense or something similar.

One other thing to consider, you can put what you like on the droid App Store, but if you want to make it available to IOS then you'll need to get it vetted by Apple, so if that's where you want to go with it then build it from the ground up to their requirements as that will save you a lot of work in the long run, and mean that you're not left having to deal with two completely different versions.

[That guy]

Thanks for the comments. It would appear that my time would be better spent making a website than an app. To answer some of your questions;

Britcit. as i'm going with a website now, i plan on having a part aimed at every possibility.

pixie1111. i will look into it.

Yorkshire Andy. Lots of good survival stuff in there but not much on avoiding the situation before it arises

Jamesey1981. at this moment in time it is just going to be info, for free on a downloadable website. once the website is at a good level then i will look into having a worth while app

[Jamesey1981]

If you're going to go to the time and effort of making the website I would say definitely monetise it, you won't get much to start with but if it's monetised from the start then it won't be a big shock if you do so later.
You don't need to charge people to visit, there are various ways you can do it without asking people to put their hand in their pocket.
My YouTube channel is monetised, I've made about two quid, but if it does take off then it won't be a big shock to my viewers if ads appear on it, people expect to see ads online, those that really have a problem with them most likely use an ad blocker anyway so won't see them.
There are various methods of doing it, some are more intrusive than others so by planning well you can have ads show up that will actually be useful to your readers rather than flashing banner ads for online casinos.
Another option to look at is affiliate marketing, if you're reviewing gear you can have affiliate links with eBay or Amazon so you get a small commission if someone buys something after landing on the site from one of your links, I never post affiliate links on here but I do use them in some of my videos if I think they'll be useful.

I'm assuming that you're not doing it for the money and you're just doing it for the fun of it, but if you think about these things now you might find that you can get at least a supplementary income out of it, being a content creator can be hard work, for example, I uploaded a nine minute video to my channel the other day, with filming, travel time and editing it took me a good few hours, I don't mind that because I'm doing it for fun, but it does take time.
Some people understand how much work it is, some people don't, but very few people will begrudge you making a couple of quid out of your work.

One other tip, get in early and buy the domain and claim the social media account names that you're going to want, you might not need them now but you might struggle later, so if you get in early and grab it all before your site starts receiving traffic it will avoid any issues, you can also change the name of your site if someone else has an account name that you wanted without affecting your traffic if you do it before you go live.
Armani actually had to buy Armani.com from a guy that already owned it for an undisclosed but very large sum of money, and they could have saved themselves the money and hassle by getting in early.

[Deeps]

My YouTube channel is monetised, I've made about two quid

#moneybags

[ForgeCorvus]

My YouTube channel is monetised, I've made about two quid

#moneybags

Drinks on Jamesey then.