A note about weather closings and changing habits
On Wednesday night, the NewsOK WeatherWatch iPhone application was live on the app store. It was perfect timing, too, since Winter Storm 2010 was bearing down on the state.
Now, I don’t use an iPhone on a daily basis. I use my OPUBCO-issued Blackberry Curve (and I like it). My lovely wife Jenny, however, uses her iPhone daily, so I’m handy with the device (and I like iPhones, too).
I asked Jenny to download the app on Wednesday.
In classic skeptical style that only wives can pull off, she said ….
“Why do I need this app when I have weather on my phone already?”
“Just download it,” I replied. (OK … I said “please.”)
We went through the features on the app — the local blog, the local forecast, the daily forecast videos — and it was a good experience.
“Yeah, well … you need school closings and updates when the weather is bad,” she said.
“Click that button,” I said as I pointed.
Then we went through the Severe Weather page on the app, and saw the weather-related closings, the live chat, the Twitter feed and more.
Victory!
My wife now uses NewsOK Weather Watch as her weather app.
Here’s proof. I woke up Thursday morning and was getting ready for the morning routine — getting three kids to day care and getting them ready for school.
Jenny had already said good-bye to the children as she scooted to work, and we didn’t speak about the weather that morning. As I noticed my 9-year-old lolly-gagging around the living room, I ordered him to begin making his PB&J (because he won’t eat anything that the school chef — yes, chef — makes).
“We don’t have school today,” the 9-year-old said.
Interesting. No school means no PB&J. He can eat lunch at the day-care facility.
“How do you know?” I asked like a good journalist should.
“Mom said so. It was on her phone.”
The app!
I checked NewsOK Mobile on my Blackberry as I put on my shoes. There it was — “Edmond Public Schools, closed Thursday.” The story was confirmed.
As I reflect on our weather coverage over the past couple days, I remember the story of Thursday morning most of all. It shows how our media habits are constantly changing. I use my mobile device for NewsOK news updates, for reading NewsOK’s live chat during Oklahoma City Thunder games, for keeping up with the NBA scoreboard on ESPN, for reading Berry Tramel’s blog, for posting on Facebook.
And the habits can change overnight. Jenny used the NewsOK WeatherWatch app and alerted our children that school was canceled (next time, I hope she tells me). I used my mobile device to confirm the news (never trust a 9-year-old about school cancellations).
We never opened a laptop, never turned on a computer and never turned on a television.
If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
Comments
No comments yet.
Leave a comment