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Summer 2019 Updates

Sometimes you can see the changes and sometimes they’re behind the scenes, but we’re always working to make Anikio better! Here is some of what we’re doing and planning to do over the next few months:

What’s New

1) Email – We’ve improved the email that is sent to landlords when tenants fill out an inquiry form. In the past, an error in the way some email applications worked caused the Anikio logo used to get bigger and bigger as the email was written. Great as that might be for brand recognition, we’ve done away with that. Now emails look great no matter what you use to respond to them! Another small improvement is the ability to click the phone number and call a tenant back right from the email (thanks to a helpful user suggestion).

2) Easier Search – We found that some of our users didn’t even know that from the main page you could expand the selection within Saskatoon (or Saskatoon & Area) to see regions and neighbourhoods. We’ve made those arrows bolder, and easier to click for the chubby fingered. On top of that, there were a few pesky bugs with the Preferred Search not properly resetting that have been dealt with.

3) Direct Linking – In the past, when a listing was marked as rented by thje landlord, it would not be visible even if the user went directly to the address – they would get a 404 (not found) error. Now, users are shown the listing with contact information removed and a message stating that the property has been rented. Better for users, better for Google, better for all of us!

What’s Next 

1) Recently Rented Property – We’re working on a module that will let you view properties that have recently come off the market right from the home page (and evenutally as a page all its own). So that property you were looking at last week that disappeared – you’ll know it’s because the landlord found a tenant.

2) Photo Sorting – Some recent updates have created issues with our photo sorting not saving. We’re working very hard to fix this… and make it possible to do so from your mobile phone!

 

 

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Wrapped Up in Anikio Swag

Dean, decked out in Anikio swag

Last week I ordered copies of the newly completed Anikio brochure from Vistaprint. And then, probably because I was excited to get them, and because there was a special price offered when I went to check out, I decided to also order an Anikio mug. Oh! And Krystal had been saying we should have Anikio shirts made, particularly for when we go do photo shoots and virtual tours. So I ordered three of those, too, even though I knew my logo needed a bit of optimizing before I could really get it embroidered. One for me, one for Gabe (our official photographer), and one, of course, for Krystal.

They all have arrived now, an exciting moment combined with a “maybe patience is not only a virtue but could save you some money” moment. The photo you see above is me at my desk working on a few more Anikio features decked out in swag. I was genuinely excited, don’t get me wrong, but here’s what I learned:

1) RTFM – Read the $%&%@$& manual. I created the brochure in Microsoft Publisher, and at the last minute I noticed a few things missing and so I made some quick edits and reuploaded. I ordered a small run of 25 on two types of paper (thankfully I was cautious). However, on one of them, I mixed up the front and back covers, and so it folds backwards. Maybe I can use those for folks from countries where they read right-to-left? But thanks to Murphy’s law, the bad layout is on the expensive paper. I also observed that when the images snap into place on Vistaprint, it doesn’t snap to the fold like it’s supposed to. All that said, they do look pretty good, I’ve made fixes and will order more when I get through these.

2) Not on white – I don’t mind the shirts really. The small “Find It, Rent It, Love It” was removed, probably because it’s too small to embroider well, but I would’ve liked it there. The logo looks fine for not having been optimized, but the shirt is a little thin and the white is kind of plain. So I’m going to try on blue I think, when Darren (our graphics guy) gets a chance to rework it.

3) The mug looks great! I put the picture I use for the Anikio homepage on the back (which is maybe a bit homely) but I enjoy having that mug on my desk. Krystal may take it to work for some free advertising though. So I’ll have to order another. Anyone else want one?

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Major Update to Social Login

Hi all, Dean here! Some time ago, Google announced that it was ending its Google Plus social media platform. That wasn’t supposed to affect us, even though we did use it to make logging in quick. Unfortunately, in the last couple weeks, a few new users reported that they were seeing a warning message when they tried to register. It turns out that it did affect us and we had to completely redo the way that login works.

So the good news is that we have just deployed and tested, and as far as we can tell, everything is working great! There is no longer an issue for new users and existing users won’t even notice a difference. Furthermore, changes did affect Facebook login but you shouldn’t notice anything on your end either except faster login. Woohoo! The only bad news is that we no longer receive an email address when signing in with Yahoo, so Yahoo users will need to manually enter their email address when they register. Once registered, everything will work quickly and painlessly.

Concluding, everything should be running great for our existing users and new users alike. Users creating an account with Yahoo just have to enter their email address. So why the post? Because if there are ANY issues you encounter with logging in, registering, or creating an account, please send us feedback asap! It will be much appreciated.

Happy renting!

Dean