Friday, October 13, 2017

Have you tried the "Bible People" Alexa skill yet?

I recently created an Alexa skill called "Bible People". Thank you if you've already tried it out!

I'm planning on putting more names into the skill to add more variety to the quizzes and allow more people to be looked-up (the skill has a quiz mode and a look-up mode). The sky's the limit! You can give me suggestions by commenting on this post or contacting me via social media (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn).

If you haven't tried using the skill yet, it's definitely not too late. Here are some tips:

  • You'll need to have an Amazon account to use Alexa. Amazon doesn't charge you to set up an Amazon account. (Amazon only charges you if you start buying stuff from them.)
  • If you have a smartphone or a tablet that uses either a flavor of Android or Apple software (such as an iPhone or iPad), you might be able to install the "Amazon Shopping" app (which is free). Once you get the app installed, you just click on the microphone icon (you'll need to give permission to the app to use your phone's microphone) and say "open Bible People".
  • If you're more traditional (like me) and you have a laptop or desktop computer, you can use the simulator website (you would need a microphone hooked up to the computer).
  • The easiest way to use Alexa is to use a dedicated Alexa-enabled device. (But those cost money and it might not be practical to get a dedicated device in your house just to try out my skill.)
  • If you want to try to use the skill, but you're running into issues using on of these avenues, just let me know because I'd like to provide assistance.

Amazon's Alexa developer promotion from last month included a challenge to reach 100 unique users. How close is my "Bible People" skill to reaching the 100 unique user goal for its first month? Amazon gave me a "metrics" page to see how many people have been using the skill. It's hard for me to tell for sure. I might be halfway there. Or maybe I'm getting close to halfway there. (I've definitely been making progress, though I'm not sure what aggregation I'm supposed to use for their 100-unique user goal.) So feel free to tell a friend today if you like the skill or think they might be interested.

Amazon has another Alexa developer promotion for October, so I'm thinking about creating a new skill this month. I'm accepting suggestions if you have an idea for my next skill!


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