The bookly app has expanded into writing.
Unveiled in May last year by Native VML as a Mxit e-reader app, the bookly platform now allows users to write their own content and submit their work to become what the Native VML team has dubbed a bookly.
According to Levon Rivers, Native VML's head of inventions, building on the success of the original bookly app - it was named "Most Innovative App" at the MTN App of the Year Awards and "Best Start-up" at the annual FutureBook Innovation Awards in London - the introduction of a writing aspect to the app is about encouraging South Africans to tell their own unique story.
There are no strict parameters; writing a bookly could involve jotting down anything from a poem to a short story, Rivers continues. "By expanding bookly into a writing platform, we will allow children and young adults to create content that is relevant to them - and written in their own language. That way, bookly will become a platform that inspires writing, in any language, on any mobile device," notes Rivers, mentioning that the first bookly written in Zulu was submitted earlier this week.
With access to 450 local and international books on the platform, Rivers says that every phone - be it a smartphone or feature phone - becomes a book and the addition of writing as part of the platform is meant to push the readers of these books to become authors too. It can be written by anyone - from famous authors to aspiring ones, he adds, encouraging bookly authors to share their stories on social networks and in doing so will promote others to read and get involved.
"To motivate more children to write, Native VML has introduced The bookly Award. This award will recognise the best booklys. The entry deadline for the first bookly Award is 21 March, with prizes up for grabs for the best content."
According to Rivers, the initiative has received great feedback and support from the South African public, particularly on social media. "This week we even managed to trend on Twitter, which is quite a feat considering the Oscar Pistorius trial is going on too," he says, continuing that they have already been contacted by various authors and educators who want to get involved. Workshops to promote the initiative have been set up in Johannesburg and Cape Town with the aim of inspiring young South Africans to write more, Rivers goes on to say.
From an e-learning perspective, Rivers highlights that there are already various setworks available on the School section of the app. Expanding this platform to feature textbooks would be tricky, says Rivers, because complex diagrams and graphs would have to be included on a feature phone-compatible platform, which he believes is a possibility in the future but it is not Native VML's current focus.
Authors or educators who would like to get involved, can contact info@bookly.co.za.
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