We’re excited to announce the first revision to the Cigar Places iPhone App! This update includes the ability to remove locations from the map, and fixes some small bugs that we found in the search functionality and the Places Nearby feature (read below for news about the next big update!).
Easily Remove Locations From the Map
Earlier this year we re-vamped the way that locations are removed from the map on CigarPlaces.com by allowing unregistered users to easily flag a location a not-cigar-friendly. This update led to a big jump in the number of places that are removed from the map, and increased the overall accuracy of the site.
With version 1.4 of the app, we brought this same functionality to the iPhone!
If you’re browsing the map, and you see a location that you know is not cigar friendly, is out of business, or is listed more than once (a duplicate), just click Remove Location at the bottom of the location’s screen, and let us know why you’re removing it. The location will be removed from the map within 24 hours.
Improved Search and “Places Nearby” Features
Hate bugs? So do we.
In this version we fixed two bugs that were impacting the search features and the function that allows you to find cigar friendly places near you (using the phone’s GPS).
In the past version, a user searching for a city such as London, who would expect to get London, England, would frequently get a smaller city named London that was close to their current location. This felt counter-intuitive, so we fixed it.
Give it a shot. Search for London, Paris, Munich, Tokyo, or Miami, and feel confident that you’re not going be taken to a map that shows cigar friendly places in the 3,000 person township of London, Michigan.
If you happen to be spending a weekend in London, Michigan, just search for “London, Michigan”, and you’ll be taken to that section of the map. Anyone know of any cigar friendly places in London, Michigan?
In the Next Update
We’re working hard at developing the next round of features that we think will make a big splash. Most noteworthy, the ability to snap a photo on your iPhone, and easily add it to the app. We’re also adding a Tips feature that will let you write a quick tip or review of a location. Stay tuned for this version coming up soon!
It’s not uncommon that when we can’t find a reasonable solution to a problem, we set out to create a good solution. That’s exactly what happened in the recent weeks at CigarPlaces.com.
Last week we launched the new Events section of the site. Events will act as a central place on the web for cigar lovers to find great cigar events going on near them.
Also, like the rest of the site, it’s all user-generated, so it’s super easy to add a cigar event that you’re planning or coordinating.
Each location page on the site now includes a section in the right column that lists upcoming cigar events for that location, and the events are also publicized widely across various pages of the site.
See Upcoming Cigar Events in Your City
Clicking a city or state link on the homepage of the site will now take you to a page that lists upcoming events in that city or state (in addition to the cigar friendly places in that area). This is probably the most powerful aspect of the Events section. When we first set out to develop the new section, we wanted to make it easy for cigar lovers to quickly see all of the cigar events that are coming up in their area in the coming weeks and months.
In the very near future we’ll be building out this section to include more robust search/sort features, but for now we think this does a hell of a job.
Spreading The Word
Clicking on the title of an event anywhere on the site will take you to a page that shows the full details of the event. From this page you can also easily share it to your network of friends on Twitter and Facebook, or email the event to friends. People who are planning on attending can also discuss the event on this page and easily add images of the venue or event.
Adding An Event
You can get to the Add Event page a number of different ways.
From a Location’s Page
If you’re on the location’s page on CigarPlaces.com, you’ll see a section that lists upcoming events for that location in the right column. Below the list of upcoming events, you can click the “Add a New Event” to add a new event for that location.
From a City or State Page
On each city and state page, you’ll see a list of upcoming cigar events in that city or state. Below the listing of events, click the “Add It” link to add a new event.
Adding The Cigar Event
If you click through from a location’s page, then adding the event is a simple matter of setting the start and end time (if there is an end time), putting in a title and description, and setting the price.
If you arrive from a city or state page, you need to specify where the event is going to be held. When you start typing the name of the location, the page will show you the places on CigarPlaces.com that match the name that you’ve entered. If the place isn’t on the map yet, click over to the homepage and add it, then return and add your event.
We know that on some occasions events may be held at locations that don’t necessarily belong on CigarPlaces.com (parks, event halls, etc). We’re currently working on a work-around solution for this. Check back soon.
I Already List My Events on Facebook
I’m not going to try to make the point that not everyone uses Facebook. The fact of the matter is, most people do, and that makes it a great place to publicize cigar events. Unfortunately Facebook makes it pretty difficult for people to find cigar events that are going on near them.
You can easily see what events you’ve been invited to, and you can search for a keyword like “cigar” to see a bigger list, but it’s pretty difficult to find something that shows you cigar events coming up this month in Atlanta.
Aside from being a mechanism to easily publicize your events to people that aren’t on Facebook, we’ve created a place that cigar smokers in a city can visit frequently to see upcoming events around them.
Take It For a Test Drive!
Like everything else on the site, this will be a continually-evolving section. Test it out and tell us what you like and don’t like about it!
Last night I had the distinct pleasure of joining Scott Stokke on his weekly cigar radio show, SmokeStack Radio. Scott and I first met through the LinkedIn Group Cigars & Professionals, and I’ve become a huge fan of his show.
It turns out that Scott is a frequent traveler and avid CigarPlaces.com user, so it was great to get his take on the website and the new Cigar Places iPhone app. I had a chance to explain the history of the site and we even brainstormed about some new features for upcoming versions of the iPhone App (if you missed the show, you’ll just have to watch the App Store and see what happens!).
Scott’s interview style keeps the show fast-paced and high energy, and makes it a must-listen for any true cigar lover. He’s also a guy that understands the important role that a good cigar bar or cigar lounge plays in a cigar smoker’s life, and he makes the point known by asking each guest on his show about their favorite memory when they were smoking a cigar (“don’t tell us about the cigar, tell us where you were and what the occasion was”).
I used the opportunity to talk about a yearly Christmas tradition that I have with my close friends, and also to get in a quick plug for one of my favorite cigar bars, The Godfather Cigar Martini Lounge.
Live on Wednesdays at 10pm ET / 9pm CT
Don’t miss it! Add SmokeStack Radio as a friend on Facebook, and visit the Internet Radio America website to tune in (just open the page and wait for the live stream to start – couldn’t be easier).
The Cigar Places iPhone App lets you access the power of the world-wide directory of cigar friendly places right from your iPhone! Watch a quick demo of the Cigar Places iPhone App as it is used to:
- Find cigar friendly places nearby (using GPS).
- Find cigar friendly places by conducting a search.
- Add a cigar friendly place that isn’t on the map yet.
The Cigar Places iPhone app is now available in the App Store here: Cigar Places iPhone App
Since 2008 we’ve been focused on fighting back against regulation that has made it harder and harder to find a cigar friendly place.
With the help of cigar smokers like you who have added their favorite spots from around the world, CigarPlaces.com has grown to include well over 3,500 cigar bars, shops, and cigar friendly places world-wide.
Today we took it up a notch.
With a couple of touches on your iPhone you can now find a cigar friendly place no matter where you are, using the Cigar Places iPhone App.
Find the app in the App Store here: Cigar Places iPhone App.
- Quickly find cigar friendly places near you using GPS.
- View photos and descriptions to find the perfect spot.
- Search for cigar bars, lounges, and shops around the world.
- Add new locations to the map for other cigar lovers to find.
Our goal is to completely change things for all traveling cigar lovers. Our vision is that you can step off of the airplane anywhere in the world and quickly find a place to enjoy a great cigar.
Take it for a test drive and let us know your thoughts. We’re already hard at work on the next set of features for the app, and we’d love to hear your feedback as we enhance and build the next version.
Finally, thank you to everyone that participated in the launch, including the developers and beta testers who were nice enough to test out the app in the field.
This week we’ve made the long-anticipated leap to integrating Categories into the listings on CigarPlaces.com. This powerful new feature will us all get a better understanding of what to expect before heading out the door to check out a new cigar friendly place.
Do they sell cigars there? Is there an outdoor patio to sit at? How about a walk-in humidor? Do they serve food or alcohol?
We’ll now be able to answer these questions with a quick glance!
Adding and Removing Categories is Easy
Like every other aspect of our listing (reviews, photos, etc), we’re relying on you, the local expert to provide the best information. Adding a category to a listing is really very easy. On any listing page, you’ll see an “[Edit]” button, or a “[Categorize this Place]” button (if the place doesn’t have any categories yet).
Simply click the button to bring up the “Add or Remove Categories” window. Click remove next to an existing category if it doesn’t belong, or select a new category from the drop-down and click “Add” to add it to the listing.
Find a place that can’t be categorized?
When going through the design and development exercise, we took a good look at the huge database of cigar friendly places that you’ve added up to this point, and tried to pick out as many categories as we could.
I’m sure we missed some though. If you can think of any that would be valuable, leave them in the comments section below and we’ll add them in.
Now head over to the map and make your favorite listings better!
