Reaching viewers on the go on their smartphones or other mobile devices is getting easier with the many mobile app alerts, and even a desktop push notification, that are now available.  But keep in mind three rules of engagement: Offer user options; take a conversational approach and do not oversaturate with notifications. 

Reporter Daniel Shapiro offers these guidelines and highlights of the various alerts apps in RJI Futures Lab update #106: Using push notification and message encryption. In the notification segment, Shapiro points out that push notifications have been traditionally limited to mobile apps. That is changing, notabiy with Roost, which is a browser extension. 

The apps he highlighted include: 

Breaking News provides proximity alerts

Newsy connects to videos

Hooks lets you set up a variety of custom alerts

Roost offers a service of desktop push notifications.

In Part 2 of the Future Lab report, Jeff Larson, data editor at ProPublica, discusses how he uses two encryption tools, Cryptocat and Signal, with reporter Raven Brown and Katy Mersmann. There is a video version of the entire report.