Sunday, November 18, 2012
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Big Data (Really Gets Me)
"Ever since Al Gore invented the internet, gun-slinging entrepreneurs, dusty media giants and wagon trains of marketers have been panning the web for nuggets of consumer data. It’s still the Wild West out there but the California gold rush is over and the Texas oil boom is on. Waiting just below the trickling stream of keywords, likes, and basic demographics is a pressurized cavern of consumer data that Facebook’s Open Graph is threatening to blow sky-high..."
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
There's Nothing Casual About Smartphone Gaming Addiction
No, this isn't a wildlife print by John James Audubon. It's just a bird that I drew this morning on my smartphone.
If you guys haven't downloaded Draw Something yet, get on it. First of all, this brilliantly simple turn-based pictionary game will provide you with hours and hours of fun (outside of class, of course). Secondly, there are a number of elements contributing to this game's success worth noting. And third, I want some more people to play with. (As you can see by my screenshot, I am playing with a random user because my 4 friends who play are taking too long in between turns.)
Draw Something was downloaded over a million times in the first 10 days it was released. As of now, the game is seeing 10 million new drawings every 24 hours. That is a lot of action.
This explosion of growth was made possible because Draw Something was released as a truly cross-platform app. Players can connect with friends via Facebook or Twitter, as well as invite people to play by email. Android and iOS phone/tablet users can play against one another. Also, Instagram has proven to be a surprise marketing engine because Draw users like to post screenshots of their pictures. (It is also worth noting that you are not required to connect with a social network to use the app, if agreeing to the Facebook permissions creeps you out) Because the game made a simultaneous splash on both major mobile platforms with options to connect with the two largest social networks, there was never any friction in the word-of-mouth machine. Some applications lose momentum when they roll out for the iphone and Android users must sit on their hands for another couple months while their version is in development, or vice versa.
The developers, OMGPOP, were smart to incorporate a variety of ways to monetize this app. The free version cashes in on banner advertising. Presumably these ads will have a much higher click-through-rate because they will leverage information collected from the user's social network. Players can also buy virtual goods such as new colors, effects, and bombs for simplifying turns. This ability to collect additional revenue should allow the game to stay profitable longer by adding value for hardcore gamers without turning off more causal users. Interestingly, CEO Dan Porter reports that the largest source of revenue is upgrading to the $0.99 version of the game. The premium version is ad-free, with additional words, and a few extra gold coins to get you started. Overall, it is not all that different from Draw Free. In the end, it seems that the game is so addicting that users don't think twice about shelling out the for the dollar upgrade. Right now, Draw Something is seeing 5-digit daily revenue.
Draw Something's success is not unique. A post this week on the Facebook Developer's blog highlights the success of casual arcade-style gaming. This is one of the oldest app categories on Facebook and continues to be a leader in growth. These games are especially beneficial to Facebook because of their high engagement factor. Users keep logging on to play, boosting page-views and subsequently increasing opportunities for users to see new advertising. In an effort to encourage developers to build upon these games' success, Facebook points out a few strategies for success:
- Bring friends into the game by promoting healthy competition
- Allow people to brag about their accomplishments or highscores by posting leaderboards to timelines
- Schedule weekly tournaments, giving users a specific reason to keep coming back
- Promote collaborative competition and gifting by using frictionless requests
Good game mechanics are proving to be an essential quality for an app's success, and Facebook is continually doing everything it can to create opportunities for developers to drive discovery and re-engament. Digging a little deeper into your favorite time-waster may reveal some great ideas for how companies can use applications to connect and stay connected with their most valuable constituents.
[Originally posted at Big Data (Really Gets Me)]
Sunday, February 19, 2012
It's My Data and I Want It Now!
[Ben Elliot and William Wickey]
How much access do you have to the data you put online? How much of what you do online is being recorded?
In the case of Facebook, the answer to both these questions is "quite a bit."
Facebook now allows anyone to download a copy their data saved. Users now have the opportunity to see just how much they are contributing in a "raw" format. This is part of Mark Zukerburg's initiative to give Facebook users more control.
What’s the advantage? Well, you’ll be able to see JUST how much of your “deleted” information Facebook still holds on to. Also, you’ll receive a comprehensive guide to EVERY action you have EVER made on Facebook. Theoretically, you could even upload all your data to Google Plus and leave Facebook altogether.
Downloading your data is actually quite simple. At the top right corner click “Account Settings”, and then on the general account page find “download a copy” of your Facebook data.
The following information is included in the data download.
It will take time for Facebook to process your request, but eventually you will receive an email with a ZIP file to download all of your data.
"How you download your data on Facebook", a ZDNet article, provides a step-by-step guide of screenshots on how to download your data if further instructions are needed. Also, CNET has released a “how to” video as well.
Once the data is unzipped, inside the main folder are individual’s .HTML files organized by content. These .HTML files consist of photos, messages, events, wall posts, notes, friends, etc. It’s best to open the “Index.html” file for the best viewing options of your data.
The amount of data in the file, viewed as code, really puts into perspective how much information Facebook users put out into the open. But in reality the average Facebook user's data is not that large (about 62MB).
Seeing all of the wall posts, messages and uploaded contact puts into perspective the amount and value of contributed data. How this allocated data is applied is important in determining the overall value of the data. Ideally, the data users and individuals contribute can enhance their social media experience. Since Facebook it letting users and developers toy with their data, we don't necessarily have to rely on Facebook to put all the pieces of the puzzle together.
It is also worth nothing that throughout their tutorials Facebook refers to this as "your" data, even though it has been suggested that the company's terms of agreement give them a legal claim to ownership over all the data uploaded to their site. For now, users may not have control of their data but they at least have access to it
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)