Social App Dev 101: Elements of Style (Jia Shen)

Slide 1: rockyou it’s all you!

Slide 2: RockYou is the leading provider of social network applications • Invented the Space • Double Digit penetration across leading social networks (MySpace, Facebook, Bebo..) • 105 Million Uniques • 1.5 Billion Pageviews • 150+Million Widget views a day rockyou

Slide 3: Application Development by the numbers • Marketing / Validation • Growth • Engagement rockyou

Slide 4: Application Phases • Marketing / Validation – Audience – Messaging – Channels rockyou

Slide 5: Application Verticals • Channel – Superwall, HugMe • Content – Flixster, iLike, Watercooler • Quiz – Likeness, Flixster, Compare Ppl • Games – Zombies, FluffFriends, SpeedRacer • Gifts – Grow-a-gift, Free Gifts • Self Expression – Cities I’ve Visitied, Bumper Sticker rockyou

Slide 6: Audience Skew heavily to teen and young adult women—brand influencers rockyou

Slide 7: Facebook Channels • News Feed • Notifications • Email • Profile • Invites • Profile Action • Non-user pages • Profile Action rockyou

Slide 8: Messaging • What are the call to actions rockyou

Slide 9: Application Phases • Growth – Break viral barrier – Tune growth (Install vs uninstall) rockyou

Slide 10: Viral Multiplier • App grows without promotion • 1 user causes at least 1 user to install rockyou

Slide 11: Tuning • Track everything. Graph it, trend it. • Notification / Invite Allocations • Notification spam blocking rockyou

Slide 12: Application Phases • Engagement – Saturated social circles – Tune for experience rockyou

Slide 13: Virality vs Engagement • Virality – Grow outside of core group of users – Get users to spread to others – Don’t hurt user experience rockyou

Slide 14: Virality vs Engagement • Engagement – Build user experience – Increase pageviews and loyalty – Build stickiness – Continue growth – Prevent uninstalls – Monetize (use Rockyou!) rockyou

Slide 15: Facebook Channels • News Feed • Notifications • Email • Profile • Invites • Profile Action • Non-user pages • Profile Action rockyou

Slide 16: Open Social What’s a Platform • Ability to Add Functionality • Distribution • Monetization rockyou

Slide 17: The Open Social Challenge • Different audience – Huge audience! – Promiscuity factor • Different use model – Profile vs News Feed • Viral channels – Whats effective? • Directory – Not repeatable source of growth rockyou

Slide 18: The Networks • MySpace – US (international later) – In profile • Orkut – Brazil, India – Scrapbook big • Hi5 – Spanish speaking – In profile rockyou

Slide 19: Open Social Channels • News Feed – Infancy • Profile • Main Page • Bulletins • Messaging / Invites (TBD) • Non-user pages • A lot in the air rockyou

Slide 20: Application Verticals • Channel – Superwall, HugMe • Content – Flixster, iLike, Watercooler • Quiz – Likeness, Flixster, Compare Ppl • Games – Zombies, FluffFriends, SpeedRacer • Gifts – Grow-a-gift, Free Gifts • Self Expression – Cities I’ve Visitied, Bumper Sticker rockyou

Slide 21: What’s the plan? • No different than Facebook launch • Practice agile development • Focus on demographic • Whats already there? • Instrument for virality • Focus on Apps that aren’t dependent on viral rockyou

Slide 22: The End rockyou

Slide 23: Facebook Demo Quantcast rockyou

Slide 24: MySpace Info Quantcast rockyou

Slide 25: Additional Characteristics • Development Cost • Maintenance • Stickiness • Openness rockyou