Design Learnings from Viral Applications April 2008

Who is RockYou? Over 50 Applications and Widgets

“ To engage the world through social applications” The RockYou Mission

“ To engage the world through social applications”

Stats! 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

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

Agenda The Social Space Product Design Development Phasing Tuning in Depth Q&A

The Social Space

Product Design

Development Phasing

Tuning in Depth

Q&A

The Opportunity

Market for Social Apps is Exploding Wikipedia.org Alexa Global Traffic Rankings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 2005 (U.K.) 2008 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Social Applications Increase Site Traffic Over 150% Growth! Over 18,000 applications 95% have an application 60%+ have a RockYou app RockYou Integration

Over 18,000 applications

95% have an application

60%+ have a RockYou app

Source: eBay Investor Presentation, RockYou eBay starts Q2 98, PayPal starts Q1’00, Yahoo! starts Q1’95, AOL starts Q1’92, Facebook starts Q4’04, and RockYou Starts Q4’05 Facebook data represents active users, which was disclosed on 12/05 and 12/06. Undisclosed active user data is extrapolated by applying an average active user penetration to global Unique Visitors (per comScore Media Metrix) (2) Registered Users (MM) Huge Growth Potential Facebook platform launch

Source: eBay Investor Presentation, RockYou

eBay starts Q2 98, PayPal starts Q1’00, Yahoo! starts Q1’95, AOL starts Q1’92, Facebook starts Q4’04, and RockYou Starts Q4’05

Facebook data represents active users, which was disclosed on 12/05 and 12/06. Undisclosed active user data is extrapolated by applying an average active user penetration to global Unique Visitors (per comScore Media Metrix)

How did we grow so fast? Rise of open platforms + laser-like focus on metrics and viral channels Flash Widget Era Profile Bulletin Profile Requests Notifications Email News Feed Profile action Profile Messages Notifications Email Activity stream Home surface

Rise of open platforms + laser-like focus on metrics and viral channels

Profile

Bulletin

Profile

Requests

Notifications

Email

News Feed

Profile action

Profile

Messages

Notifications

Email

Activity stream

Home surface

Product Design

RockYou approach to product design Apply advertising principles to user-facing web design Build fast and launch asap Iterate on original design Let data guide product decisions

Apply advertising principles to user-facing web design

Build fast and launch asap

Iterate on original design

Let data guide product decisions

Apply advertising principles to user-facing web design Its all about Conversion Rate Each touch point equivalent to an ad pageview Profile Views Canvas Pages Invites Feeds Grow by increasing number of touch points and maximizing conversion on each touch point Have a plan to maximize use of every channel Must consider implications for long-term user experience Don’t abuse the channels

Its all about Conversion Rate

Each touch point equivalent to an ad pageview

Profile Views

Canvas Pages

Invites

Feeds

Grow by increasing number of touch points and maximizing conversion on each touch point

Have a plan to maximize use of every channel

Must consider implications for long-term user experience

Don’t abuse the channels

Build fast and launch asap Design simple concepts Focus on virality and growth Accept the fact that channels >> features Channels bring in new users and keep them coming back Only the top 0.1% of features can accomplish this alone Validate concepts quickly User tests Just launch it

Design simple concepts

Focus on virality and growth

Accept the fact that channels >> features

Channels bring in new users and keep them coming back

Only the top 0.1% of features can accomplish this alone

Validate concepts quickly

User tests

Just launch it

Iterate Rapidly Viral channels should drive product concept and feature development Not the other way around! Tune the viral loop A/B Test Release Often

Viral channels should drive product concept and feature development

Not the other way around!

Tune the viral loop

A/B Test

Release Often

Let data guide product decisions Don’t Be Emotional Numbers don’t lie There are no user experts 60% + female 15-25 Do user studies when you don’t have web metrics Viral channels should drive product concept and feature development Not the other way around! Have a plan to maximize use of every channel

Don’t Be Emotional

Numbers don’t lie

There are no user experts

60% + female

15-25

Do user studies when you don’t have web metrics

Viral channels should drive product concept and feature development

Not the other way around!

Have a plan to maximize use of every channel

Development Process

Development Process Marketing / Validation Growth Engagement

Marketing / Validation

Growth

Engagement

Application Types Channel Superwall, HugMe Content Flixster, iLike, Watercooler Dating Likeness, Compare People Games Zombies, FluffFriends, SpeedRacer, Friends for Sale Gifts Grow-a-gift, Free Gifts, Boozemail Self Expression Cities I’ve Visitied, Bumper Sticker

Channel

Superwall, HugMe

Content

Flixster, iLike, Watercooler

Dating

Likeness, Compare People

Games

Zombies, FluffFriends, SpeedRacer, Friends for Sale

Gifts

Grow-a-gift, Free Gifts, Boozemail

Self Expression

Cities I’ve Visitied, Bumper Sticker

Marketing / Validation Audience Channels Messaging

Audience

Channels

Messaging

Audience Skew heavily to teen and young adult women—brand influencers

Audience What’s the total size of market What percentage penetration is goal Whats possible virality of market? Average number of friends Myspace vs Ning vs iGoogle

What’s the total size of market

What percentage penetration is goal

Whats possible virality of market?

Average number of friends

Myspace vs Ning vs iGoogle

Messaging Develop your concept around high-converting calls to action Simplicity Universal Social persuasion Novelty (art)

Develop your concept around high-converting calls to action

Simplicity

Universal

Social persuasion

Novelty (art)

Channels Focus on 1 to 1 channels Map out several different flows to test Install to invite to interacting Install to interacting to invite Balance relevance to throughput Channel vs Content Applications

Focus on 1 to 1 channels

Map out several different flows to test

Install to invite to interacting

Install to interacting to invite

Balance relevance to throughput

Channel vs Content Applications

Viral Channels News Feed Notifications Email Profile Invites Non-user pages Profile Action

News Feed

Notifications

Email

Profile

Invites

Non-user pages

Profile Action

Growth Phase Break viral barrier Tune growth (Install vs uninstall) Promote It

Break viral barrier

Tune growth (Install vs uninstall)

Promote It

The Viral Loop User Call to action to invite friends x = invited friends Accept? Yes y% = invite accept rate x * y > 1 gives you viral growth!

Tune It Superwall Launched in 2 days tuned for 2 weeks Preview page Invite Messaging Targeting

Superwall Launched in 2 days tuned for 2 weeks

Preview page

Invite Messaging

Targeting

Promote It You know the math works All about throughput to multiply Give it a boost! Ad Networks

You know the math works

All about throughput to multiply

Give it a boost!

Ad Networks

Engagement Phase Saturated social circles (audiences) Critical mass makes features more useful Tune for experience Build new features to keep users engaged and happy!

Saturated social circles (audiences)

Critical mass makes features more useful

Tune for experience

Build new features to keep users engaged and happy!

Critical Mass You’ve achieved your goal Percentage of Social Circle supernodes 40% Active 10 % of that 4% of Market

You’ve achieved your goal

Percentage of Social Circle supernodes

40% Active

10 % of that

4% of Market

Channels Focus on 1-to-Many to get People Engaged News Feed Profile Notifications Non User Pages Focus on 1-to-1 to re-engage current users Email Notifications

Focus on 1-to-Many to get People Engaged

News Feed

Profile

Notifications

Non User Pages

Focus on 1-to-1 to re-engage current users

Email

Notifications

Viral Tuning in Depth

Metrics for your viral loop User Call to action to invite friends x = invited friends Accept? Yes y% = invite accept rate x * y > 1 gives you viral growth!

Hypothetical viral numbers Install flow x = 5 (friends invited on average) y = 22% (acceptance rate for invites) Viral factor = 5 * 0.22 = 1.1 VIRAL! Engagement flow Repeat users can generated additional virality!

Install flow

x = 5 (friends invited on average)

y = 22% (acceptance rate for invites)

Viral factor = 5 * 0.22 = 1.1 VIRAL!

Engagement flow

Repeat users can generated additional virality!

Combine multiple flows and channels Install flow x = 5 y = 10% Viral factor = 5 * 0.1 = 0.5 Engagement flow, request channel x = 3 (invites) y = 10% (acceptance rate for invites) Viral factor = 3 * 0.1 = 0.3 Engagement flow, notification channel x = 6 (notifications) y = 5% (acceptance rate for notifications) Viral factor = 6 * 0.05 = 0.3 0.5 + 0.3 + 0.3 = 1.1 VIRAL!

Install flow

x = 5

y = 10%

Viral factor = 5 * 0.1 = 0.5

Engagement flow, request channel

x = 3 (invites)

y = 10% (acceptance rate for invites)

Viral factor = 3 * 0.1 = 0.3

Engagement flow, notification channel

x = 6 (notifications)

y = 5% (acceptance rate for notifications)

Viral factor = 6 * 0.05 = 0.3

What to track Requests sent & request CTR Notifications sent & notification CTR Feed events & feed CTR Adds / removes And everything else…platform tracking is not 100% reliable How to track … if you’re tight on resources (aren’t we all) Paid or home grown if you’re serious about growing big Get stats in real time instead of waiting a day Store events that can’t be tied to a page (i.e. number of requests sent) Slice and dice data however you want Tuning the viral loop – watch your metrics

What to track

Requests sent & request CTR

Notifications sent & notification CTR

Feed events & feed CTR

Adds / removes

And everything else…platform tracking is not 100% reliable

How to track

… if you’re tight on resources (aren’t we all)

Paid or home grown if you’re serious about growing big

Get stats in real time instead of waiting a day

Store events that can’t be tied to a page (i.e. number of requests sent)

Slice and dice data however you want

Using metrics to drive product decisions A/B test entire user flows A/B test calls to action Base decisions off of statistically significant data Flow A Flow B A n new users B n new users X% user dropoff Y invites sent/user Z% invites accepted

A/B test entire user flows

A/B test calls to action

Base decisions off of statistically significant data

Making the most of viral channels Graph and compare activity metrics over time to analyze trends Focus resources on tuning the largest traffic drivers All viral channels eventually decay – why? Invites sent decreases due to saturation Response rate decreases due to user conditioning So keep tuning to stay ahead of the curve! … and when you’ve exhausted your primary channels it might be time to explore some creative alternatives

Graph and compare activity metrics over time to analyze trends

Focus resources on tuning the largest traffic drivers

All viral channels eventually decay – why?

Invites sent decreases due to saturation

Response rate decreases due to user conditioning

So keep tuning to stay ahead of the curve!

… and when you’ve exhausted your primary channels it might be time to explore some creative alternatives

Questions?