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MySpace Blackberry App Sees 400,000 Downloads in First Week Posted: 20 Nov 2008 09:38 PM PST In a relatively surprising turn of events, MySpace experienced over 400,000 downloads of their application among Blackberry’s in the first week. According to MySpae this is the most downloads in the first week for both RIM and MySpace. Over 15 million messages were sent and received and over 2 million statuses and moods were updated. Honestly, I’m extremely surprised to see such a large demand for the application by Blackberry users. Blackberry users are traditionally though of as professionals who would theoretically not be an active MySpace user base. This clearly destroyed any of the assumptions that I previously had. MySpace is clearly still the largest social network domestically and the second largest player globally. While it’s easy to write off the company in the face of all of Facebook’s growth, being the perceived underdog may actually work to the company’s advantage. Personally, I downloaded the application but didn’t use the application actively. Then again, I don’t find much value in Facebook’s Blackberry application aside from the list of friends that the application provides. In regards to messages it simply filters the emails you receive on your mobile device.d I’m curious to see if this trend continues. Facebook’s Blackberry application has around 2 million monthly active users, meaning that in one week MySpace has become a quarter of the size of Facebook on Blackberry. I’d imagine the growth to slow but for now, the company has posted some very impressive first week stats.

Who Likes Mufins when You Can’t Share? Posted: 20 Nov 2008 12:50 PM PST Mufin, the music search and recommendation engine that suggests music based on an algorithmic analysis of music, has launched its public beta today. Of course, the biggest point of interest is the lack of human editing when it comes to Mufin’s recommendations, setting it apart from the likes of Last.fm and Pandora. Even though many systems such as web search queries have been after the all mighty algorithm that works as well as (if not better than) a human, none have really come close to replacing the human element. Granted, Mufin’s recommendations do work rather well. Perhaps this is because matching music can be more readily turned into a mathematical representation than say a search query for the best restaurants in Union Square. But Mufin seems to lack the human touch in its entirety. There’s no tweaking you can do for the recommendations Mufin offers, indicating how well of a match a song really is. And the social implications on Mufin’s main site are minimal, limited to a top playlist of songs that have been viewed, searched or played by others. I’m not saying that Mufin needs to be social, per say, but I do wonder if his is the direction other systems will move towards, where recommendations are provided wholly without human interaction but with algorithms and individual behavior analytics (i.e. listening and purchase patterns) instead? Are the days of relying on users to do all the work for you coming to an end? Not really. It never hurts to be able to share your music discoveries with friends, and instead of making friends on Mufin, just go straight to MySpace or Facebook. Two applications for these major social networks enable you to share your discovered music on your profile, and allow others to discover music from your profile as well. We’ll consider this an indirect recommendation spread to friends, based on the suggestions offered by Mufin’s algorithm. The downside to Mufin’s Facebook application is that it’s not really social until your other friends have added the app as well. And on the MySpace front, this music-centric social network has already begun to layer in similar sharing functions for music displayed on user profiles, which could potentially give Mufin some competition for its application.

A Clash of Idealists and “Realists” Becomes Apparent Posted: 20 Nov 2008 11:44 AM PST There’s been something bubbling in D.C. for the past year or two and more recently, it’s become boiling hot: the convergence of the technology crowds from around the area. It’s something that I’ve been pushing for at least two years and a number of other people have been supporting as well. Something that has increasingly become apparent is that there are simply people that get it and those that don’t. In one panel I was sitting in on earlier this week, a group of individuals were fairly critical of the government’s ability to become less bureaucratic and more quick to act as we witnessed with the Apps for Democracy program. It makes sense that government is bureaucratic by nature but is it possible for parts of the government to award contracts to smaller companies and remove a lot of the red tape which exists? I’m not quite sure but one thing that is clear is that some people want to be part of the change and others don’t. There have been numerous networks set up on Ning, Facebook, and other places to discuss the future of D.C. that have experienced mixed results. Ultimately I believe that those that don’t get it, can be persuaded to participate, but it requires some hand holding and a little extra effort. Many of us jump into action regardless of what the rest say and sometimes this works, other times it doesn’t. While change is happening and many of those that are against change will be dragged kicking and screaming into this new environment, I fear that in larger organizations (especially within the government here in D.C.) these two attitudes are mounting to create a fundamental clash. There is no doubt in my mind that “the people” who actually get it will win, but it’s hard to unravel the limitless bureaucratic tape which exists here in D.C. Talking with some at the DubMe Now launch event last night, it became apparent that many are optimistic about the change that’s about to happen but at the same time skeptical. A healthy dose of skepticism is always welcomed but in this new environment idealistic visionaries are required and ambitious goals are necessary. It’s clear that more than ever the people have the power to generate change and it will require those same people to show the naysayers the power available to them. Without the people working together for this new change, I’m concerned that this movement which we are on the cusp of could backlash and spawn further divides among us. Whether it’s on a small scale within the D.C. technology community, or whether it’s for the nation, it’s a risk which I think clearly exists. Do you think such a divide is really a big issue or will the world change without those that embrace it?

comScore Can’t Keep Up with Changing SocNet Ads Posted: 20 Nov 2008 09:11 AM PST Yesterday Nick mentioned on All Facebook that Facebook has modified ad formats throughout the social network yet again, now displaying three ads, up from two per page.  This was just the latest in a string of changes made to Facebook ad display options, which has also included video ads on the homepage. But who’s keeping track? comScore is trying. According to Red Herring, comScore is under-counting ad traffic on Facebook because of the constant modifications made to the ad formats. For instance, counting display ads and not content-laden marketing ploys could mean that a portion of advertising methods aren’t being efficiently included in reports reflecting Facebook’s potential to deliver ads to users. But if the real issue is comScore’s restrictions defined by the Interactive Advertising Bureau’s opinion of what a display ad is, then counting multiple forms of advertising methods and formats is indeed a difficult task on Facebook and other social media sites. Branding on a social network can come in many forms, and the more engaging the branding can become, the more effective it is. Whether it’s a contest or a fan page on Facebook, the gathering of eyeballs can still lead to an increase in directed traffic, as well as growing brand recognition. And while the IAB may not recognize the various ways in which branding can connect with users, Facebook does, with its revamped metrics program. As more social networks, such as LinkedIn and MySpace, seek more integrated ways in which to offer brands a way to engage their users, the very definition of engagement-based advertising shifts in concept and practice. And with advertising budgets shrinking in the online sector, creative advertising is a necessity.  That means a lot of shifting around is likely to occur on Facebook and every other major social network out there. The Red Herring notes that comScore is currently working with Facebook directly in order to provide a more accurate measure of advertising, especially as valuations of Facebook in relation to veterans like Yahoo has become a major point of contention during this economic recession.

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In a World of 99 Cent Millionaires Posted: 19 Nov 2008 12:05 PM PST Over the past few years there has been a tremendous shift toward open platforms and now there are limitless tools to connect with your friends, increase your productivity, and waste your time. Facebook was a tremendous catalyst for this but now there are millions of applications on the web, some useful, some not, most of which now provide developer APIs. For those of you not aware of what APIs are, they enable developers to quickly integrate their own features directly into another service or build upon existing application functionality. Just yesterday I was using my “Remember the Milk” to do list and thought, “Hey wouldn’t it be useful if there was a desktop version of this?” While I could have taken the time to develop a desktop application using Adobe AIR, I decided to forego this activity as it probably wouldn’t have been very profitable. The landscape for developers has changed drastically over the past 18 months, during which time tons of platforms have opened resulting in countless new distribution channels. Making Millions From 99 Cents If you hadn’t figured it out, my reference to 99 cents is the price that most applications on iTunes that aren’t free cost. In an article I read this morning on CNN, a developer was interviewed about how he made over $250,000 in profit in the past two months from selling his applications on iTunes. This developer isn’t alone. Many other developers are selling applications by the thousands and turning out a nice profit. This model is a transformation for developers who thanks to becoming an early entrant to the iPhone platform are becoming rich. In contrast to the Facebook platform where early entrants had a clear advantage, the iPhone platform appears to be an equal opportunity for all. Not only are iPhone developers making money from selling thousands of 99 cent applications, but social platform developers are making millions from penny CPMs. Large applications have been embedding ads from the numerous social network ad networks, and are receiving anywhere from 3 cent CPMs to much higher depending on the ad network and accounting for individual custom campaigns. For the most part, these companies are working to generate as many page views as possible, to piece together a reasonable revenue stream. Casual Games Are Big Money on the iPhone If you’re looking to strike it rich on the iPhone platform, it has become clear what the best route is to develop casual games. Of the top 10 paid applications on the iPhone, 7 are games, 2 are general entertainment types of applications, and one is utility. That trend continues most of the way down the leaderboard. It’s clear that the social games industry which emerged last year in a big way, has become an entire movement of casual gaming. Becoming a leader in the casual gaming space is hard though as all the big players have already entered. SEGA, Electronic Arts, and venture backed companies like SGN and Zynga have all entered the space. My guess is that this space is going to continue to grow and those companies that can develop cross-platform capabilities and have a rapid deployment time will be the most successful. What’s the Best Model? So when you can launch applications practically anywhere on the web, and there is always some sort of business model, where is the best place for developers to invest their time? That’s for each developer to decide but personally it makes a lot more sense spending your time developing applications that can instantly be sold. Social networks currently don’t offer a platform for selling applications. If you don’t have the abilities to program for the iPhone though, it may not be the best idea. Additionally, the iTunes platform is increasingly competitive as there are teams of developers behind many of the applications on the platform rather than individual developers. It doesn’t mean you don’t have a chance though if you you decide to go it alone. Steve Demeter developed a single game which isn’t among the top 100 but he was still able to make $250,000 in two months. Where are you currently developing? What do you think the best model is in this fast changing environment. Image used from the Millionaires Club.

Smule’s Ocarina Soothes the Soul Posted: 19 Nov 2008 06:00 AM PST I have been holding off on buying the Ocarina application the iPhone despite it’s rise to the number one application as I couldn’t get myself to spend the 99 cents for an unknown application. After seeing Mike Arrington’s post on it this afternoon, I had to download it. The application is spectacular in that it enables users to play any song in any tone and has all of the features of a standard wind instrument (aside of course the lack of a place for air to exit to increase reverberations). I downloaded the application and suddenly got sucked into one hour of playing my Ocarina on the iPhone, trying to play Simon and Garfunkel toons. If I had a recorder with sheet music next to me, I probably would have tried that as well, but unfortunately I didn’t. As I just alluded to, the Smule Ocarina website has tons of user submitted sheet music that you can follow. There’s also a pretty amazing social aspect of the application. You can click on the world icon and suddenly you will be flown around a 3D representation of the globe to listen to users playing their Ocarina live. If you like it, you click on the heart and that user receives points for you liking them. It then becomes a game in which you race to become the most liked user on the application. The live component is both visually and functionally impressive. It’s hard to imagine using the Ocarina as your everyday musical instrument, but I could see a cult following begin to spring up. There already is YouTube videos popping up with random people playing the instrument. Some are good and others are better. The video I’ve embedded below is of a girl playing the “Song of Storms” from Zelda, the video game. The video is pretty impressive considering that she also pre-recorded the background music for the song on her piano. She is clearly multi-talented. If you are into playing music, this application is a must have. Go grab Ocarina in the iTunes store and let us know your thoughts. It’s well worth the 99 cents.

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GlamApps Validates BuddyMedia’s Appvertisement Model Posted: 18 Nov 2008 04:13 PM PST Today, Glam media announced the launch of GlamApps a service for advertisers to generate interactive content that publishers can leverage to generate revenue. The service also leverages OpenSocial, expanding the service to one of the largest blog networks on the web. Rather than have publishers create their own interactive tools, advertisers are encouraged to build their own services which bloggers can embed and then the advertiser can display ads on. Not all applications generate income for publishers but this new service begins to shift “appvertisements” as something that once resided only on social networks to something that can be displayed anywhere on the web. We already saw the beginning of this with the Audi A4 iPhone application, which was one of the most downloaded free applications for weeks. On social networks, advertisers frequently paid for distribution in addition to the creation of their application. This is a similar model to television advertising in which agencies are paid for the production of ads and then the television company is paid for ad placement. The difference is that appvertisements are interactive. Rather than telling an advertiser that yes, 3 million people did watch your ad, agencies can now say 3 million people engaged with your ad. While the industry is still search for ways of measuring these new forms of engagement, it’s clear that no matter where advertisements are placed now, they are expected to be much more interactive. Whether it’s commenting on an ad which is promoted on YouTube, or users share the ad with their friends on Facebook, consumers are now engaged with their appvertisements. BuddyMedia has been touting the app as the ad for a long time now and this appears to be further validation of that position. The next companies to embrace this model? Widget platforms like Clearspring, would be my best guess. While we may not see the death of banner advertising anytime soon, my guess is that we will see an increasing trend toward appvertisements as the industry matures and standards for metrics of engagement are developed.

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Will Boxee’s Social Stance Make it Stick? Posted: 18 Nov 2008 03:05 PM CST Boxee, the media center solution that aggregates your content as well as content from across various web and other media services, has raised $4 million in its first round of financing, led by Spark Capital and Union Square Ventures. While the concept of Boxee isn’t entirely new, the fresh stance of near-total media aggregation coupled with multiple social networking interfaces makes Boxee an enticing new product in this growing marketplace. While other services like TiVo are beginning to incorporate other features from third parties such as Rhapsody, Boxee is starting out with a host of third-party integrated apps, taking the best of breed services and features for a more inclusive experience. Much of this rests on the social capabilities of the third party services and features, which lend to an array of perks on Boxee, including recommendations from your actual friends, reviews from across the web, and auto-updates to your Twitter and FriendFeed accounts. The strongest influence of this social networking inclusion is of course the recommendation potential, which can act as a direct or indirect feature on Boxee and across the web. As you can see what your friends are currently viewing, have already viewed and reviewed, or recommend directly on Boxee, the need to go to other networks to find reviews and recommendations is eliminated. Other services, like the set top box Vudu, are moving in this direction for recommendations as well, though not as interactive on the social front. So even though Boxee doesn’t yet have a set top box to speak of, it still remains competitive with the likes of Vudu, and can be utilized on your computer or on your HD television. With this round of funding, however, a set top box is in the works. Yet on the other end of the spectrum, Boxee’s open source stance enables developers to create applications around the Boxee software, and further the media recommendation potential beyond what Boxee already has. As services like Twitter and especially FriendFeed have an increasing potential to become useful recommendation engines, communicating with portals like Boxee also enhance their offerings as well. Perhaps the social support of third party apps, which can carry Boxee’s influence far beyond the individual viewing experience, will help Boxee steer clear of the fate of those before it, such as Joost. The “revolutionary” viewing experience that Joost initially brought about garnered a great deal of hype, and got enough old media conglomerates excited enough to sign distribution and advertising deals. Yet Joost, despite social networking integration of things like chat, didn’t become a household name.

Multiply Gets $5 Million and a $100 Million Valuation Posted: 17 Nov 2008 05:52 PM CST ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation has purchased $5 million in stock in the social networking company Multiply ABS-CBN News. The purchase gives the social networking company a $100 million valuation, a far cry from the $15 billion valuation that Facebook obtained earlier this year when Microsoft invested in the company. According to the company, “Multiply is a natural fit for ABS-CBN. It is the social network that is most consistent to our business model because they have focused on photo, video and blog features compared to the other social networks such as Friendster and Facebook, which focus on connecting friends and running applications.” I’m not quite sure I agree with the company’s distinction but ok. I think the alignment comes more from the Asian media company’s geographic location (Philippines) which compliments Multiply’s user demographics. Regardless of why the two companies have aligned, it illustrates how the convergence between traditional and social/new media continues. Facebook has only approximately 286,000 users in the Phillipines whereas Multiplay has around 3 million. For more information on the investment check out the ABS-CBN News article.

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