Happy Island Promotes Facebook Credits in Marketing

It was a big week for Facebook Credits:- Facebook Apps that Exclusively Use Credits Now Featured on Games Dashboard (Friday) - Facebook’s Increasing Focus on Credits Prompts Developer Speculation (Thursday) - PayPal Integration Shows Facebook Wants to Play in Currency, Partner for Payments (Thursday)

Today I noticed a premium Facebook ad from the popular game Happy Island (I believe) that specifically focuses on Facebook Credits. Interesting because the marketing is entirely around Facebook Credits - which suggests that Credits themselves are effective at clickthroughs and conversions. Of course it might also be that Credits give the appearance of more direct Facebook integration or support and therefore garner more user interest:

When you click through, you land directly on the Happy Island page and realize how hard developers must fight for user actions. Much of the viewable screen is taken over by a request for your email address and then for a positive review (particularly common in iPhone Apps). Considering Happy Island has 12,000,000+ actives, you have to believe they are savvy enough to have determined that these placements are more effective upfront than after a player has become engaged in the game:

Key to Trust is Real Identity

The article "Can You Trust a Facebook Profile?" describes the "surprising truth" that "Overall people were remarkably honest in representing themselves":

People were honest—we don't read those words often enough.

In line with other findings, this study found that, when looking at a stranger's profile for the first time, some aspects of personality are more difficult to discern. Neuroticism in others is particularly difficult to gauge, whereas people find extraversion and openness to experience relatively easily to assess, even in strangers.

This study is another blow for that old stereotype that the web is some kind of scary hinterland, an untrustworthy place where anything goes and nothing is what it appears, peopled by adolescent boys pretending to be anything but adolescent boys.

More than the actual findings, I am intrigued by the surprise that the author had (PsyBlog) and that we clearly have in reading it (it is atop Techmeme and a Tweetmeme).

I have long thought that key to online honesty and general good behavior is tying activity to real identities. There is a major difference between what you are willing to do behind a handle (like a message board or chat name) and what you are willing to do on a site that is connected to your identity (ie Facebook, PayPal, etc). It is even more pronounced when the identity is fully public. For instance, I believe you are now less likely to misbehave of Facebook now that content is increasingly public, URLs are indexable and you have a personalized domain (ie http://facebook.com/ryanspoon).

For years I have gotten the question about beRecruited (a college recruiting network that I founded in 2000 - now with 750,000+ athletes): "how do you police athlete's 'resumes' and results?"

My answer is simple: because athletes register with their actual name and personal information (school, coach, guidance counselor, etc), it self-regulates. Sure an athlete can falsify results - just as anyone can on their resume - but such actions have life-long implications and are easily disproved. For example, this is what keeps LinkedIn clean and makes it so effective.

Booyah's MyTown: Reach Level 40 & Win

My recent 'strategy guide' on Booyah's wildly popular mobile game MyTown is strangely one of my most popular blog posts. Like the 1,000,000 other users who are actively using MyTown, I am addicted and believe that they are among the best example of game mechanics in mobile and local. CrunchBase covered them recently and announced the following stats which demonstrate a mix of engagement and virality: -1 Million+ Registered Users -Averaged 100K new registered users a week since launching in December -40 Million+ Virtual items consumed each week -25 Million weekly check-ins -Daily engagement over 65 minutes

The last line is the most staggering... an hour of engagement per day. Wow.

Well, once you hit level 40, the game pretty much ends. You reach "max" points and there is little gameplay incentive to 'check-in' and accumulate points. It is strange to think that the game has an end - Farmville, for instance, doesn't end because the leaderboards and social mechanics don't allow it to. MyTown isn't quite there yet. Perhaps I would be motivated if I realized where my town's value lay in comparison to my friends'... or perhaps I was motivated to reach level 40 (and accumulate points along the way).

Either way, it gives me closure and hopefully more time... though I was NOT spending 65 minutes a day!

Netflix Goes Down, Delivers Unique Error Message

As TechCrunch reported last night, Netflix was down for at least an hour. I noticed it while using my Netflix account and, while it was a slight annoyance, I was more struck by their unique downtime message. It was one part informational, one part support and, most surprisingly, one part marketing:

I understand the importance of having the three following messages: 1. the site is 'unavailable' 2. shipping centers are 'available' and functioning 3. Here is the support number, should you need it

But in front of these ordinary messages, was a marketing blurb reminiscent of a Netflix AdWords ad:

DVD rentals delivered to your home - plans from only $4.99 a month! No late fees - ever! Fast and free shipping both ways. FREE Trial.

It is a strange message to deliver. Particularly language like: "FREE Trial." ... which are not particularly relevant considering the circumstance.

The Facebook Connect Makeover: Great Facebook Presentations

I have been asked several times recently for great Facebook Connect presentations and takeaways from our Dogpatch Labs / Facebook event (which you see here). Below are a handful of great presentations and demos. Any others that I have missed?

The Facebook Connect Makeover from Facebook

The Facebook Connect Makeover from Facebook Connect on Vimeo.

Hiten Shah & KISSmetrics "Facebook Connect Best Practices"

Facebook Connect Design Patterns and Metrics

View more presentations from Hiten Shah.

Facebook Connect for Your Website by Justin Osofsky of Facebook

Facebook Connect For Your 
Website

View more presentations from Ozkan Altuner.

JibJab at TechCrunch50 (Sept 2009)

Apply for Seed Start New York City (Feb 28 Deadline!)

Polaris is excited to be participating in this summers Seed Start program, alongside a crew of outstanding folks and leaders. If you are currently based in New York or interested in spending an accelerated summer there, I encourage you visit NYCSeed.com, learn more and apply:

Consider Applying for the Seed Start Accelerator Program in NYC

Apply today - and hurry, applications are due soon: February 28! Applications are due by February 28, 2010. We will notify finalists by March 15, 2010. We are accepting applications here.

What Is It?

NYC SeedStart is an 8-week summer program designed to provide seed funding for technology teams to build a product and launch their company. We will give up to 10 teams a small amount of funding, space, and mentorship in exchange for a small piece of equity in whatever they build. We do not expect companies, we expect entrepreneurs and hackers who are passionate about their product. If selected, you can spend a summer building your product, freed from thinking about office space or living expenses and with access to our network for help. At the end of the summer, groups will present their work to investors with the hope of finding additional funding.

SeedStart is a joint effort among:

Contour Venture Partners IA Ventures NYC Seed Polaris Venture Partners RRE Ventures Fish and Richardson Manatt, Phelps and Phillips SVB Financial Group

The Specifics

We offer $20,000 to up to 10 teams (minimum 2 people, maximum 4 people). In exchange for this, we will receive 5% equity stake in your company. At the end of every summer we will convene a panel of NYC-based investors and provide the opportunity for SeedStart companies to present their projects.

Why SeedStart?

Extremely early-stage money and guidance for young entrepreneurs and hackers is hard to find. NYC is an expensive place to live and we want to help smart entrepreneurs who live in NYC get going.

No Better Time

We believe there is no better time to start a company in NYC.

Busy Two Weeks of Dogpatch Labs Launches

A very busy, productive week for Dogpatch Labs residents across the various locations. In the last few days, fivecompanies have gotten great coverage for their launching products: - Hollrr (San Francisco): Hollrr Takes Foursquare’s Badge Strategy, Pins It To Social Product Discovery - Cardpool (San Francisco): CardPool Wants To Buy And Sell Your Unused Gift Cards

- FanPulse (San Francisco): Trash Talk With Friends With FanPulse

- ScoopStreet (New York): Group Buying, Better Together

- GoodCrush (New York): Googlers Can Finally Find Their Parisian Love with GoogleCrush

Wired Magazine's iPad Demo: Why I'm Excited

Why am I excited about the forthcoming iPad? It has an opportunity to change our reading behavior... much in the same way that the iPhone (and Android and other mobile computers) have changed web consumption. Below is an example of Wired Magazine on the iPad - a product being collaborated with Adobe. Imagine this for your favorite magazine, newspaper, or book. While the Kindle is beautiful in its simplicity and storage - the below demo showcases a different kind of beauty: interactivity, expansiveness, user experience, etc. For most publishers, this is not feasible - let alone scalable... but is a hint of what can be developed and how our reading habits might change:

Read more about the Wired demo here.

Busy Week at Dogpatch Labs San Francisco

It's a busy week at Dogpatch Labs San Francisco. Below is the week's calendar - if you are interested in being part of any of the following events, please let me know and RSVP:

1. World Entrepreneurship Day Networking Event (Tuesday)

Join World Entrepreneurship Day (WED) for an exciting afternoon of networking & creativity at the Dog Patch Labs in Pier 38 Embarcadero. The purpose of this gathering is to unite & collaborate with the local entrepreneurial community to help craft a vision for WED in San Fran on April 16th, 2010. You can learn more here.

2. Dogpatch Labs Office Hours (Wednesday, 9am-11am)

Drop by Dogpatch Labs for a tour and open conversation with me and other attendees. Coffee and bagels are provided. Please RSVP if interested. 3. The Future of Funding Conference (Thursday)

On Thursday, I will be talking at the Future of Funding conference in San Mateo. The specific panel will be Innovative Fund Experiments:

Traditional Venture Capital firms have not been standing still. Many are experimenting with new models for early stage deals. This panel will explore how different venture groups have delivered innovative financing programs.

- Moderator: Adeo Ressi, CEO of the Founder Institute - George Zachary, Partner, Charles River Ventures - Dave McClure, Angel, Founders Fund, (FF Angel & fbREV) - Ryan Spoon, Sr. Associate, Polaris Ventures (Dog Patch Labs) - Jeff Clavier, Managing Partner, SoftTech VC - Kevin Dick, Managing Director, Right Side Capital Management

Learn more here.

4. Stanford Events at Dogpatch (Friday)

Two great, informal networking events at Dogpatch on Friday. Please RSVP if interested in either: First, the winning team of Stanford’s Global Innovation Tournament spending the morning learning about Dogpatch Labs and meeting entrepreneurs... and that will be followed by the Stanford BASES Group doing the same!