Archive for the ‘Social Networking’ Category

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My father never took me fishing, even though I grew up in the country. We raised cattle, we had a fully stocked pond, I rode horses and a raised a donkey, but I never considered myself a farmer or a fisherman.

Maybe this is why I have trouble understanding these virtual farm games on Facebook, and the idea that a virtual payment is a sustainable business model.

Yet, people are buying virtual items to build a farm, fill a fish tank or fleece a mob boss in large numbers. While all this pretend work is occurring, there are companies making hay with these new virtual currencies.

Facebook is exploring a way to make more of a cut from the estimated 16 billion dollar virtual goods industry with a “Pay with Facebook” program.

In fact several Facebook executives think that a payment system within the network could make more money than advertising.

While I agree that a payment system structured like the PayPal model would be a great service to Facebook users, I feel that selling real products makes for a better long term opportunity.

But for now, most of the investment money is chasing the virtual farmers and pretend hit men of social gaming. In fact, “the investment activity in the virtual goods sector in 2009 has more than tripled from that of 2008”. As reported in the Social Times blog.

A sustainable payment system will need to be built around buying real things, just like PayPal supports. How long will people stay down on the virtual-farm once they learn a way to buy some real items through their Facebook account?

There are millions of families gathering together to share the details of their life on Facebook every day. The numbers are pointing toward huge generational connections in this space and soon retailers will discover ways to integrate commerce into the social fabric. Eventually we will find ways to share real products with those we love on Facebook, and this will require a convenient payment system.

If Pay with Facebook is structured to facilitate the financial transactions of e-commerce, then this is a business model that I can get behind.

Inside Social Games suggest that the U.S. market for virtual goods will reach $1.6 billion in 2010. That is a nice number, but when you consider that just the “gift segment” of total US retail sales is over $106 billion dollars, Facebook could plow some fertile ground with proven sustainability. And the harvest would yield a bigger return for the investment community.

It is a nice diversion to pretend to fill a fish tank with your laptop, but virtual goods will never replace the value of sharing something real with someone you care about.

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PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
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There are two ways to look at an unpaved road into the forest…

1. The road is impassable and should be abandoned for another route.

2. The road needs some improvements before it can be truly useful.

Impassable roads, un-traversed mountains and un-crossable rivers are ether dead ends or hidden opportunities, depending upon your perspective.

A recently released study suggests that retailers are finding the road through the forest of social media a little rougher than first expected. This report was highlighted in some of the Facebook blogs as a potential roadblock to the success of retail in this space.

Some are suggesting that retailers should just stick to using Facebook as an advertising tool and abandon the construction of a retail sales conduit in this friend network…

It is hard to argue with the fact that over 90% of the major retailers have started down the social media road with fan pages, only to see very low response.

But retailers have always looked for a new route for product distribution, and have been known to pioneer some dramatic new crossings in the past. Just consider the transformations in retailing from the past… Remember the move from catalog shopping to the department store, or the corner store to the mall to Amazon.

The report highlights the low return from retailing in Facebook, which might have many considering this social road impassable for retail sales. We suggest that the road just needs some improvements before it will allow for a smooth transit-way for retail goods. The trail needs the right pavement applied to make social retailing a smoother process. It will be worth the effort in the long run.

The social networks roll on the wheels of conversation and any route through this forest of friends must facilitate and add to the banter, in order to be successful.

A quick look at Main Street in Disneyland gives us a hint as to how we could pave the retail road on Facebook and other social properties. This adventure park draws millions of visitors for a day of fantasy and fun. Many attended on special occasions, like birthdays, weddings and holidays. Most come as families. The Disneyland experience is very much a conversation creator, built on an atmosphere of fun for all ages.

Entering the park, visitors are greeted by the famous Main Street. But you will notice immediately that retailing has been integrated into the fun at every turn….

How did they interject selling into the magic? First, they knew that people would come on special occasions and that these occasions usually revolve around some type of gift giving. Second, they knew that if they sold gifts that would add to the conversation they would ease the sales process and breakdown many retail roadblocks. Think of how many people bring back the purchases of Disneyland and share them in conversation with others.

Wise retailers who want to traverse Facebook will find ways to build small mimics of an adventure park, where family and friends can come on special occasions and buy gifts for one another and enjoy a conversation.

The road into the social forest may be undeveloped today, but the time will come that Facebook will play host to many great adventures in retailing. Pioneering retailers are currently paving the roadway for the next great main street on social properties…

PartyWeDo NOTE: Just as I was about to hit Publish on this post, I got a notification of a comment that Dave McClure made on a plane trip to NYC: “ASSERTION #2: “The default startup business model for 2010 & beyond will be subscriptions and transactions (e-commerce, digital goods).” It seems that Mr. McClure also sees retail sales as a way to pave the road for social media monetization.

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PartyWeDo
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InsideFacebook announced today that Facebook is opening a data-center in our great state!

What started on a small server just a few years ago has grown to become a world wide phenomenon. We are happy to be an applications that benefits from the network that Facebook has built. We appreciate the fact that Facebook is so open to our work…

Now Prineville’s economy will benefit from the growth in this industry.

We welcome them to our state (we also moved from California 6 years ago) and hope that Facebook will continue to grow and prosper.

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Two powerful families are married for user convenience and for future opportunity.

So far, the wedding has been kept hush hush and is flying under the radar… So don’t expect this to make the front pages of the tabloids anytime soon.

It seems the social media superstar Facebook, with its huge entourage of friends has been secretively matched to Amazon’s world leading product inventory, by a party application developer.

Like most weddings, the focus is on a party, and in this case the party is the center of attention. Gifts for the party are to come from the Amazon side of the isle and the guest list will be handled by Facebook.

E-commerce insiders understand that the Facebook family is a very close-knit bunch and that an arraigned marriage will benefit both sides in this case. Massive gift sales is on the mind of the Amazon group and greater support and conversation is what Facebook members are counting on from this union.

Social media followers feel that the long-term success of this marriage will likely be a result of the party atmosphere in which the two have found common ground. Sociologists have long known that couples who communicate well and share with one another have a better than average chance to find success.

The fact that Amazon will shower the Facebook family with gifts should keep both parties happy, particularly when the Facebook side can see the profits that can be generated through real gift giving. Of course, Amazon is happy to offer gifts to a partner who has so many family members pre-disposed to share with each other.

This marriage is expected to produce several great party applications that will benefit the entire family during birthdays, weddings, baby births and many holidays. The next generation of Facebook applications will benefit from the superior DNA of Amazon and Facebook to build a great experience for the users of social networks.

Look for more details of this story as they develop….

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PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists

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Are there any other people who are experiencing what Sarah and I are living through? Are there other stories like ours?

Twenty-five years of child-rearing trained us to pay attention to the lives of the five unique personalities placed in our care. We spent our time between watching and participating in the developing story of our children’s lives. We helped write the first few chapters, but now they author their own stories, independently and from a distance.

I must believe that many other moms and dads of grown children are experiencing and struggling with a similar change in roles… From story director to story observer.

There is a feeling of loss at first. Not only of the physical presence and the missing sounds of young voices, but of the missing responsibility that comes with actively directing the story for so many years. There is a realization that the independence that you promoted for so long has turned on you, and left you only to watch what happens next.

It is hard to sit on the sidelines when for so long you have been in the middle of the action.

What can be done?

The answer lies in the realization that watching and participating in the life story of our family doesn’t end at the empty nest. We learn to contribute from a different perspective and find ways to add value to the growing stories being written in other locations.

In our case, it involved building an electronic mimic of our family room, where everyone could join for a few hours of conversation and fun together. This is a place where mom and dad can electronically watch and participate in the story again. An internet family night, if you will. A web-based party like those we hosted in our family room many times before.

Our family game will never take us back in time or fill the house with the sound of childrens laughter… But for a few days during the party, we can enjoy the familiar arguing between our children. We can experience the humor and the cleaver banter of our new “in-law” children, and witness some of the stories that they are all now telling.

For a short period of time, their lives join with ours on the pages of a website, in an activity that promotes telling stories and sharing fun as a family.

As far as I am concerned, that is the great story that we share with you, and we plan to stick with it…

NOTE: I was inspired to write this story from a post that Jim Gilmartin contributed to the Media Post organization concerning the Baby Boomer Generation.

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PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
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There are studies that suggest that older Americans, 55-plus, are less reliant on social networks than most demographic groups. This seems to fly in the face of recent reports that Facebook is rapidly expanding its 50-plus user rolls.

Baby boomers are joining the social networks, but are they being social? There are some indications that they only join for specific reasons, and they don’t participate like younger demographics. Does this mean that social networks fail the Boomer?

No, it just means that Boomers need the networks for different reasons, and they may not have been invited to the right party just yet.

This age group sees Facebook and Skype as tools and not entertainment.. And if the tool doesn’t connect them generationally and historically it is the wrong party.

Generational, in that they want connection to their parents, children and grandchildren. And historically so that they can reach out to people from their past and get “caught up”.

Penny Ireland’s family is so scattered around the world, that Facebook has become the family’s No. 1 way to communicate.

Margaret Brooks, of Idaho Falls, Idaho, joined the site because there was no other place for her to see her grandson’s artwork.

Sarah and I relate to both Penny’s and Margaret’s needs.  We have raised our family, but don’t want to miss out on the great things that are happening in their lives, right now. Boomers want to be able to continue to provide support, even when distance works against their efforts. Facebook provides a place to use the social networking tools in an efficient and pointed way.

Facebook has been growing particularly rapidly amongst people over 45 in the US, with growth of over 165% amongst both men and women 45-54.

And all of these Boomers are beginning to become Seniors Citizens, reaching sixty years old. As the social networks build the tools that older Americans need, they will be inviting even more people into the party. And reaching the Boomers today, with the right social components, will deliver marketers with a well trained, well financed group of customers for many years to come.

Cynthia Edwards, posted the following in an email marketing blog;  “Seniors are a rapidly growing segment in our society, and one of great potential value to marketers. According to the US Census Bureau, in the next five years alone, the population of those over 65 will increase by 40%, from 36.8 million to 51.7 million.  In the U.S., that could add up to 88.5 million people over 65, comprising 20% of the population”.

Facebook does have more active users in the younger demographics, but some of the tools that are associated with this network giant are the perfect fit for the boomers and seniors of tomorrow.

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PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
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The success of Facebook is rooted in the conversational flow between friends and family. This network has become a mimic of many of our traditional human interactions and is now exploring ideas beyond just talk.

There is a movement afoot to move some commercialization onto this conversational superhighway, and the jury is still out whether it will add to the experience or create a road littered with potholes.

In a recent discussion on the merits of e-commerce stores on the Facebook highway, Shiv Singh, vice president and global social media lead at Razorfish. suggested that, “e-commerce activities should be presented in ways that don’t intrude on the conversational flow of Facebook.”

We agree with Mr. Singh that a social superhighway cluttered with billboards and shopping malls will disrupt the flow. But we believe there is value in providing e-commerce real estate when it enhances the personal interaction and makes the conversation grow.

The discussion focused on a coffee merchandiser who is moving an e-commerce operation onto a Facebook page. Michael Straus, spokesman for the coffee company suggested that they were “looking to integrate its social media strategy with e-commerce”.

It could be augured that coffee shops are a regular landmark along any highway and are also recognized conversational hubs. So coffee shops might be a good idea for Facebook users.

But what other retail shops would make the social road more enjoyable?

Another thought leader was concerned with the idea of selling stuff on Facebook. Mike Lazerow, CEO of Buddy Media said, “People aren’t using Facebook right now to buy stuff”. “They use it to talk to friends, see pictures, play games, learn about new products, connect with companies and products that they love.” He suggested that this mindset might eventually change as shopping opportunities become part of the typical Facebook experience.

Direct selling on Facebook is very new, but so far, most agree that the key is to make the activity a part of the conversational format that attracts users to the experience.

We support Mr. Lazerow’s contention that friends, pictures and games are the conversational resources that currently fuel the Facebook engine. We understand that any e-commerce application should be a good fit for the road, or should stay off the highway.

We suggest that gift shops are a good fit and will be common on the social networks in the near future. These e-commerce stores will be stocked games and group activities that will allow real gifts to become a part of the conversation and the support among family and friends.

In that day, the Facebook experience will include established online gift merchants who support the birthdays, weddings, baby births and holidays that are shared by every conversationalist on the road.

The social highways will be full of large motor homes filled with groups enjoying a fun game and some real gifts that they picked up at the roadside gift store.

How do you see e-commerce merging onto Facebook?

Thanks to enchantedhighway.net for the image. (you should visit this place and see the huge metal sculptures)

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PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists

This is COOL…

Gary Hayes has created this dynamic chart that demonstrates the real-time growth in social media. Pay attention to the ratio of virtual product sales and the REAL gift sales on Facebook. Then ask yourself 2 questions…

1. Is there room for growth in selling real gifts in social media?
2. Who is moving the real gift sales in social media forward, besides Facebook?

We watched the chart for 60 seconds and determined that over $10,000 was spent on virtual goods in the same time that less than $140 was spent on real gifts in Facebook.

We realize that this is an apples to pears comparison, because virtual goods encompasses all social media channels and Facebook gifts only measures a portion of a small service on one social network. And the chart does not track all of the real products sold by affiliate links from social sites. But it does show an opportunity for growth, especially when you consider that social media is a virtual mimic of real human interaction and that virtual purchasing mimics real-life  purchases.

Here is the thing you might want to consider… If people gather together in these internet social spaces and spend money on virtual things for each other, why wouldn’t they do the same thing for real gifts?

Think about this comparison:

Let’s assume that you sell me a virtual gift at $1 dollar, as a birthday wish for cousin Earl…
The result: You, Earl and I are all somewhat happy with this small gesture.

Now assume that you could sell me a $25 real gift at a 12.5% profit.
The result: Earl gets something real that he can enjoy beyond his computer screen.  I get the satisfaction that comes with providing some true support to Earl.  And you get $3.12 for facilitating the gift-giving.

Now all we need to do is find a fun way to pass out the real gifts in the social networks…. Any ideas?

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PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists

How do you use your crayons?

We have a 3-year old grandson staying with us for a while. I have noticed his coloring books… He colors outside of the lines most of the time.

He uses several colors as he randomly selects the crayons from the box and applies them to the printed images.

I am not sure if he uses so many colors because he is bored with what one crayon delivers, or because the box holds so many choices that he believes that he must try them all…

On the other hand, I have a 6-year old granddaughter who is meticulous about her coloring. Her images demonstrate her ability to stay within the lines and a thoughtful choice of just a few colors from the box.

Both of these efforts hang on our walls with equal value to their grandparents. Each represent an expression of the fun that coloring can bring to a child, and the love that families can share using simple things.

How do you use your crayons?
Take 5-minutes to explore why fun will bring a little color to your life.

A thank you to Chris Brogan for introducing this video to us…

Life is a party, that plays out in full-color and includes coloring inside and outside of the lines…

We are committed to finding fun in life and sharing it with our family and friends.

Why not color your life with just a little bit more fun too…?

Thanks to aka @obilon for the image

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PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists

We are coming to the end of the development stage of the AlbinoPhant online party. We have learned a lot about preparing and deploying a internet based application. We have discovered that communication is still the key to getting things done right and finished in a timely fashion.

In the world of web site development the Scope of Work (SOW) is the guidebook for preparing the design and writing the code to make it all work.

Unlike other pioneering efforts, our project was based upon a well documented real-world party. The white elephant/yankee swap is a proven and fully tested traditional party activity, so you would think that it would be relatively easy to communicate how to build the online version of this game. But it hasn’t been as easy as we had hoped.

Writing a SOW should have been simplified due to the fact that the Christensen family had actually used and tested most of the features that would be needed to make the game work. In addition, the technical features where almost all available, they just needed to be brought together into one application.

The problem is how to communicate the SOW in a way that others would understand and be able to build the concept into something that would work as we had envisioned.

In November of 2008 the first draft of what would become the SOW was completed. We began the process of finding expert technical support that would turn this vision into reality.

Immediately we found that even the most technically savvy individuals where having trouble getting their mind around the idea that playing a virtual-based game could result in real gift being delivered to a player’s door. Explaining this to these very smart people turned out to be very helpful in preparing to write the SOW. We found that those who have played the party game with family and friends had a distinct advantage in understanding the idea.

But even with months of preparation, helpful advice and SOW documentation of more than 150 pages, our Facebook developer missed the deadline by 4-months! And worst of all, missed Christmas… The season for gift exchanges!

We could be disgruntled with the technical development process, but that would not be completely fair. We (Sarah and I) are the technical outliers, so our communication skills should take some of the blame. We also recognize that we relied heavily on a professional organization that fell short of expectations.

Nevertheless, our family is still committed to move forward and share this application with others, because we have experienced the joy that this party can bring. We know that once it is fully deployed it will bless the lives of many others.

We are not discouraged by the delays, just a bit frustrated with the SOW process that missed an important season for our introduction.

We are learning that there are great technical people who know their stuff and there are those who only look like they do… We will do better at picking in the future!

We also promise that as we learn our role in the SOW process, we will do better in communicating the details.

What have you learned by trial and error?

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PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists