Posts tagged Gives
Apsalar’s Daily Cohorts Gives Mobile Developers Real-Time Analytics to Engage Users
Feb 7th
When a person downloads an app to a smartphone, the first interactions the user has with the app will determine its overall success ands potential longevity. If a user likes an app, its long-term potential greatly increases. If not, well, it is destined to the black hole of app oblivion.
That is why the ability to track the first few sessions a user has with an app in real-time is critical. Mobile marketing and analytics startup Apsalar is releasing an update to its platform called Daily Cohorts that allows publishers to track app analytics in real-time the day it is published. Developers can then make determinations on how best to market and monetize the app while it is still fresh in the users’ mind.
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Oiknine describes the results of updating Xco’s app after the first batch of analytics:
“After the update is released, Xco looks at the cohorts of users who first launched the app for the 3 days after the update. Both revenue and retention is up for each cohort – not quite yet reaching the benchmarks, but a significant overall improvement can be seen. In addition, more users are now completing the tutorial, with the rate up to 75% of new users. Xco is pleased with the results but knows it needs to do more and so it will begin the iteration process over again.”
“After the update is released, Xco looks at the cohorts of users who first launched the app for the 3 days after the update. Both revenue and retention is up for each cohort – not quite yet reaching the benchmarks, but a significant overall improvement can be seen. In addition, more users are now completing the tutorial, with the rate up to 75% of new users. Xco is pleased with the results but knows it needs to do more and so it will begin the iteration process over again.”
The ability to retain users after the launch of an app is critical. All the best plans for marketing, engagement and monetization will go for naught if a user has stopped using the app after the first few days.
Apsalar CEO Michael Oiknine describes the scenario of a mobile game from a theoretical mobile gaming company called “Xco.” The company set up several cohorts to track the retention of users and finds that after three days the app is not living up to expectations and revenues are falling short. Xco finds that users that completed the app tutorial are more likely to keep using the app while those that do not are letting it slide into app oblivion.
“As Xco takes a closer look at the data they realize that by looking at the segment of users who completed the tutorial, retention and revenue are slightly ahead of their benchmarks and those users are leveling up more frequently than other users,” Oiknine said in an email to ReadWriteMobile. “However, only 65% of users are completing the tutorial. Based on this data, Xco goes into action and decides to make the tutorial more prominent in the UX after first launch of the app.”
This is a familiar scenario for many mobile games. The ability to track early sessions is extremely important. In this case, a quick tweak to the app to push more people towards the tutorial would benefit the longevity of the app.
The cohort method of analytics differs from just tracking sessions or daily average users. It provides a level of detail that other metrics (what Oiknine calls “vanity metrics”) do not.
“With daily cohorts, app developers can make critical changes fast enough so that they don’t lose the valuable users they’ve acquired,” Oiknine said.
Apsalar’s Daily Cohorts allows publishers to group users together in a single segment by the day they launched the app. For instance, users that downloaded the app the first day it was available can be grouped as “Day 1″ users and their history can be tracked as a single segment. Same with Day 2 users etc.
Apsalar’s platform focuses on engagement and monetization. Daily Cohorts is a change for the company as it used to provide weekly cohort analysis, which means that the information gained from initial users could not be acted upon immediately. A week is a long time for a newly-downloaded app and can cost the publisher thousands of dollars (and a plethora of poor reviews) if the app is subpar or users are not sticking with it.
To a certain extent, Apsalar’s Daily Cohorts falls into the realm of “predictive analytics” but with real-time data. The ability to track and group user sessions from the earliest possible moment will give developers a better understanding of how future users will interact with the app. The idea is to get actionable data as soon as possinle. Apsalar can then engage the user across apps with its Mobile Engagement Management (MEM) system that segments the user base on a common criteria.
Apsalar’s puts up its Daily Cohorts against a variety of other services that offer similar functions. Mobile analytics company Flurry, what Apsalar considers its chief competitor, tracks user sessions and has a “Re-Engagement” model to monetize user behavior. PlayHaven has the ability to track user behavior in real-time in mobile games and update an app accordingly.
Developers: What do you think of Apsalar’s Daily Cohorts? Is there anything similar on the market that you prefer to use? How important are early-stage analytics to the success of your app? Let us know in the comments.
View full post on ReadWriteWeb
Czech Republic Gives Google Green Light To Resume Street View
Feb 3rd
After more than two years, and a few important concessions from Google, the Czech Republic is letting the company resume its Street View service. As Czech Position reports, Google has agreed to several conditions put forth by the Czech Office for Personal Data Protection: Google will take photos…
Please visit Search Engine Land for the full article.
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Why the Twitter ‘Who Gives a Tweet’ Researchers are Wrong
Feb 2nd
A recent study by Carnegie Mellon University, MIT and Georgia Tech researchers found that 25 percent of tweets aren’t even worth reading, according to participants. They believe better filters will help. Actually, they have it all backwards.
View full post on Search Engine Watch – Latest
Aviary Mobile Upgrade Gives Users Powerful Photo Editing Tools
Jan 17th
The golden age of mobile photography is upon us. Smartphones are now more capable at producing high-quality photos than digital cameras were just five years ago. Editing photos has been an evolving process but a lot of great services have been released to mobile users in the last year such as filters from Instagram or full-featured suites from Aviary and Skitch. Today, Aviary is making a dramatic update to its platform to gives users a set of powerful tools to edit photos on the go.
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Aviary, which has its roots as a popular photo editing browser extension, released the first version of its mobile toolset four months ago. Aviary’s software developer kit (SDK) can be implemented by mobile developers to add photo-editing functionality to any app. Users are now editing over 10 million photos on mobile a month and is growing 50% a month.
Version 2 of Aviary mobile releases a bunch of new feature and performance updates. Here is a breakdown of what is new:
One-touch auto-enhance: The ability to easily touch up a photo without going through a complicated editing process. Use one of Aviary’s pre-set optimization settings and enhance a photo with a tap.
Improved effects: 10 more effects with new border designs.
Unique dials: This is really a user interface function. A dial instead of a slider for brightness and color palettes.
Stickers: Bowties, cigars, funny glasses.
New design: What would an update be to a mobile app if it did not completely throw out its old design and start anew. Sometimes this works for the better, many times it does not.
Minimal branding: This is perhaps the best rollout for this version of Aviary and hopefully it is not limited to just the mobile versions of the apps. Anyone that has used an Aviary extension before knows that the little blue lower-case A company logo pops up on just about everything you want to edit or take a screen shot of. This is now hidden and can be accessed by swiping to the last page of the app for details.
Aviary is up to date with all the mobile platforms. It can instituted by developers writing apps for Android 2.2 (API level 
or higher or iOS 4+. It will also work on all browsers and tablets that support HTML5, JavaScript or Flash.
Aviary also wants to help developers make money through the mobile SDK. Users of apps that have Aviary embedded can purchase premium effects as well as original and branded stickers. Aviary will split the revenue with the app maker.
Does Aviary outshine Skitch or other photo editors on iOS and Android? The SDK is a clever bit of implementation for developers to add photo editing capabilities to apps. Let us know what you think of the newest version in the comments.
View full post on ReadWriteWeb
The Nokia Lumia 900 Gives Windows Phones A Chance In the United States
Jan 10th
A year ago Nokia was talking about hurling itself off a burning platform into a cold and dark ocean. The world wondered if the largest cellphone maker on Earth was committing suicide by phasing out Symbian smartphones and ditching the MeeGo operating system. Nokia, the company that brought many consumers their first cellphones, was crumbling in front of our very eyes.
It was like watching an old friend kill himself through years of alcoholism. Eventually, the bad decisions just start to pile up. But, like many alcoholics, somebody was there to throw a lifeline into that freezing, murky sea. Nokia grabbed onto Microsoft’s life preserver and hung on for all it was worth. A year later? Nokia has the one thing that all technology companies crave: the buzz of the masses. People are saying positive things about Nokia again. That is an amazing thing.
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From Burning Platform to Windows Phone
When we rewrite the history of the first decade of the smartphone revolution, 2011 will likely be known as Nokia’s “Lost Year.” It was a strong player before 2011 and likely a strong player after. The year started with new CEO Stephen Elop, fresh out of Microsoft, taking the reigns and completely blowing up five years of development strategy. Employees that had worked on Symbian and MeeGo were irate. Elop then announced that Nokia would transition to Windows Phone for its newest smartphones. The skeptics came out in force and shouted “collusion, collusion!” Elop was ostensibly a Microsoft plant embedded in Nokia to deliver the Finnish giant into the hands of Redmond.
That may still end up being the case if Microsoft wants to buyout Nokia’s handset division. There have been rumor of that recently but it is still probably too early to tell if Microsoft will make that plunge.
Image: Nokia Lumia 800
In 2011 we waited and waited for some news of how and when Nokia would implement Windows Phone. The longer the wait went on, the more technology pundits said, “Nokia is jus screwed.” The announcement came at Nokia World in London in October with two devices, the Lumia 710 and 800, which were released to the European market almost immediately. Yet, Nokia missed the boat on the holiday shopping season, a move that many (myself included) said was a big mistake. At the time, Nokia’s head of North America, Chris Weber, told me that Nokia was going to have several differentiated devices coming to the U.S. across carriers in a way that would make the company highly competitive in the market.
Disclosure: Nokia paid ReadWriteWeb’s travel and lodging to Nokia World in London.
North America, the Lumia 900 And the Buzz Engine
Nokia World is where the true buzz started. The company made a special effort to bring in U.S. journalists (many bloggers were shipped across the pond at Nokia’s expense) and promised that these bright and shiny Lumia’s would eventually make it stateside. There is a lot to like about the Lumia 800. In terms of hardware, it is one of the most solid smartphones that I have ever laid hands on. Windows Phone is not a complete disaster either. The user interface takes some getting used to and the app ecosystem is a work in progress but there is distinct potential for Microsoft’s smartphone operating system.
The first Lumia device to reach the U.S. was the 710, rolled out to T-Mobile. The Lumia is the poor little sister to the 800. The hardware and form factor are not as evolved as the 800 and it is designed to be a middle class device. This is what Nokia is giving us? So much for that life preserver.
Right image: Nokia Lumia 710
At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Monday, Nokia finally released its secret weapon: the Lumia 900 coming to AT&T later this year. This is a smartphone worth of consideration. It has a 4.3 inch display and superior camera optics and will run “4G” LTE.
More than anything the Lumia 900 is where Nokia’s North American buzz will start. Former ReadWriteWeb and current TechCrunch reporter Sarah Perez summed it up nicely with a single tweet:
Nokia Lumia 900. Want. Want. Want.
— Sarah Perez (@sarahintampa) January 10, 2012
Reporter Farhad Manjoo who writes for Slate, Fast Company and the New York Times, said it succinctly in comparing the Lumia 900 to the iPhone:
The Lumia 900 is the first phone since the iPhone that I want without even touching it. bit.ly/zMeyqd
— Farhad Manjoo (@fmanjoo) January 9, 2012
Even perpetual Apple proponent MG Siegler thinks the Lumia 900 has potential.
Now Comes The Trick
Buzz is good. Especially buzz from top tech pundits that have not been friendly to your company in the last year. Research In Motion could desperately use some positive buzz at this point. A year ago it looked liked both RIM and Nokia were on the way to the Land That Technology Forgot. Nokia pulled itself out of that death spiral and today looks to turn the corner. RIM? Well, the situation there is far worse than it ever was at Nokia.
But buzz does not sell smartphones. It might sell a few to early adopters and enthusiasts but the product itself has to be able to carry consumer mind share. And that’s the rub: can Nokia turn the buzz surrounding the Lumia 900 into actual sales in North America? For a populace that is enamored with the iPhone and various Android devices, that is no sure thing.
The fate of Nokia’s handset division rests on how well the Lumia 900 sells at AT&T. So does the Microsoft’s entry into the mobile operating system wars. At Nokia World, Elop said that the Lumia 800 was, “the first real Windows Phone.” The Lumia 800 was just a precursor to more important markets. The first real Windows Phone that U.S. consumers will crave has to be Lumia 900. Billions of dollars and thousands of jobs are at stake.
View full post on ReadWriteWeb
ISO 9001 Certification Gives SEO Copywriting Firm, Fountain Partnership, A … – The Open Press (press release)
Jan 4th
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ISO 9001 Certification Gives SEO Copywriting Firm, Fountain Partnership, A …
The Open Press (press release) Norwich (OPENPRESS) January 4, 2012 – Fountain Partnership, a SEO Copywriting and digital agency, has become the first online marketing agency to become ISO 9001 certified in the East of England. By achieving the ISO 9001 standard, they are committing … |
View full post on SEO – Google News
SEO Gives Rationale For Expulsions – Antigua Observer
Nov 17th
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SEO Gives Rationale For Expulsions
Antigua Observer ST JOHN'S, Antigua – Senior Education Officer (SEO) Clare Browne says his decision to expel the group of students from Ottos Comprehensive School was based solely on the seriousness of the act perpetrated on the school's premises. … |
View full post on SEO – Google News
Microsoft Gives Up on Competition, Tries to Buy IE Users Instead
Nov 7th
Somewhere along the line, Microsoft went from being the 800-pound gorilla in the browser market to begging users to switch back to Internet Explorer. Now, Microsoft is running a “where’s the love?” campaign to offer “free stuff” for users who download IE9. After all these years, hasn’t Microsoft learned yet that it can’t buy love? Is the company capable of competing on features at all?
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While IE may hold a lead over Firefox, Chrome and Safari individually, it’s trounced by the trio overall. Depending on which stats you believe, IE holds a very slim majority (50.9% according to Net Applications in September) or just more than a third of the market (35.5% according to Wikimedia in September).
So Microsoft is responding not by improving IE and making it a must-have for users, but by trying to spend the competition into submission. Microsoft is offering “gifts” for users who use IE9 to visit certain sites like Grooveshark, Hulu, Vimeo and Fandango. If you visit the IE9 Holiday Page from Windows 7 using Chrome or Firefox, you’ll get a come-on to upgrade. If you use something else, you’ll get a page telling you to go to Windows 7.
Money Can’t Buy You Love
Let’s say that Microsoft is successful in getting users to install IE9. That doesn’t mean that they’re going to stick with it.
It’s sort of ironic, but Microsoft is in the same boat that Mozilla and OpenOffice.org used to be in. (When OpenOffice.org was still a separate project.) Getting downloads is one thing, but converting users is another. If IE9 was compelling enough to get users to stick with it, Microsoft wouldn’t need to be offering additional incentives to download it.
In short: Awareness isn’t Microsoft’s problem, it’s much deeper than that.
What Microsoft Could Do
If Microsoft really and truly wants to compete, the company needs to do a few simple things:
- Innovate: Deliver features users actually want and care about.
- Convince Web developers: Internet Explorer is not the preferred platform for Web developers, and that hurts Microsoft plenty.
- Port Internet Explorer to Mac OS X: Deal with it Microsoft – you’re not the only game in town anymore.
- Stop Competing With Itself: Port IE9 to Windows XP.
- Speed Up Releases: The company should not try to emulate the Chrome/Firefox release cycle, but Microsoft’s release cycles are glacial.
Microsoft is shooting itself in the foot by simultaneously using IE9 as a lever to force people to Windows 7, and trying to entice people to IE9. Pick one. If I’m happy running Windows XP or Mac OS X, I’m not moving to Windows 7 just for IE9. If I’m happy with one of the other browsers, I’m definitely not moving to Windows 7. Microsoft misses out on an enormous audience that Google and Mozilla are more than happy to serve. By refusing to cater to Mac users or Windows XP users, Microsoft is conceding a huge chunk of the market.
Internet Explorer may have a feature here or there that’s not found in Chrome or Firefox, but really? It’s just not competitive. It doesn’t compete on speed. It doesn’t have the same breadth of extensions and add-ons as Chrome or Firefox. And while I’m sure that IE has introduced a feature or two before Chrome and Firefox, I’m struggling to think of any.
A big part of the problem is the glacial release cycle for IE9. It works in Microsoft’s favor when it comes to corporate IT, because enterprise admins are perfectly happy with software that changes slowly. But Chrome and Firefox have taught users to expect new features on a regular basis. IE9 offers little to capture users’ attention, and even less to hold it.
I’m also convinced that where Web developers go, users follow. Guess what? Web developers are not picking IE9. Sure, they use it to test sites, but ask a group of Web developers what their browser of choice is – it’s not going to be any version of IE.
Microsoft’s approach to IE9 adoption is one of the reasons many people think of Microsoft as a marketing company, not a tech company. The “let’s lure users to an inferior product” mindset is the epitome of the worst marketing practices. Rather than digging in and improving IE9 to make it a worthy competitor, the company is trying to buy market share.
It might work to shore up its market share, for a while. But in the long run? Microsoft has dug itself a hole it can’t buy its way out of. The only real way for Internet Explorer to reclaim its crown is for Microsoft to compete on features and deliver what users want. I know, that’s not Microsoft’s first choice of tactic but it’s the only one that works in the long run.
View full post on ReadWriteWeb
