What Joanna Saw

Social Gaming Trends 2011 (via @MetroMcCann)

Tue, 29 May 2012 11:31:11 -0400

Social Gaming Trends 2011 (via @MetroMcCann):

Mobile social gaming

MMO (massive multiplayer online) games are becoming more feasible on mobile devices with the help of faster mobile internet access through 3G and faster, more powerful devices. The new IPhone 4s provides faster graphics than ever as well as the ability to use more resources simultaneously without affecting game play. If Facebook games were able to be played on mobile devices or standalone apps the potential to make a game that can be played with anyone all over the world would be very popular.

Augmented reality is a term for a live direct or indirect view of a physical, real-world environment whose elements are augmented by computer-generated sensory input such as sound, video, graphics or GPS data.
Augmented reality gaming is becoming more popular as it creates a more immersive gaming environment combining both virtual worlds and the real world on any device with a camera and mobile connection. Paranormal activities app explores many different elements of augmented reality which can be harnessed:

Paranormal Activity: Sanctuary from Ogmento on Vimeo.

I think that augmented reality has a lot of marketing potential and the ability to appear in social games used on smartphone’s etc. McCann has already produced some work using AR as a fun marketing tool.

#DarkPatterns - User Interfaces Designed to Trick People (via @Emiore)

Tue, 29 May 2012 08:53:30 -0400

#DarkPatterns - User Interfaces Designed to Trick People (via @Emiore):

Dark Patterns: User Interfaces Designed to Trick People (Presented at UX Brighton 2010)

View another webinar from Harry Brignull

How Has The Shift To Visual Affected Ecommerce and Social Engagement? #Infographic] (via @Dr4ward)

Tue, 29 May 2012 08:22:00 -0400

How Has The Shift To Visual Affected Ecommerce and Social Engagement? #Infographic] (via @Dr4ward):

More at: http://www.mdgadvertising.com/blog/its-all-about-the-images-infographic/

Pinterest In The ’90s: What It Would Have been like (via @MirzaMB @SHDickson)

Fri, 25 May 2012 16:42:53 -0400

Pinterest In The ’90s: What It Would Have been like (via @MirzaMB @SHDickson):

Facebook provides reach data directly on Timeline posts

Fri, 25 May 2012 11:21:35 -0400

Facebook provides reach data directly on Timeline posts:

Some Facebook page owners can now view certain post metrics directly from their Timeline, including the percentage of fans that saw a given post and the percentage of those who saw the post as a result of paid promotion.

This gives page owners an at-a-glance understanding of how many fans they are reaching. Or, more likely, make them realize how many they aren’t reaching. As users share more and connect with more Open Graph applications, there are more stories competing for placement in News Feed. Increasingly, page owners will have to support their content efforts on Facebook with paid media.

In February, Facebook said that pages reach only 16 percent of their fans each week on average. By showing reach percentages on Timeline rather than requiring page owners to visit the insights dashboard to see them, the social network can subtly encourage page owners to consider spending money on Sponsored Stories or Reach Generator, a premium offering which guarantees that a page reaches at least 75 percent of fans within a month.

More at: http://www.insidefacebook.com/2012/05/24/facebook-provides-reach-data-directly-on-timeline-posts/#

App Discovery By Quality, Not Popularity: Facebook Announces App Center For Web, iOS, Android, HTML5, Pre-Paid

Fri, 25 May 2012 07:27:25 -0400

App Discovery By Quality, Not Popularity: Facebook Announces App Center For Web, iOS, Android, HTML5, Pre-Paid:

Today, Facebook app discovery too heavily favors the loudest apps with the most users, so Facebook today announces it will soon launch the App Center, a single, personalized hub for discovering the highest quality Facebook-integrated games and utilities from across the web and mobile. And for the first time, Facebook is beta testing the option for developers to sell pre-paid web and HTML5 apps. You’ll be able to access App Center via the web or mobile, and you can send apps you discover on a the web to your littler devices.

App Center could be a huge boon to app growth on Facebook, especially for those that are beloved but not inherently viral. With any luck, App Center will usher in an age where your news feed is filled with apps you actually want use, not just the spammiest ones or those with the biggest marketing budgets.

Unlike the unpersonalized app directory Facebook shut down a year ago, App Center won’t list every available app, just the ones with the highest customer ratings, engagement, session length, and voluntary sharing. App Center dynamically shows you different apps depending on your habits. If you play games, that’s what you’ll see. If you think those are a waste of time and only use utility apps like BranchOut or Open Graph apps like Foodspotting, those will be what appear.

More at: http://techcrunch.com/2012/05/09/facebook-app-center/

The content marketing matrix [new #infographic] via...

Fri, 18 May 2012 06:19:15 -0400

The content marketing matrix [new #infographic] via @smartinsights

Nice clear terms of service from 500px - their 'basically' version translates legal jargon into "plain english" (Via @netmag)

Fri, 18 May 2012 03:43:09 -0400

Nice clear terms of service from 500px - their 'basically' version translates legal jargon into "plain english" (Via @netmag) :

Description Of Service

The Site is an online community which enables photographers and graphic artists to post photographs and images, share comments, opinions and ideas, promote their work, participate in contests and promotions, and access and/ or purchase services from time to time made available on the Site (“Services”). Services include, but are not limited to, any service and/or content 500px makes available to or performs for you, as well as the offering of any materials displayed, transmitted or performed on the Site or through the Services. Content (“Content”) includes, but is not limited to text, user comments, messages, information, data, graphics, news articles, photographs, images, illustrations, and software.

Your access to and use of the Site may be interrupted from time to time as a result of equipment malfunction, updating, maintenance or repair of the Site or any other reason within or outside the control of 500px. 500px reserves the right to suspend or discontinue the availability of the Site and/or any Service and/or remove any Content at any time at its sole discretion and without prior notice. 500px may also impose limits on certain features and Services or restrict your access to parts of or all of the Site and the Services without notice or liability. The Site should not be used or relied upon for storage of your photographs and images and you are directed to retain your own copies of all Content posted on the Site.

Basically,

We provide services that allow you to create portfolios and we will develop more features and services in the future.

More at: http://500px.com/terms

A guide to being fancy. All I need is a top hat, monocle,...

Wed, 09 May 2012 06:13:54 -0400

A guide to being fancy. All I need is a top hat, monocle, moustache + unicorn. #Simples.

Don't just like, save recipes, places + products > Facebook Adds Action Links to Timeline Apps

Thu, 03 May 2012 07:28:52 -0400

Don't just like, save recipes, places + products > Facebook Adds Action Links to Timeline Apps:

Facebook announced Wednesday it has added yet another way for friends to interact with your Timeline: “action links.”

Instead of just Liking a post about a recipe or product, say, you can now hit “Save this Recipe” or “Fave this Product” in Open Graph apps.

When a friend checks in on Foursquare and the checkin is added to their Timeline, you can remind yourself to visit that location by hitting “Save this Place.”

“These customizable links provide another way for people to do something within your app when your Open Graph stories appear in news feed, timeline or ticker,” Facebook’s Alex Wyler wrote on the company’sdeveloper blog.

Wyler noted that these app links tie one action to another — and developers can choose what they want that action to be. Facebook also added a page to walk developers through how to add action links to apps.

More at: http://mashable.com/2012/05/02/facebook-action-links/#5308510-US-Military

Virtual roleplaying game helps teenagers deal with depression

Wed, 02 May 2012 13:04:00 -0400

Virtual roleplaying game helps teenagers deal with depression :

Developed by the University of Auckland, players can choose an avatar which they must guide through seven ‘provinces’ related to problems they may come across while experiencing mental health issues. For instance, the Volcano Province contains tasks which can help teens deal with disruptive emotions, while on another level users have to fight GNATS (Gloomy Negative Automatic Thoughts). Each level takes around 30 minutes to complete and it is recommended that players attempt one or two provinces each week. SPARX, which stands for Smart, Positive, Active, Realistic, X-factor thoughts, has already been tested among 187 young people with varying symptoms of depression, with the results appearing in the British Medical Journal. According to PsychCentral, one group was given typical treatment while the other played the game. Both groups experienced an average reduced anxiety of around one-third and remission rates were actually higher in the group given the game. Gameplay from SPARX is demonstrated in the video below:

Depression can be a difficult subject to broach, especially when it comes to teenagers, but the developers have found a way to integrate therapy into a form already popular with the younger demographic. Medical professionals: could this programme form part of your treatment?

More at: http://www.springwise.com/health_wellbeing/virtual-roleplaying-game-helps-teenagers-deal-depression/

Kitty Cat Hijack > This App Will Have Your Favorite Site Swarming With Cats (via @Mashable)

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 11:02:26 -0400

Kitty Cat Hijack > This App Will Have Your Favorite Site Swarming With Cats (via @Mashable):

Need we say more? The KittyCat Hijack app from Canadian cat food brand Temptations will have your favorite websites swarming with felines within minutes.

To activate the app, go to the brand’s Facebook Page and then add the app to your bookmarks bar. (The creators made this simple by putting the app in the form of a cat food bag.) After that, you can let the cats loose on your favorite websites.

More at: http://mashable.com/2012/04/30/kittycat-hijack/

"According to a survey out today from YouGov, people in Britain are not quite ready for connected TV..."

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 07:06:43 -0400

“According to a survey out today from YouGov, people in Britain are not quite ready for connected TV viewing. The research shows that 50% of the UK residents polled are mostly buying new televisions for a more up-to-date model rather than thinking about connecting it to the Internet. 96% of SmartTV owners said that the picture quality was the most important feature followed by 93% focussing on screen size and 89% looking for better sound quality. Slightly more worrying, only half of the respondents (53%) correctly identified a SmartTV as a set that directly connects to the Internet without requiring another device and one in four SmartTV owners have never used it to connect at all.”

- More at: UK TV-Buyers Apparently Not So Smart

Kraft sends personal thank you to thousands of Facebook Fans (via @thewalluk)

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 06:34:00 -0400

Kraft sends personal thank you to thousands of Facebook Fans (via @thewalluk):

More at: http://wallblog.co.uk/2012/04/30/kraft-sends-personal-thank-you-to-thousands-of-facebook-fans/

The ultimate customer experience: #infographic (via @Econsultancy)

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 06:08:44 -0400

The ultimate customer experience: #infographic (via @Econsultancy):

Alarm clock app rewards users for guessing which city’s sounds they wake up to

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 10:20:17 -0400

Alarm clock app rewards users for guessing which city’s sounds they wake up to

OMG, yes please > Could Netflix Bring Firefly Back From The Dead? (via @NathanFillion)

Sun, 22 Apr 2012 12:21:25 -0400

OMG, yes please > Could Netflix Bring Firefly Back From The Dead? (via @NathanFillion):

Article found via: http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/GraphicCity/news/?a=51453

bernardin:

Ever since Joss Whedon’s space western was canceled back in 2003, its fans — at first, a relatively small contingent, but as time and DVD sales grew, so did the ranks swell — have wondered what could possibly rescue it from the tightly clenched jaws of death. And until now, nothing could….

Overseas shoppers show growing interest in UK retail (via @I_COM cc @Rachel_Bolton_)

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 06:41:07 -0400

Overseas shoppers show growing interest in UK retail (via @I_COM cc @Rachel_Bolton_):

Overseas shoppers are showing growing interest in what UK retail has to offer, the latest figures from theBritish Retail Consortium(BRC) suggest.

Retail searches from overseas grew by 57% in the first quarter of 2012, compared to the same period last year, according to today’sBRC-Google Online Retail Monitor. That’s well ahead of the 11% total growth in retail-related searches that the monitor detected during the period.

Stephen Robertson, director general of the British Retail Consortium, said the figures showed the potential importance of exports to the UK retail sector. He said: “Internet search traffic from developing countries like Mexico and Pakistan has more than doubled. These statistics demonstrate the growth potential of online for UK retailers and the part retail can play in building a recovery based on exports, given the right conditions and a genuinely free-trade world market place.”

Peter Fitzgerald, retail director atGoogle, said the figures showed the importance of an international presence for retailer brands. The highest growth came from Mexico, with growth of 135%, while searches from Pakistan rose by 101%. “Interest also grew in the BRIC countries,” said Fitzgerald.

The other big trend to emerge from the monitor was evidence that shoppers on tight budgets are researching their purchases on the internet to make sure their money is going as far as it can.

Searches for both food and drink and health and beauty items grew by 21%, while mobile searches for food and drink grew by 172%. In total, the number of searches taking place on mobile and tablet devices grew by 132% in the quarter.

More at: http://www.internetretailing.net/2012/04/overseas-shoppers-show-growing-interest-in-uk-retail/

Breathtaking motion capture from the creator of Heavy Rain....

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 06:36:55 -0400

Breathtaking motion capture from the creator of Heavy Rain. Seriously, watch it. #Stunning (via @Huey @RooReynolds) “Kara” by Quantic Dream (by sceablog)

Described by Hugh Garry as:

Shit got real - The creator of Heavy Rain said that the Kara demo can be run on a PlayStation 3. It shows an android being built and gaining consciousness, as well as demoing some jaw-dropping motion and facial capture technology. Just look:

Clever how the Pizza Express email loads if you don’t have...

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 02:45:50 -0400

Clever how the Pizza Express email loads if you don’t have images enabled. Did think I was seeing things mind!