Learning from web2.0 expo

San Francisco, CAMay 2010

The buzz at web 2.0 expoTwitter & Facebook

Social

Mobile/ Location

HTML 5

API

Integration

@my-name, that’s the way to introduce oneselfEveryone except Facebook talked about Facebook

If you don’t have an API in 2010, you got to be kidding!

Open distribution, multi-platform, trans-media story-telling

Innovation with iphone apps rules despite the walled garden

Is the way to go, but with backward compatibility for now

InternetAs an operating system – Tim O’reilly

Social interfaces, social media, social Ads… for everyone

API : Evolve your business model• The web is going from direct to indirect

– And beyond the browser

• Myth : Companies “supply” content that developers “demand”Reality: Companies “demand” attention of app-developers who “supply” innovation and distribution

• An API is successful if the App carrying it is successful. – And an app is as strong as its weakest API

• Successful Apps will use many different API– And they will carry those API everywhere

Sam RamjiVice President, Strategy at Sonoa SystemsPresident of the Board at CodePlex Foundation– Sr. Director, Platform Strategy at Microsoft– Director, Emerging Business at Microsoft– Director, Market Development at BEA Systems

Framework for API development

• REST first– SOAP developers : 200,000– REST developers : 2-5million

• Don’t invent something weird– XML or JSON

• Keep responses simple and small• Keep calls granular• Use OAuth• Sample code wins every time• You’ll get it wrong the first time, so listen well

Social Gold : the design of Farmville and other social games

• Core game-play– Natural game flow– Increase decision points– Reduce UI complexity

• Art Direction– Appeal to fantasy, colorful– Avoid excessive detail– Humor adds character

• Sound– Adds atmosphere– Should be non-intrusive– Capture the movie

Amitt MahajanDirector of Engineering at ZyngaLead Developer (FarmVille) Co-Founder at MyMiniLife, Inc. Programmer at Epic Games

• Social Actions– Light (e.g. poke, like)– Heavy (E.g. comment)– Mixture of both

• Play sessions– Keep them short– Provide a goal for each player– Link sessions together

• Moments of Joy– “Cool events” in your game– Make the player feel good– Leverage art to create these

Design Elements

Framework to succeed with social games

• Capturing a player– Hidden but effective tutorial– Gradually introduce complexity– Tackle non-design challenges too

• Increasing Retention– Leave users wanting for more– Give them a reason to come back– Let their friends help

• Growing through social– Make it valuable to be social– Social actions in core, not forced– Surface social actions by friends

• Sustaining players– Regularly scheduled updates– Long term value– Events

• Enable Expression– Social ROI– Status symbols

• Enable investment– Engage users first– Make it easy to invest– Surface the value they receive

The state of the internet Operating System- Tim Oreilly

• Ask yourself for a moment, what is the operating system of a Google or Bing search? What is the operating system of a mobile phone call? What is the operating system of maps and directions on your phone? What is the operating system of a tweet?

• The resources that are critical to this operation are mostly somewhere else

• Win32 API : an analogy• Facebook platform : a case-study

– Version 1 was in-bound– Version 2 is useful to others, outside

• “simply use our facilities, and the complexity will go away”

Who owns what – the internet platform wars

“Create more value than you capture”