Last week at Apps World buzzdoes the app distribution tool exhibited at the show and CEO and founder of the tool, Assaf Kolirin presented in the New Platforms and Technology Developer Zone.

buzzdoes is an automated word-of-mouth tool that turns apps users into apps distributors. All it takes is a click on the buzzdoes icon for users to recommend an app to a selected list of friends – they just need to pick the ones they want. The result is that each happy user can steer dozens of new ones your way.

The ‘recommender’ is rewarded for every download that occurs as a result of his/her recommendation. It’s a win-win situation. The users gain from their goodwill and the developers gain new users. buzzdoes, have added a social aspect to the tool, where users can see their friends’ applications. This serves as an advertisement area where the developer can earn money from every download that occurs through the buzzdoes button on his/her application creating a new revenue stream.

“A few years ago, I was involved in developing applications for both the games and business markets. We thought our ideas were great and couldn’t wait to get them in front of users and we started looking for ways to market our apps,” says Assaf, “This is when I had my Eureka moment. Why not use the most reliable and influential marketing model – word-of-mouth? It worked for Gmail, it worked for Facebook. Why wouldn’t it work for my app?”

If you want to find out more about buzzdoes you can view their website here

The buzzdoes stand was, well, buzzing, at Apps World this week, with developers working in consumer and b2b fields keen to learn about our viral app marketing tool. So they wanted to share their answers to the top 8 questions that cropped up.

1. How does an end user recommend my app to a friend using buzzdoes?

By clicking on the buzzdoes icon, an end user is given the option to recommend buzzdoes to friends in the Facebook, phone or mail contacts list.

2. If an end user shares my app on Facebook via buzzdoes, do you take a commission?
No. One of the added services provided by buzzdoes is the ability to share or ‘like’ an app via Facebook. If this leads to new downloads, that’s an added bonus for you, the developer.

3. What happens if I integrate buzzdoes into my app then a user downloads it, not from a recommendation, but because they saw an advertisement or a review?
buzzdoes only takes a commission on successful recommendations that come from buzzdoes. Of course, the developer does not pay for other downloads.

4. What rewards does an end user get for sharing my app?
An end user is rewarded with buzzdoes points for sharing your app. These can be exchanged for money, vouchers (e.g. Amazon) or donated to charity.

5. Can I as a developer can track recommendations of my app, including how many distributors I have and how many leads they are creating?
Yes, we share that directly with developers who use buzzdoes.

6. How do I add buzzdoes to my app?
Just add a single line of code into your app and everything will be done automatically from there.

7. Where can I find out more?
Follow us on Twitter @buzzdoesApps, visit our website www.buzzdoes.com or contact me directly on assaf@buzzdoes.com

8. What is your website address?
Our website is address is www.buzzdoes.com

By Michael Lantz, CEO, Accedo (stand 39)

Social TV is one of the most promising categories of TV apps, however it comes with a number of challenges. If done well, it provides a wealth of opportunities for operators, device manufacturers, and content providers alike. Indeed, we truly believe that Social TV can and will be a runaway success if developers and broadcasters approach it in the right way.

Here are our top tips for creating the best social TV apps around:

1. Consumption, not production

The TV is a completely different environment than the PC. Although that seems fairly obvious, it is something, which is often forgotten. In the social TV app environment, users are generally looking to stay in touch with friends whilst watching TV, but they are not on the whole interested writing messages or using other features, which require lots of interaction. Almost exclusively, the TV usage is consumption of social feeds and content rather than the production of such content. This philosophy should also be applied to Social TV apps and at Accedo we’re working hard to bring generation two of social TV apps to the market.

2. Connections with personal media content

Of course, staying up to date with messages from friends, contacts and connections directly on the TV is a good application but it is unlikely to radically change consumer behaviour. By including media content, such as photos and video, the app can instantly become much more compelling. Imagine being able to view photos and videos instantaneously on the TV screen when friends upload them. Remember, with the increased broadband speeds and the improved chipset performance, the possibility of accessing such content in high quality will only increase and it’s not difficult to imagine “social TV channels” being sent to friends via new forms of apps.

3. Contextual Social TV will be the real winner

The TV is a social experience, and can almost be likened to the modern campfire. However, increasingly, consumers are viewing alone and social media gives them the opportunity to interact with friends and family who are not in the living room with them. For most social media users, the convenience of a personal device outweigh the benefit of a TV application and the vast majority of the personal communication aspects of social media will take place through other devices than the TV.

Contextual applications however can enable consumers, who sign in to watch the same programme, interact with each other. It would even be possible to allow those consumers to be part of the programme format itself. The first contextual applications will likely be voting and ratings for music shows, talent shows and reality shows, but the innovation possibilities are endless.

Accedo will be exhibiting at this year’s Apps World Europe event and will be on stand 39. To book your free exhibition pass please click here.

Related articles

• #AppsWorld: Who will benefit from the rise of #TVapps? (apps-world.net)
• TV apps moving into the mainstream – #AppsWorld Europe (apps-world.net)

Marketing an app is all about building up that initial frenzy when an app is launched and creating a buzz with consumers, bloggers and key press contacts. Those who have a strategy and start marketing the app early create the best buzz and give their app the best chance in a very competitive market.

1) First bird gets the first worm

When the app first becomes available in the app store is a key moment for initial buzz but don’t miss the chance to start your marketing strategy before the app is released to really exploit the buzz you can create. Many developers have begun building splash pages which act as a promotional platform for the app prior to its release and then grow into the full app website post release.

2) Get your app into the right hands before the launch

Make sure your app gets into the hands of the press and key bloggers before your launch. iOS apps which have been accepted by the App Store but not yet released can still be downloaded using promo codes. This means that you can let those in the media have access to your app before its launch and help you create a buzz.

3) Launch big

When you do launch, do it in style – send out a triumphant newsletter and hit all your social media channels, have blog posts on standby and get them out to all your contacts to get your name across the web. You could also think about running a contest or holding a live or online event to officially launch the app. Make sure you maintain the buzz throughout the launch by getting a steady stream of review websites to cover the app and give away promo codes. Remember to keep asking yourself how you can add value, mystery, polish or spin to your product to keep your promotion material fresh.

4) Timing is everything

Try to co-ordinate all your marketing efforts to happen at the same time as lists in app stores are ranked by downloads in the last 24 hours so give yourself the best chance to get on those lists by having your reviews, tweets and newsletters hit the web at the same time.

5) Keep the buzz

After the app launch keep the buzz about your app by creating teasers for upcoming features, incorporate beta testers and keep your bloggers and key contacts aware of any major releases.

Marketing an app is an important part of making sure you see a return on investment and give your app the best chance of success from its initial launch. Alex Kozloff, Mobile Manager at the Internet Advertising Bureau will be discussing how to support your app launch with marketing and promotion on day 1 of the marketing and monetisation workshops at Apps World Europe in London on 29-30th November. To view the full agenda and book your place click here.

This year #AppsWorld welcomes back the Facebook Developers Garage, hosted by e27, to the Asia event who will be providing hands-on, practical advice for grass-roots developers looking to get into the fast-moving and lucrative
world of Facebook development. A great opportunity for developers looking to crack the hot topic that is social media.

On Thursday 1 September at 1630 e27 will host the Facebook developers ‘meet & greet’ session which will include a talk on the latest issues for developers in social media and an introduction to Facebook’s new regional team including Alexander Klienberg (Facebook’s Head of Platform Partnerships in Asia-Pacific/Japan) and highlights of the plans for the region as well as networking opportunities.

This is a free-to-attend, hour and a half workshop for the local developer community, with advice and insight into how the platform is evolving and how to make the most of these new developments; providing an arena for developers to get stuck in, explore the platform, collaborate and test out ideas under the supervision of experts.

The Facebook Developer Garage forms part of a series of in-depth app developer workshops taking place on 1-2 September at the Suntec Centre, Singapore. Developers can attend this free workshop track, featuring sessions on Microsoft, Android, Samsung and more. To find out more please click here.

Related articles

• Free Microsoft developers track at #AppsWorld Asia (apps-world.net)
• Free developer sessions at #AppsWorld Asia (apps-world.net)
• What to expect at Social Media World Forum (e27.sg)

An interactive conference deserves an interactive app. SMWF and Apps World Asia have teamed up with TalkBox to develop this year’s event app, bringing you a unique way to communicate at this year’s conference. TalkBox is all about sending messages with your voice. It’s an application dedicated to saving you the trouble and time of typing so you can get your message across fast!

Talk the message and get your emotions delivered instantly, with no ambiguity in your meaning! Forget SMS and BBM this is the new way to instantly communicate for free with no obligation to reply right away and the ability to listen back to the messages whenever you want.

The other exciting feature of TalkBox is that it gives you the ability to send voice tweets, that are restricted to 1 minute instead of 140 characters.

Have a play with TalkBox at this year’s event and have the opportunity to engage and connect with others at the event by adding them to your TalkBox account allowing you to send voice messages to other delegates to arrange meeting up for a chat, catching a talk together and even your evening plans.

WANT TO GIVE IT A GO?

For full instructions on how to download and use TalkBox click here.

To hear more from TalkBox you can come chat to them at the free to attend exhibition held at SMWF and Apps World Asia, they will be located at stand 4.  For more details on this year’s event and information on how to book your place please visit SMWF and Apps World.

Facebooks exec Eric Tseng, speaking at a recent Mobile event announced that Open Gragh, the technology that allows viewer to “like” website news stories, articles, features and other content will be heading to the mobile phone platform..

This new function on apps, will allow developers to feature the “like” button, allowing the users to vote in a very public way if they like the application.  This tool will become a very influential tool for the world of app promotion.

No time frame has been set for when this feature will be released, but watch this space…

Social TV is buzzing in the US, but what is it and what does it mean for the UK?   One of the more social uses of TV in the UK many years ago were basic multiplayer interactive TV games like those offered by PlayJam that allowed a few people to participate at the same time or on different devices like those offered by gameplay.  Sms to the TV screen and formats like Idol which have increased the level of audience participation and influence over the years continues to gain momentum.  News programmes using video captured on mobile phones enabled citizens to participate in journalism and has become an accepted practice.  Overlays of sms interaction like AQA’s Mr. Know it All on MTV became common amongst channels targeting younger audiences.

Current TV and other mainstream channels started to use more semi-professional content within or alongside professionally produced programming.  Social networks like bebo and MySpace began “broadcasting” original online TV formats produced by Indies like Endemol.  Then during the the American election night, twitter got into the TV game.  For the first time, the Twitter stream of public conversations about the election, mostly vocal pro-Obama supporters, were broadcast on TV.  Although there wasn’t anything too new about the format since the UK has been doing it for years – it was momentous in that it was Twitter joining the conversation on TV.  Any of these activities as well as many others could be construed as social TV since they are inherently more social than the previous decades of passive viewing where the only social aspect was discussion at the water cooler the next day at work.  Many of the talented executives we’ve gathered here today are responsible for designing and delivering future TV experiences now.  With them, we will explore how we can offer more ways to communication, share and create more value from TV whichever screen your audience chooses and through inter-device interaction.

Those “water cooler” conversations were a crucial form of viral marketing – word of mouth recommendations from people you know and trust.  The US buzz about social TV largely has to do with the creation of recommendations engines that display suggestions from others based on your viewing habits.  Amazon’s “If you like this you may also like this” or “Others who bought this also bought this” approach to programme discovery is  taking “social media TV” to another stage in it’s evolution.  Sky and Virgin are looking at these applications now.  Is this is the best we can do to catapult TV into a new immersive conversation?  Our panellists are here to share their views and inspire your creative imagination.

The most social activities that occur while people are watching TV are the millions of people texting, instant messaging and interacting on social networks while they watch TV.  TV viewing may be passive, but the viewers are actively socializing on other media.  There are some companies that are looking to tap into this social behaviour by enabling device to device peer to peer communications displayed on the TV screen.  What does this mean?  While most 16-24 year olds spend their TV time texting friends or following friends on facebook they can opt in to display their messages on the TV screen.  One person can text another friend on their mobile phone and both friends can choose to see the message on their mobile and the TV screen.  They can also participate in group chat amongst friends on TV with some people communicating from a PC and some on their mobile with the entire chat displayed on TV.  This private chat replaces public chat with people you don’t know and connects you via your preferred communications device.  You can imagine the banter about the ManU Chelsea match.  You can experience the pub with your mates without having to leave your home.  For younger audiences, conversations are about their lives – the stuff they’re already talking about while the telly is on, but now it’s displayed on TV too.  The power of recommendation in this environment is even more powerful since it adds the key time based element causing a real time recommendation with immediate effect.  Seeing a facebook status update from one of your real friends while watching TV means you can stay connected and socialize with friends who may or may not be watching TV and without having to use a keyboard (which never took off).  This, combined with recommendation applications, could create a more social TV experience at least until the development of screens creates immersive in-home environments that teleport you into the location you’re viewing for a true virtual reality entertainment experience.

Today we will explore these themes in depth, providing you with insights and case studies that you can apply to your businesses now and a view into the the not so distant IP enabled future of TV where engagement takes centre stage.

Angel Gambino, Vice President, Business Development, Sonico

If you look around the desks at Sky News, and for that matter many other newsrooms, you’re likely to find some people browsing Tweetdeck, Qik, Flickr, YouTube & Facebook.  And no they’re not skiving, they’re in fact doing a great job.  We’re not going soft in our 21^st year at Sky News, this is the world of breaking hard news in the 21^st century.

When I started at Sky as a TV output producer in 2000, our sources were 4 news wire services, 2 TV agencies and our correspondents around the UK and the world.  Now there are millions of lenses recording images of our world, millions of bloggers publishing to the web, millions of potential sources.

Eyewitnesses have always been crucial to the job of journalism.  Now many of them have cameras, even more of them are online, and any one of them could get the scoop of the year, and that’s exactly what happened at Glasgow Airport on a Saturday afternoon in June last year.  As a result, Sky News’ winning entry for News Coverage at the BAFTA Awards contained not a single frame of video shot by a Sky News cameraman.

The first sniff of a story is as likely to come in a blog or in a Twitpic as on a news wire. But no matter the provenance, the basic rules of journalism apply: Just because it has a million views doesn’t make it true. Who says a blog has to be balanced?  And beware the re-tweet.

We’re talking about copy-tasting in the world of new media, and it’s just one example of how the culture of the newsroom is changing.  Another sits just across from my desk.  She’s Ruth Barnett and she’s our Social Media Correspondent at skynews.com. Ruth is the principal human face of our activity inside the social networks, which is the best place not only see many stories breaking, but also to see how topics are trending.  She finds stories, case studies and even conducts interviews through social networking.  All that work doesn’t just stay on the website, it feeds all the other platforms serviced by Sky News.  Social media added an important layer to the coverage of June’s anti-government protests in Iran.

It’s not just a news gathering tool, we regularly use social networking tools to break news. Through microblogging we gave our audience the fastest possible breaking analysis of a live event like Prime Ministers Questions.  At the recent G20 protests in London, we had 7 separate sets of Sky News eyes and ears on the ground capturing minute by minute developments in text and pictures with nothing more than their mobile phones.  If they had been holding a TV camera in that situation, they would have been in danger.  We have been streaming video from mobile phones when a satellite truck or broadband feed hasn’t been available.

Social media is knocking down the ivory towers of 20^th century broadcasting, and blurring the previously well-defined roles of audience, broadcaster, publisher, provider, customer.  It’s an exciting world to be in, and we’re proud to be in the middle of it.

To learn more about Social TV and its impact on broadcasting visit the Social TV Forum 2010 (www.social-tv.net).  Book your place now click here

Social TV: Watch Hulu with Your Facebook and MySpace Friends.  This is the new reality of the TV experience.  Social TV will come to define our viewing over the next year.  Most social networks are already partnered with multiple broadcasters offering viewers the ability to socialise with friend through networks while watching TV through either their PC’s or television.  This latest advancement in technology is taking us back to the social aspect of huddling round a TV with friends, the only difference being that your friends can be on the other side of the planet.  To learn more about how this revolution is happening read Ben Parr’s piece.