In response to Nick’s article on crappy apps, I have to say that while I agree that their are a ton of crappy apps, I don’t think it’s a problem. Personally my entire interest in this whole phenomenon comes from my long-standing belief in the productive power of openness — open source, open access, open communication, open flexibility, etc.
I think it’s amazing that it’s so easy that it’s so easy to get into this market. It means that anybody with a good idea can get involved. It’s like blogs. Some suck, but that’s okay, because the tools for the best blogs to rise to the top are in place via digg, stumbleupon and the like. The mistake on Facebook’s part in the ease at which the first apps, which were huge, can instantly popularize their new, even crappier apps.
One great way for the good apps to rise to the top is one that anybody reading this knows well, and thats by reading a quality blog that will find and review good apps.
In that spirit, I found a very cool app called Mix Maker. The application allows you to share copyrighted music with your friends. The trick is, you can stream a mix you make, and friends can add to it. Nobody can download the music, so that should take care of the legal issues, but they can stream and listen on facebook.
- Jonathan Kleiman runs the law blog LegalIntellects.com
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name 10 apps that have been developed and financially successful?1.) cities i've visited getting bought out by trip advisorgiven the number of users that many apps have, you'd expect to have a lot of examples, but i think facebook really is changing the fate (f8) of development.it is getting far too easy to make an app and have massive exposure, which devalues all other apps.remember when people thought they could create a blog, get a lot of traffic, and then cash out? well, that is the same pipe dream as a popular facebook app.face it, developers are going the way of factory workers.
Comment by Zuckerborg — January 10, 2008 @ 10:38 am
name 10 apps that have been developed and financially successful?
1.) cities i've visited getting bought out by trip advisor
given the number of users that many apps have, you'd expect to have a lot of examples, but i think facebook really is changing the fate (f8) of development.
it is getting far too easy to make an app and have massive exposure, which devalues all other apps.
remember when people thought they could create a blog, get a lot of traffic, and then cash out? well, that is the same pipe dream as a popular facebook app.
face it, developers are going the way of factory workers.
Comment by Zuckerborg — January 10, 2008 @ 11:38 am
Developers made facebook.The fact that freelancers with a good idea can't make their app big doesn't mean it's a problem that they can make them.The increased access definitely devalues the app but it also changes their nature to something that more people can take part it.I guess it depends what the goal is in the end of the day.
Comment by Jonathan Kleiman — January 10, 2008 @ 11:53 am
Developers made facebook.
The fact that freelancers with a good idea can't make their app big doesn't mean it's a problem that they can make them.
The increased access definitely devalues the app but it also changes their nature to something that more people can take part it.
I guess it depends what the goal is in the end of the day.
Comment by Jonathan Kleiman — January 10, 2008 @ 12:53 pm
It's safe to say that my entire team is flattered by your post. (To stand out amongst the crowd is always an honour!)Forgive me if I'm off mark, but while I recognize that massive exposure may not be worth the same on Facebook as it had in the past, I believe a dedicated user base still holds its weight. Zombies came, but how long do you think it will last?Although an application may have a bajillion installs, it means little to a company purchasing an application if they don't come back to it.Yes, market saturation devalues the worth of the product. Economics states higher supply equals lower price point. However, if people are engaging in something time and time again, in context of Facebook, it becomes a different product. It's like the difference between a Ferrari and a Ford. They're both cars. There are tons of them. But you know your mileage will be better with the Ferrari. (In a sense.)Applications with dedicated users are like stores with dedicated customers. People keep coming back, you keep making income. People come once, ride the fad wave, disappear forever, and you're no longer sustainable. (For another example, have a look at the club scene.)With that, our focus has always been on creating an engaging application that will grow with the end user. We really hope you like it, and we'd love to hear your feedback!Kind regards,Jeremy, from the Opus Team
Comment by Jeremy Lim — January 10, 2008 @ 3:00 pm
It's safe to say that my entire team is flattered by your post. (To stand out amongst the crowd is always an honour!)
Forgive me if I'm off mark, but while I recognize that massive exposure may not be worth the same on Facebook as it had in the past, I believe a dedicated user base still holds its weight. Zombies came, but how long do you think it will last?
Although an application may have a bajillion installs, it means little to a company purchasing an application if they don't come back to it.
Yes, market saturation devalues the worth of the product. Economics states higher supply equals lower price point.
However, if people are engaging in something time and time again, in context of Facebook, it becomes a different product. It's like the difference between a Ferrari and a Ford. They're both cars. There are tons of them. But you know your mileage will be better with the Ferrari. (In a sense.)
Applications with dedicated users are like stores with dedicated customers. People keep coming back, you keep making income. People come once, ride the fad wave, disappear forever, and you're no longer sustainable. (For another example, have a look at the club scene.)
With that, our focus has always been on creating an engaging application that will grow with the end user. We really hope you like it, and we'd love to hear your feedback!
Kind regards,
Jeremy, from the Opus Team
Comment by Jeremy Lim — January 10, 2008 @ 4:00 pm