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(This is the 4th part of a 4 part article, you can read the part 1 here, part 2 here, and part 3 here)

Ask Politely.

So far you’ve introduced your app successfully to users, they’re actively using your app, but your user base isn’t growing. As simple as this could be, just ask them politely to spread the word. I’ve seen this done in numerous methods, but I’m going to explain them in a more general sense. The most common methods to spread the word about your app is to include an “Invite Friends” feature from within your app. I think this should be a mandatory feature. There is no good reason not to have this. Using FBML this component can be built with only a couple lines of code. If your app doesn’t have this, add it.

The hardest part about asking your users to share the word is come off as obtrusive or annoying. If you’re constantly pushing them to invite friends after every action they perform they’ll quickly become annoyed. As easy as it is to create the invite friends feature, it’s just as easy to push users away from using it. Currently Facebook only allows users to invite 20 friends to a particular app within a 24 hour period. Don’t let this frighten you. There are other methods of sharing your app with hundreds of users without coming off as intruding or needy. I think the proper use of Facebook notifications can spread the word just as effective, if not more effective as invites. When a user performs an action that interacts with another user, send a notification to that user. Similar to the signature Facebook poke, if you poke a user, notify them they’ve been poked. Next give them the option to poke them back. Naturally if they do not have that app installed it will take them through the installation process before they can poke back. You’ve just effectively added a new user to your app. Currently there are no limits to how many notifications you can send out, so utilize this, but do it wisely. With anything that’s limitless, there is a certain line of abuse. You do not want to cross this line. Using notifications properly will not only increase your user base, but it will also keep your users active.

Another very important feature to making your app noticeable is the use of mini-feeds and news feeds. In FBML you can post things to your user’s mini-feed. This is important on two levels. First, when you post it to the user’s mini-feed any one that views their profile page will see their mini-feed. If your app has entries in their mini-feed they will be visible to the viewing user. The mini-feed can contain text, links, and images. Utilize this to the fullest by including words, links and images that stick out from the rest of the feeds. They click it, and then you’ve successfully enticed them. The next important use of the mini-feed is the newsfeed. The newsfeed is a “smart” aggregator of all the mini-feeds of the current user’s friends. When a user logs in to Facebook they are immediately viewing the newsfeed. This newsfeed includes entries from all of their friend’s mini-feeds. The goal behind this is to get your mini-feed posts to show up in other users newsfeeds. This can be done in a few ways, but the two main ways I see this successfully work is repetition and mass action. Repetition is when users are using the application over and over again, which is posting very similar mini-feeds. Mass action is when numerous users are performing the same action; the number of users gets tallied up and posted as a newsfeed. No matter how you try to get content into users’ newsfeeds, it starts with posting entries to the mini-feed.

The use of notifications and mini-feed posts are key roles in increasing your user base. These are indirect, polite ways of asking your user to share your app with other users. If you’ve successfully introduced your app and made the user active, then there is no reason why they shouldn’t share your app with their friends. Having said that, you don’t want to beg them to share with their friends. These ideas are the polite way to ask your users to share. In turn you’ll increase your user base and you’ll have an application that users will use and be more than willing to spread the word with their friends, just by asking politely.

Concluding Thoughts

After you’ve successfully developed an application that the users love and enjoy, it is only proper to think of a monetization strategy. Using Google Adsense is the simplest from to capitalize on your application, but be creative and specific to where you place your ads. Don’t overpower your app with ads either. There are also ways to offer your users products and/or services that completely integrate with your application. Using referral codes towards content that the users are interested in, work well. If your application becomes highly successful you could also sell space within your applications to up and coming application developers. These are common, simple practices that can help you generate a profit from your Facebook application. If anything, you app could be bought out by a larger company, simply because of your large list of loyal users you’ve successfully accumulated.

Facebook applications are a new realm for developers. You are given the privilege to use Facebook’s large network as leverage towards an idea of your own. With this kind of power there is a lot of room for abuse. Controlling the actions from within your application is very important to making it a successful Facebook application. The users of Facebook built the network and respecting the users is the number one idea you must keep in mind. Create an application for the users and in turn the users will create a successful business for you. The perfect Facebook application.

(This is the 3rd part of a 4 part article, you can read the part 1 here and part 2 here)

Keep Them Guessing.

Now that you’ve introduced your app to Facebook users, don’t just end your relationship with them there.  Like all relationships, good ones, “it takes two to tango.”   If you or your app isn’t putting forth anything towards the user, the user probably is going to do the same.  They’ll have your app installed, but quickly become just another inactive user.  You need to keep them on the edge of their seats as much as possible.  Users are curious; give them something to be curious about.  Users are self conscious; give them kudos for actions they perform through your app.  Users are bored; give them an addiction.  These fundamental ideas, when meshed together, can make an extremely powerful and highly active application.  The more the users actively use your app, the more feedback you’ll receive, which in turn will give you a stronger idea on how to improve the application as well as increasing your chances of gaining new users.  It’s a social network; the users of the social network do exactly what it’s all about, they socialize.  If you give them something to socialize about, or use to socialize, they’re going to share it with their friends.  The topic of distribution of your app will be further explored in the core concept: ask politely.  As for now here are a few ways that will help you keep your users guessing, keeping them active within your app.

The most common ways to keep users guessing is some type of point system.  This point system can be utilized in a combination of ways.  The point system has two main parts: methods for the users to obtain points and methods for the users to use the points.  You could reward the user with points for actions they perform in your app (invite friends, interact with friends, submit reviews, submit suggestions).  You could reward them points for solving solutions (puzzles, games, riddles, and trivia).  After the users have obtained points, give them a reason for wanting to get points in the first place.  The points could be a certain type of currency that allows them to “buy” new features within your app or “buy” an item or action to perform on other Facebook users.  The points could be used to determine rank.  The rank could unlock features to only the more active users.  Either make the new features or items viewable, but not usable to unqualified users or tell the users that if they get so many points they’ll unlock new items or features.  Don’t forget that you’ve established a relationship with the users and it is crucial that they feel the need to stay in that relationship with your app.  Keeping them active through a point system keeps the users curious and addicted.

Another common way to keep your users active within your app is make your app a utility.  Maybe your app isn’t as much of a novelty as it is a utility.  If you app is used as a tool, there is still methods to keep the user curious, happy, and active.  Again, reiterating that this is a social network, create some level of interaction with your tool that allows the users to communicate with other users.  This type of communication can be direct or indirect.  Direct methods of communication can include, but not limited to, user sharing and user reviews.  Allow users to share ideas with other users.  Or give the users the ability to review other users’ content, possibility as a form of constructive criticism. Indirect methods can include, but not limited to, user comparison and user submitted content.  Let the user know how he/she compares with other users.  Create a level of compatibility between users so that they know what other users are the most resourceful or similar to themselves.  If you don’t have much time to add new content to your app, devise a way to allow users to submit content.  This content could be in the form of new topics, ideas, or products.  You may want to incorporate a review process before user submitted content goes live.  This could protect the flooding of superfluous submissions.  Or take it one step further, utilizing the social network and allow the users to vote upon your content.  The content with more votes will be used.   The point system previously discussed seems to work best with apps that are a novelty, but it can also work in a utility app.  This just adds to the overall value of your Facebook application.  With your users actively using your app you build a solid foundation to work from.  There is never a reason to stop improving app, remember keep the users guessing.

(This is the 2nd part of a 4 part article, you can read the first part here)

Make It Simple.

As fundamental as this may sound, many developers have great ideas, but execute poorly because their application was confusing or too overwhelming. First impressions are huge when it comes to Facebook applications. Many users (especially in these early stages) are curious about new applications and are willing to give it a chance. If within the first 10 seconds after the application is installed and they are confused, more than likely they’ll remove that application and never install it again. Even if you change it in the future you’ve already lost the attention of thousands of potential users just because you didn’t initially make it simple to use. Start slow, introduce users to a small portion of the features, and walk them through using the application on initial install. Use FBML to make your application look like a part of Facebook. The users never left Facebook, so why change the look and feel? Give the users a proper introduction to your app and keep it consistent with the look and feel of Facebook. And here’s just how you can do this:

When a user first installs your application they are redirected to a specific URL that you set. This URL is called the Post-Add URL. You can set this in the settings of the applications under Installation Options. (Note: You can only modify Installation Options if you allow for your application to be added by other users of Facebook.) Create some type of tutorial or walk through of the basic features of your application. They can always learn new features later. Just point out the most important ones to the overall operation of your app. You want to assure them they know what your app is for and how to use it. Well document each feature of your application that will answer any of the user’s questions on the spot. If the user has made it through your introduction to your app, chances are, they’re going to keep it installed. This doesn’t necessarily mean they’re going to use it. The strategies to keep your app users active will be explained and detailed later under the core concept: keep them guessing.

The Facebook Developer’s Platform has its own FBML (Facebook Markup Language). Within FBML is the ability to add menus, buttons, and links that are consistent throughout Facebook. Facebook today is very complex to many new users, with so many features that it’s very easy to become overwhelmed. So when users finally become comfortable with using Facebook there’s no reason to confuse them again through a new application. The first step to relieving this barrier is to release an application that has the same look and feel as Facebook. Using FBML you can create Invite Friend buttons, menu bars, sub-menu bars, Share buttons, and more that Facebook already uses. New and existing users will be familiar with these buttons and design and they will know how to act. Doing so will make your app simple, the first step to the perfect Facebook app.

Facebook is one of the largest and fastest growing social networking sites on the web.  They just opened registration to anyone in September of 2006 and have increased their user base to over 40 million users.  What’s even more exciting is at the end of May 2007 Facebook launched their developers platform allowing any user to access and interact with their entire user base through an application which can be “installed” to a user’s account.  When a user installs an application to their account it grants the application access to their information such as name, profile image, interests, activities, age, friends and more.  The application can then take the information and use it to enhance the user’s experience on Facebook.   Users can do this by using the app to interact with other users in new ways not already available on Facebook.  Already thousands of developers have created applications that have been added to Facebook, but only a few have had the success of reaching out to hundreds of thousands of Facebook’s 40 million plus users.  Now is your chance to create an application (app for short) that will attract thousands of Facebook users.

This guide will include key ideas and strategies to consider when creating a Facebook Application.  These ideas and strategies will help increase your app’s popularity ten-fold.  The whole idea is to introduce and entice Facebook users to an app that you’ve created, and then share it with their friends.  In doing so you want to make your app an enjoyable experience and a continuing one for the users.  The key thing to remember is the users.  Facebook is a social networking site, built and managed by the users.  When you are interacting with these users you do not want to annoy, confuse or deceive them in anyway.  They have the power to determine how great your app is and you must respect that. (Did you notice how I put the users first before you in the title?)

                In the following context you will be introduced to strategies and ideas that, when executed appropriately, will produce fast results, winning Facebook users over.  The three main goals behind these strategies and ideas will introduce users to your app, entice them to use your app, and get users to share your app.  These are the three core concepts that will do just that: make it simple, keep them guessing, and ask politely.   The next part to this article will be available tomorrow.