Archive for April, 2010

What We Learned at f8

We learned a lot last week at Facebook’s pseudo-annual developer conference, f8. Number one: we learned that Facebook knows how to put on a great event. We also learned that Facebook plans to basically provide the social plumbing for the entire Web through their what-is-sure-to-become ubiquitous “Like” buttons, open graph APIs and social plugins. And we learned that Facebook Credits, though it warranted little more than a footnote in Mark Zuckerberg’s keynote, is an important part of Facebook’s platform strategy going forward.

But perhaps one of the most important developments learned during f8 is in regards to the company’s new data policies, and how changes to the policies can go a long way towards helping game developers engage more deeply with their users. Here’s a quick recap of what these policies entail and what it means for you as an application developer.

New Data Policy

Effective immediately, Facebook is removing the 24 hour caching restrictions on developers. This means that developers don’t have to keep asking for data on their users and can simply store whatever data they collected the first time, which should help boost user engagement.

As a part of this new system Facebook has added several new rules to their existing policies requiring developers to:

• Post a privacy policy that explains what data you collect, and how you will use, store and/or transfer user data
• Keep your cached data up to date
• Get consent for data beyond the basic account info
• Delete data if the user requests it

Facebook may also require a developer to delete data if they violate terms.

New Data Permissions Dialog

We also learned that Facebook will be combining all of their permissions dialogs into one unified permissions box for the user to allow when they enter an app.

With this permissions box developers will be able to lump all of their basic requests into one place. It is unclear at this time how developers will need to ask for Extended Permissions.

Data Permission Display

Facebook is giving developers a few different ways to display to their users the authorization page for their app.

This request page will be shown to users with the list of permissions the developer is requesting.  A description of each type of display is below:

Extended Permissions

By default, your application can access all public data in a user’s profile, including their name, profile picture, gender and friend list.  In addition to the default information, a developer can choose to wrap additional extended permissions into that request flow, so that they gain access to information such as the user’s birthday, education history, hometown, etc.

With these new changes, it makes it possible for developers to get to know their users that much better and build deeper, more personal, and more lasting relationships. As Ethan Beard, director of the Facebook Developer Network team, put it on the Facebook blog:

These changes reflect two core beliefs: first, user data belongs to the user; they should have transparency and control over it. And second, you should be able to build relationships with your users; we should not be in the way. We hope these improvements will foster more trust and engagement for our platform and the applications and websites using it.

To learn more about the new data policies, read the Facebook Developer Principles and Policies or read about about authentication with the new permissions dialog.

Monetization Just Got Easier: Announcing the Offerpal Display Network

As the leader in alternative payments for the social gaming industry, we’re always thinking up new ways we can help our developer and publisher partners monetize a greater percentage of their users. Then, one day a few months ago, it hit us: why not build a display ad network? That way we can help our partners monetize 100% of their users!

So that’s exactly what we did. And today we are proud to announce that we are launching a state-of-the-art, world-class display advertising network for social media publishers that not only competes with the best of the solutions currently available, but, based on the early indications, actually outperforms them.

Now developers can monetize their virtual currency and their banner inventory all under one roof, from a partner they trust. We offer the industry’s highest payouts (our powerful optimization engine maximizes publisher revenue while targeting ads to relevant audiences), plus the easiest integration and most robust reporting. Also, thanks to our vast advertiser relationships and direct sales team, we have some of the best and biggest brand advertisements around, in IAB-standard ad units as well as rich media and expandables.

For advertisers, we’re now a complete one-stop-shop for them as well, offering everything they need within the social channel. We can help with their customer acquisition efforts through our offers platform, and we can help build their brand awareness and consumer mindshare with our display network. With nearly 100 million unique visitors a month, we have broader reach than anyone else in social media, and our tight-knit relationships with more than 2,000 of the top social and gaming publishers on the Web lets us offer a deeper level of integration as well.

One of the key features for both publishers and advertisers is that the network was built to support flexible pricing, so that the advertiser can choose whether they want to purchase space on a CPM, CPC or CPA basis. For developers looking to get more users to their games or applications, there is also a Cost Per Install program that allows them to bid whatever price makes sense for them.

Among the first developers to use the Offerpal display network is Tall Tree Games, whose game Fish World has more than 4 million monthly active users. According to Tall Tree Games’ Erik Hedges:

We are excited to have another monetization solution from a company we know and trust. Given all the consolidation among social ad networks recently, there is definitely room in the marketplace for new competition, especially from a company with the advertiser relationships and industry know-how that Offerpal has.

Getting started couldn’t be any easier. Just visit our sign up page, set up your ad serving tags, and we’ll give you a small amount of code to copy and paste into your site. All told you can start making money in a matter of minutes. For help, or with questions, contact one of our sales reps at info@offerpal.com.

Meet Team Offerpal at Upcoming April Conferences

The Offerpal team will be hitting the road in April. We’ll be attending and sponsoring the following social gaming and internet advertising events over the next two weeks. To set up a meeting during one of these events, please contact us at info@offerpal.com and let us know:    

• Which event you’ll be attending
• Preferred date to meet
• Preferred time to meet

Our team will confirm the date and time with you shortly. We’re looking forward to meeting with you.   

4/19 – 4/21 – Ad Tech San Francisco

 The largest gathering of online marketers! Brands, agencies, publishers and service providers come together to share, network, learn and do business. 

• Offerpal will be setting up meetings at the W Hotel, 1 block from Moscone Center.     

Offerpal will be will be setting up meetings at the W Hotel

 4/20 – Inside Social Apps

 Inside Social Apps 2010 brings together today’s leading developers of social apps and games for a one-day intensive summit on the future of app and game monetization on social platforms. 

• Meet the Offerpal team at booth #14. 
• Swing by the morning session called “The Future of Performance Advertising and Social Apps” to hear our CEO, George Garrick, speak on the panel (11:40am – 12:30pm).

Offerpal is sponsoring Inside Social Apps and George Garrick is speaking

4/21 – Facebook F8

Mission: To bring together the developers and entrepreneurs who are building the social Web by moving fast, taking risks, and hacking traditional systems.

• Team Offerpal will be attending and available for meetings. 

Offerpal will be attending Facebook F8 – 4/21

  4/26 – Future of Money & Technology Summit

 The Future of Money & Technology Summit will bring together the best and brightest thinkers around money. We meet to discuss the evolving money ecosystem in a proactive, conducive to dealmaking environment. 

• Team Offerpal will be attending and available for meetings.  

Offerpal will be attending The Future of Money & Technology Summit – 4/26

4/29 – LA Games Conference

Over 300 of the most influential decision-makers in the games industry gather for the LA Games Conference to network, do deals, and share ideas about the future of console, PC, online and mobile games.

• Team Offerpal will be available for meetings at our booth.
• Offerpal CRO, Mihir Shah, will be speaking on the afternoon panel called “Reality Check: Virtual Goods and Currencies – Big Business” (3:30 – 4:15pm, Panel 5)
• Tapjoy Co-Founder, Lee Linden, will be speaking on the afternoon panel called “Mobile Games – The Latest Trends in Games for the Third Screen (3:30 – 4:15pm, Panel 4)

Offerpal will be sponsoring and speaking at LA Games Conference.

New Direct Payment Options Help Us Monetize Even More Users

Offerpal’s entire business is predicated on the fact that not all consumers are willing or able to use traditional payment methods like credit cards to purchase things like virtual goods and other digital assets online. That’s why we provide a complete array of “alternative payment” options like offers, surveys, videos, shopping rewards and other ways for these consumers to “earn” digital goods rather than having to pay for them.

Yet, direct payments are still an important part of our business, in that we provide a multitude of direct payment options for those customers who prefer to purchase digital goods with cash but do not have access to credit cards or aren’t comfortable using them. These direct pay options range from prepaid debit cards and electronic wallets to mobile billing services and micro-transaction providers.

Today, we announced several new direct payment options we’ve added to our platform recently, including STi Prepaid phone cards through a partnership with Zeus Research, paysafecard, MyCard, Rixty, BillMyParents, ClickandBuy and others. Collectively, these help us boost developer monetization in nearly 200 countries worldwide. A description of each payment type can be found below.

We are also proud to announce that we recently hired payment industry veteran Alex Brutin as our Vice President of Business Development. Alex is responsible for forging new relationships with other direct payment providers and monetization partners as well as new strategic initiatives. Having previously worked as the Head of Channel Partnerships at Google Checkout and in Merchant Services Business Development at PayPal, Alex most recently was the VP of Business Development at FreeCause, a free, fully-customizable toolbar that helps organizations reach and engage their supporters in fundamentally new ways. He has his MBA from the Walter A. Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley.

As our CEO, George Garrick, said in the press release:

Our vision is to help developers monetize larger portions of their user bases, whether through alternative payment options like offers, videos and surveys, or cash payment methods such as credit cards and all their substitutes. There’s a lot of innovation in the online payment space at the moment, with all sorts of new payment products that enable developers to monetize distinct sets of users based on geography, demographics and behavior types. We’re proud to bring on board someone like Alex to help us identify the most appropriate partners to work with and build up profitable relationships.

The following direct payment options have been added to Offerpal’s alternative payment platform in recent months:

• STi Prepaid phone cards: Using Zeus Research’s patent-pending conversion system, gamers can purchase virtual currency by typing in pin numbers found on the back of pre-paid phone cards from STi Prepaid, a long-established name recognized throughout the U.S. STi sells in excess of 200 million cards each year through more than 225,000 national retail outlets.
• paysafecard: The leading online payment method in Europe, paysafecard allows users to purchase prepaid vouchers and authorize payments online by simply entering a 16-digit PIN code. Paysafecard is available at 280,000 outlets in more than 24 European countries.
• MyCard: MyCard offers several types of stored value cards such as scratch cards, thermosensitive paper and more, available in retail outlets, convenient stores and websites all throughout Asia. Furthermore, it also provides diverse micropayment methods for purchase online. MyCard was founded in 1983 and is based in Taiwan.
• Rixty: Rixty is an alternative payment platform that makes it easy for youth and adults without credit cards to convert their cash into online credits at more than 10,000 Coinstar kiosks and 10,000 convenience stores via the Rixty prepaid card. Rixty recently announced it had expanded its system to safely enable kids under the age of 13 to purchase online.
• BillMyParents: BillMyParents is a youth payment system that lets teens and tweens shop online without a credit card and gives parents the ability to easily track and control their teen’s spending – while ensuring that credit card numbers and personal information are kept safe and secure. BillMyParents is a product of Socialwise, Inc. (OTCBB:SCLW).
• ClickandBuy: ClickandBuy is a leading Internet payment service provider that enables users to conduct one-click transactions in 120 currencies throughout the world and offers 50 national and international modes of payment. Founded in 1999, ClickandBuy is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom AG.

Offerpal already works with many other direct payment providers, from PayPal and Visa/MasterCard to Zong, Boku, DaoPay, Amazon Payments, Paymo, Ultimate Game Card, PayByCash, Social Gold and more. We even recently passed our Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliance validation, meaning that we meet the fraud prevention and data security standards established by the PCI and can now process credit card transactions more efficiently.

We’re planning to roll out several more payment options in coming months, so stay tuned for more news!