Steal this idea: Pixable for Games.

I just read an article on GigaOm about a small photo sharing app called Pixable.  What they do is pull images from your relevant social feeds and present them algorithmically to you. 

They apparantly are very sticky with engagement metrics that are.off the charts.

How this could be applied to games: (I'm sure between Raptr, Heyzap or someone they are doing this)
Scan folks twitter feeds or public feeds and note any game play.  Present in a compelling or visual way,  what is being played. 
Where is the value?  Ths value is in discovery of new games or finding out what friends play and to find that connection through games.

This is the gaming communities biggest problem.

I wrote about the games industry a month or so ago but didn't post it because it felt too angry and grumpy.  Reading it over, its a little heavy handed, but I thought I would leave it up to the committee to decide.

The gaming communities biggest problem:

It is boring and conservative.

For all the high tech engineers, discussion about being artists and trying to be the next great media, the game industry is fundamentally conservative. 

Every innovation in the business comes in the form of new distribution that is outside of the industry. Every new editorial site comes out with same angle of being made "by gamers for gamers" . There is a pervasive ethos of protecting the good ol' days, of saying this is a game or this isn't a game.  Its insular, exclusionary, a boys club, a nerd haven.  Ths industry lacks vision and each and everytime a new paradigm changes the game, it digs its collective heads in the sand.
There is so little variation in the self-identified gamer thought, that I could probably write a profile of one and be 85% accurate. 

Push yourself people!  Get better,  embrace difference and find the Bill Simmons of video game writing.

Steal This Idea: iTunes for just game content.

So we have itunes.  It manages all media (that we allow Apple to control in our lives)  It is the accepted UI/UX for how you manage content in large quantities.

(Right or wrong, it is) 

Why hasn't someone done an iTunes for all games?  While there is a section for Games on iTunes today,  it is really specific to the Apple eco-system.

What if we went a step further and made a iTunes style app or web based product that encompassed,  Mochi Games,  Kongregate,  Miniclip,  Addictinggames, Android Games,  iTunes games and whoever else you want to put in there.

You could browse, save and "have" all your flash games from around the web in one place.  Sort of like a download game manager that you would see on a download game portal like Steam or BigFish games,

Why wouldn't this be valuable?  It solves a specific problem - where the hell do I store all these great flash and download games I've been playing for the last 10 years?  

(Yes,  monetization is a bit of an issue,  but if you could work something out if the thing takes off,  go freemium for add-ons or mobile access - thing Spotify or Pandora style)

A vertical without our a leader - Games

Every vertical on the web has a go to source - a search engine, a social network that encompasses that network.  For information it's Google,  for social it's Facebook, for shopping it's Amazon and on and on. Each one of these has worked to aggregate it's vertical and present it in a way that makes it the go to source for those items. 
Games, does not have that.  There is no single source where ALL the game information is stored.  There is no where I can go to find out the rules to Canasta,  buy an expansion to the table top game Carcasonne, find out where I can play an arcade cabinet of Ms. Pac-Man and play an online game from Pogo.com.  The game information aggregator does not exist.  This is an opportunity lost.
Until someone tries to build the mega games data base,  I will continue to advocate for it.  There has to be someone who can combine, gamespot.com, paget.com, boardgamegeek.com and Kongregate into something usable, playable and a must visit.

Am I wrong?  Why hasn't this been done? 

The Top 50 Posts from KISSmetrics of 2011

The Top 50 Posts from KISSmetrics of 2011

via The KISSmetrics Marketing Blog by Kristi Hines on 12/26/11

It’s almost time to ring in the New Year, but before we do, we want to take a moment to shine light on the amazing content published here on the KISSmetrics blog in 2011. This way, you can catch up on the great information you might have missed throughout the year so you can start off 2012 with a knowledgeable bang! This sampling of our top content includes posts on analytics, conversions, social media, SEO, website design, and much more!

Analytics & Metrics

• You vs. The Data: When to Stop Optimizing and Start Thinking – When “non-quantifiable” factors like brand values, aesthetic, staff retention and corporate strategy (to name just a few) bump up against what the data is telling us, what should we do?
• A Beginner’s Guide to Google Analytics 5 – We’ve compiled everything you need to know to get started with Analytics in general, and specifically with Version 5. This is a beginner’s guide, aimed at users who may or may not be familiar with Analytics, and doesn’t cover some of the more in-depth features.
• The 2011 Web Analytics Review – Dig into the data presented in this infographic to discover global web usage trends.
• 9 Awesome Things You Can Do With Google Analytics 5 – Here are nine awesome things you can do with Google Analytics 5 that will help you get the most out of your analytics information and use it to improve your website’s content, conversions, and user experience.
• 50 Google Analytics Resources – The 2011 Edition – This post includes 50 resources to help you get to know Google Analytics inside and out, from the new version, latest updates, social engagement tracking, advanced hacks, and much more!
• 9 Metrics to Help You Make Wise Decisions About Your Start-Up – In the end, it’s watching and learning from the traditional metrics that will help you grow your startup into a real business. Here are the 9 most important.

Business & Ecommerce

• Do Your Users Have Shopping Cart Abandonment Issues – This infographic explains more in detail which particular abandonment issues are causing your users to leave your site – and how much it could be costing you.
• How To Calculate Lifetime Value – Roughly defined, LTV is the projected revenue that a customer will generate during their lifetime. In this infographic we’ll briefly cover how to calculate LTV and how to use LTV to help solidify your marketing budget.
• Are You Losing Sales By Giving Customers Too Many Choices – Shouldn’t lots of options be good for customers? Isn’t that what people want–more options? Actually, no, and here’s a university study that shows why.
• How to Successfully Outsource Social Media for Your Business – Some businesses are not ready or able to commit the kind of time and personnel to managing a full-force social media campaign for their brand. This is where outsourcing comes into play.

Conversions

• 10 Little Known Factors that Affect Your Conversion Rate – 10 little-known factors that could be eating away at your successes – and how to fix them immediately.
• Steal These 5 High-Converting Website Tricks – Some sites convert even better than Amazon – two to three times better, in fact. Here’s who they are, and what you can “steal” from them to help improve your own conversion rates.
• Beginner’s Guide to Landing Pages – Creating effective landing pages isn’t the same as crafting a successful website or email newsletter. There are certain guidelines you should adhere to in order to maximize your page’s success.
• How Loading Time Affects Your Bottom Line – Website visitors tend to care more about speed than all the bells and whistles we want to add to our websites. Additionally, page loading time is becoming a more important factor when it comes to search engine rankings. This infographic shows you why every second counts!
• Speed Is A Killer – Why Decreasing Page Load Time Can Drastically Increase Conversions – How do you test and measure your site’s load time while squeezing every drop of performance out of your website?
• Learn How To Increase Your Conversions From These 5 Consumer Psychology Studies – Learn why people feel connected, what is critical in getting people to take action, and how price points affect conversions.

Copywriting

• A Beginner’s Guide To A/B Testing: Exceptional Web Copy – A/B testing is the simplest type of testing you can do to figure out which variations of copy, headline, and other factors are most effective in direct relation to your site and your offerings.
• The 4 Keys to Writing Persuasive Copy Without Hype, BS, or Other Icky Gimmicks – Four keys for writing clear, shiny copy that affords prospects the perfect view of whatever it is you’re selling.

Facebook

• 7 Tips and Marketing Strategies for the New Facebook Fan Pages – Here is a look at how you can take advantage of this year’s changes to Facebook fan pages and use them to market to your targeted audience.
• 7 Sneaky Ways to Use Facebook to Spy on Your Competition – Here are some sneaky (or little known) ways to use Facebook to learn more about your competitor’s online marketing strategy.
• 4 Strategies For Engaging Facebook Fans No Matter How “Unsexy” Your Brand Is – By examining real-life examples of companies that range from housing development builders, to banks, to security software, and gardening suppliers, this post will show you how to engage your Facebook audience, regardless of what your brand does.
• The Importance Of A Fan Base & How To Grow One – In this infographic we’ll tell you how a fan base can make a real difference and what you can do to nurture it.

Online Marketing

• The 2011 B2B Marketing Guide – This survey assessed how these marketers planned to spend their marketing budget, the challenges they faced, how they analyzed ROI and the overall effectiveness of marketing programs.
• 7 Creative Ways to Get Customer Testimonials – Let’s look at some of the sites you can collect reviews upon, as well as how to encourage reviews from your customers and how to gather them from all around the web.
• The Ultimate Online Marketing Recipe – We’ve crafted the ultimate online marketing recipe. One that’s easy to follow and breaks everything down into steps. We’ve linked more information about most steps throughout the article so you can easily access more in-depth information if you need it.
• The Viral Marketing Cheat Sheet – Crafting a successful viral marketing campaign is more difficult than it looks. It requires careful planning and research. Use this cheat sheet to get started.
• The Beginner’s Guide To Content Marketing – This article provides a complete introduction to content marketing by discussing the fatal flaws of traditional advertising, advantages of content marketing, and best practices.

Online Testing

• A Beginner’s Guide to A/B Testing: Email Campaigns That Convert – It’s vital to run A/B tests when trying out new techniques or formats for your email campaigns. Improving conversion rates here can make a bigger difference in your bottom line than many other marketing efforts, especially those of similar cost.
• Online Testing Essentials – A brief guide that outlines what things are good to regularly test and optimize—including PPC, media buys, landing pages, and email campaigns.

Search Engine Marketing & Optimization

• 79 Link Building Resources – 2011 Edition – This post includes 79 link building resources that are current, or currently updating for 2011. Because the stuff from 2010 just won’t do!
• SEO for CEOs – Use the tools and template herein to delegate the important tasks to your team. Empower each team member to project manage their assigned chunk of the SEO effort.
• Search Engine Marketing vs. Social Media Marketing: The Showdown – When it comes to driving traffic to your website, there are a variety of ways to get visitors. The primary two that individuals and businesses almost always have a struggle with investing their time and money into are search and social. Sometimes the issue is convincing people why these are a necessity for a thriving business.

Social Media

• Who Likes What: Social Media By Demographic – This handy infographic breaks down the top social networking sites (Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Digg, StumbleUpon and YouTube) by gender, age, income, and education demographics.
• 5 Social Media Mistakes That Make You Look Like an Amateur and Cost You Sales – Below are five beginner mistakes that can cost you serious credibility online. Some are very easily avoided, while others take a bit more effort. By adhering to all of them, you’ll have a much better experience with social media, as will your fans and followers.
• The Science of Social Timing Part 1: Social Networks – Use the data in this infographic to learn when your audience is most likely to tune in. Be sure to check in with us next week when we discuss timing & email marketing.
• How To Change From A Social Media User Into A Social Media Leader – Five key techniques ANYONE can use to become a leader in social media. Some of these would rightly be called “secrets” because so few people seem to have ever heard of these concepts.

Traffic

• 4 Ways to Increase Your Traffic With StumbleUpon – StumbleUpon is one of the best traffic generators among the top seven social media sites, referring more than other social bookmarking and voting sites such as Digg and Reddit according to Statcounter. So how can you capitalize on this great network and start getting traffic?
• How to Increase Traffic with Social A/B Testing – Social optimization is not as foreign a concept as it may seem on the surface, it just has to be treated like something many of us have already done: landing page optimization and conversion rate optimization.
• How to Find Out Which Online Marketing Strategy Drives the Best Traffic – Learn how to create segments for different groups of referral traffic – traffic from social media, article marketing, link building, directories, local search, guest posts, and so on. Then see everything including demographics, conversions, and top content for each group of referral traffic and compare them against each other to know which ones are the best.

Twitter

• Twitter Marketing Guide – The following is a guide to help you setup your Twitter profile and implement a successful Twitter marketing strategy. It gives suggestions and tips for those who are new to Twitter or are just looking for some new ideas.
• 5 Tips To Make Your Startup’s Twitter Account Stand Out – A vital point was to grow an engaged Twitter account to increase our distribution. Along the way I have tried many different techniques and I believe the following 5 tips were most important to make things work for us./li>
• 10 Twitter Tools Used by Social Media Experts – With so many Twitter tools out there, it’s hard to know which ones to trust with your Twitter account management. Here are ten Twitter applications and tools used by some of the top Twitterers.
• 10 Great Twitter Tools To Transform Your Tweeting Experience – Top 10 tools to help you transform your Twitter experience into something a lot more efficient and powerful:
• The Hidden Guide to Using Twitter Effectively – In this post, we are going to unearth some commonly unanswered questions in standard Twitter how to posts when it comes to getting the most out of your Twitter experience.

Web Design

• True Colors – Breakdown of Color Preferences by Gender – While there are no concrete rules about what colors are exclusively feminine or masculine, there have been studies conducted over the past seven decades that draw some generalizations. Let’s take a look at what they say about color and gender.
• The Evolution of Web Design – This infographic is a peek at the evolutionary tale of web design, which is ironically still in its infant stages. You might find yourself asking, “Where will web design be in the next 20 years?”
• Why You Should Build A Sitemap Before Designing Your Site – Sure, designers might create wireframes and mockups to plan out the site before they get started, but what about non-designers? How do you get the structure of the site figured out before you turn everything over to your designer?
• What Makes Someone Leave A Website – It’s important to design your site so that user frustration is kept to a minimum, thereby maximizing customer retention. Below are some examples of what not to do when designing your website.
• The Anatomy of an Effective Homepage – We’ve identified certain qualities that compose an effective homepage. We recommend you spend a few minutes with this infographic to see if your homepage’s current state is effective.
• The Art of Color Coordination – In this infographic, we will briefly discuss color coordination and how you can use this to your advantage when designing your site.

Are there any of your favorite posts from KISSmetrics that didn’t make the list? Please share them here, and Happy New Year!

About the Author: Kristi Hines is a freelance writer, blogger, and social media enthusiast. Her blog Kikolani focuses on blog marketing, including social networking strategies and blogging tips.