Most times, it is the ideas that are so simple, so obvious that are the best of all.
Chris Dixon points out in a post that if you are relying on advertisers for revenue, you actually need your website visitors to leave your site. So you shouldn’t be too sticky.
He cites Google vs Facebook as an example. Google is obviously designed to get you as fast away from it as possible….they want you clicking on those advertisers, the more often the better. They know you’ll come back of your own free will. Facebook, on the other hand, is very different. It wants you to stay there, and therefore does not offer much hope for advertisers who are waiting for you to click, click click.
Which goes a long way to explain why Google’s revenue is 30x that of Facebook’s.
As Chris says:
Facebook is like a Starbucks where everyone hangs out for hours but almost never buys anything.
This only applies to ads that want to be clicked. Maybe ads should simply want to be viewed? For brand building, for instance. (Chris refers to this as “intent generating advertising” as opposed to “harvest generating advertising). He suggest the big brands will have to rethink their approach.
They would be smart to look at our local Daily Maverick, which has done the thinking for them. The advertising model there is clearly built for brand awareness, rather than a “click now!” mentality. Which is great for the Daily Maverick, because it can then be as sticky as it wants to be.
Fred Wilson, a well known VC and blogger, gave a talk in February about what he considers to be the 10 Golden Principles of successful web apps.
I have a lot of respect for Wilson, and I think his blog should be a regular read for those who are interested in conquering the online space. You can view his talk below, or you can read the full transcript here.
If you don’t have 30 minutes to watch the video, or to read the transcript, I have summarized the key points below:
1. Speed: if the app is slow, or if it becomes slow, people will stop using it.
2. Instant Utility: if the app requires a lot of work to configure before it is useable, the uptake won’t be fast or great
3. Software is media: and just like media has a voice (Vogue vs Vanity Fair), so should your app. Personality is important.
4. Less is more: do few things, and do them well.
5. Make it programmable: Include a read/write API so others can build onto what you are doing
6. Make it personal: let people personalise your app, let them take ownership of it. let them believe it really i theirs.
7. RESTful: this is a “technical” term. Basically, make sure that eery service your app offers has a unique, easy to understand URL that can be shared.
8. Discoverability: Be easy to find by Google, and be easy to be shared via social media.
9. Clean: Don’t clutter. Be clear.
10. Be playful.
