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Ten Million in Ten Weeks: What Stanford Learned Building Facebook Apps
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10 Million in 10 WeeksWhat Stanford Learned Building Facebook AppsA Stanford Course during Fall 2007 Dave McClureRob FanGraphing Social Patterns: March 2008 Contact: BJ Fogg - bjfogg@stanford.edu
10 Million in 10 WeeksTotal Installed Users: 20M+ • 5 apps @ 1M+ users • 10 apps @ 100k users • 20 apps @ 5k users • Total Daily Active Users (DAU): 925k6 apps with ~ 100k DAU10 apps with > 10k DAU19 apps with > 500 DAU6 Apps in Facebook Top 100Top Apps (according to Adonomics): ~ $10M Contact: BJ Fogg - bjfogg@stanford.edu
Curriculum (Alpha Version) 3 Apps (!) 1. Virality2. Engagement3. Education-focused • Hoping to leverage . . . • Huge reading list • Metrics-based grading • Psychology of technology Expecting 20-40 students... Contact: BJ Fogg - bjfogg@stanford.edu
...120 showed up Contact: BJ Fogg - bjfogg@stanford.edu
...So we scared some students off. Contact: BJ Fogg - bjfogg@stanford.edu
7 person teaching team73 students Contact: BJ Fogg - bjfogg@stanford.edu
Every class was exciting and surprising Contact: BJ Fogg - bjfogg@stanford.edu
Students drove us forward Contact: BJ Fogg - bjfogg@stanford.edu
Initial Success!!! Contact: BJ Fogg - bjfogg@stanford.edu
Success Stories Contact: BJ Fogg - bjfogg@stanford.edu
Students come together outside of class... Contact: BJ Fogg - bjfogg@stanford.edu
10 Million in 10 WeeksTotal Installed Users: 20M+ • 5 apps @ 1M+ users • 10 apps @ 100k users • 20 apps @ 5k users • Total Daily Active Users (DAU): 925k6 apps with ~ 100k DAU10 apps with > 10k DAU19 apps with > 500 DAU5 Apps in Facebook Top 100Top Apps (according to Adonomics): ~ $10M Contact: BJ Fogg - bjfogg@stanford.edu
Final Expo in December 2007500+ people show up Contact: BJ Fogg - bjfogg@stanford.edu
BayCHI Student Presentation Contact: BJ Fogg - bjfogg@stanford.edu
Aftermath • $500,000 - $1,000,000+ revenue generated since September • At least 3 companies formed • At least 2 companies acquired • More job offers than students can handle • Dan drops out of school to work with Rob and 3 other students from the class • Teach the class again soon Contact: BJ Fogg - bjfogg@stanford.edu
More Successes Contact: BJ Fogg - bjfogg@stanford.edu
Learnings from Stanford's FB Course #1. It's never too late to create a winning app • When we launched course, over 6000 Facebook apps existed. • 10 weeks later, our students had 6 apps in the top 100 Contact: BJ Fogg - bjfogg@stanford.edu
Learnings from Stanford's FB Course #2. Simplicity & clarity are key to app success • Apps need to be easily understood (value prop) • Apps need to be easy to use The wrong direction: • Clever names • Lots of features Contact: BJ Fogg - bjfogg@stanford.edu
Learnings from Stanford's FB Course #3. Speed & flexibility in launch & iterations • Many crummy trials beat deep thinking • Flexibility beats quality Deadly: Getting too attached to one app idea. Contact: BJ Fogg - bjfogg@stanford.edu
Learnings from Stanford's FB Course #4. Community cooperation leads to success • Students helped others a lot • Sharing code, tips, insights . . . all were present in course. Contact: BJ Fogg - bjfogg@stanford.edu
Learnings from Stanford's FB Course #5. Individual opinions about app are worthless • Don't be swayed by one person's opinion. • Just get the app out there and see what happens . . . Despite everyone's supposed "brilliance" . . . • Often what seemed like a killer idea didn't work. • Sometimes what seemed stupid worked very well. Contact: BJ Fogg - bjfogg@stanford.edu
Learnings from Stanford's FB Course #6. Copying success is a cheap/fast way to succeed • Novelty isn't the best approach to apps • If you're desperate for a win, just copy something that's working Flipside: If your app is doing well, expect imitators. Contact: BJ Fogg - bjfogg@stanford.edu
Learnings from Stanford's FB Course #7. Metrics do matter, but today's tools are too weak • Of course, instrument your apps to track viral aspects • No one offers a winning metrics package (yet) -- not even GA Our experience: Students often had to tweak GA and also create their own metrics tools. Contact: BJ Fogg - bjfogg@stanford.edu
Learnings from Stanford's FB Course #8. You CAN learn to create a winning app • Success with FB apps isn't luck or magic • Many Stanford teams succeeded • Teams who failed at first later created excellent apps (like Oregon Trail) Contact: BJ Fogg - bjfogg@stanford.edu
10 Million in 10 WeeksWhat Stanford Learned Building Facebook AppsA Stanford Course during Fall 2007 Dave McClureRob Fan Contact: BJ Fogg - bjfogg@stanford.edu