Wednesday, February 29, 2012

This Is The #1 App In The World Right Now—It Hit 5 Million Downloads In 3.5 Weeks


This Is The #1 App In The World Right Now—It Hit 5 Million Downloads In 3.5 Weeks

Alyson Shontell | 5 hours ago | 14,427 | 1
ice cube draw something
Draw Something user Marvin Lucas (Marvski) drew this impressive picture of Ice Cube on the app.
Last week we wrote about a new viral app, Draw Something.
Draw Something is like Pictionary with friends on the iPad, iPhone and Android. Ten days after launch it was downloaded 1.2 million times.
Now it's generating 1.2 million downloads per day.
(To learn how Porter's app gained initial traction, read this.)
Just 3.5 weeks old, Draw Something has been downloaded more than 5 million times.
By comparison, Instagram hit 5 million downloads in about 7 months.
Draw Something is currently the #1 free app in the app store. Its premium version is also the #1 paid app in the App Store and costs $0.99.  Its iPad app is the #1 app too. Its also the #1 word game in 26 countries on iOS, and celebrities are addicted.
Last night Vinny Guagagnino from Jersey Shore tweeted about the app, creating a surge in Draw Something downloads.
"When we started three weeks ago users were generating a few drawings per second. Now users are making 500 drawings per second," says Draw Something creator and OMGPOP CEO Dan Porter.
Porter, who says he's never seen a game grow like this, thinks the secret to his app's virality is its social nature.
"There are very few games where you play with other people.  We're seeing entire groups of people, like colleges and universities, joining." He says one in five people in Sweden have Draw Something downloaded on mobile devices.
"When you make a really good game, the other player becomes the content of the game," says Porter. "Pool is a really good example.  When one player goes, all of the balls are rearranged for the next player.  We're essentially recreating a game of pool."
When asked how OMGPOP will ride the viral wave, Porter says he's still figuring that out. "We have allocated the entire staff of 40 to work on this game," says Porter.
While the team is busy adding Draw Something features, like the ability to chat and save photos, Porter has three similar games up his sleeve that will be launching as soon as his servers can handle more traffic.

Thursday, February 9, 2012

3 Things You Should Know About Small Business: Feb. 9

NEW YORK (MainStreet) -- What's happening in small business today?
1. Amazon to open stores? Oh boy. Consumers might consider this a dream come true, but for small businesses, the rumor that Amazon(AMZN_) is adopting a bricks-and-mortar model could be scary. The e-tailer is planning to open a physical presence in Seattle "with an eye toward building a national chain," according to Gawker.
The location is a test to see if physical stores could be profitable. Initially it will sell Amazon Kindles and accessories. Gawker says its not clear if the store will sell books.
Small merchants and independent bookstores beware. This is a story that is sure to develop.
One positive note: A physical presence "would accelerate the inevitable process of Amazon remitting sales tax to local governments," the article says.
2. How to be an authentically green business. Many companies like to portray themselves as being green, some using words such as "natural" and "pure" on their packaging with little substance to back it up. But the only thing that does is make consumers mistrustful of green messaging. To get through to customers, your environmental sustainability efforts need to feel "genuine, transparent and earnest," according to Small Business Trends.
The article offers four ways to improve your green authenticity by analyzing -- and communicating to your customers -- your company's usage data, trying not to overplay the green marketing, increasing your transparency in such things as green initiatives, but also communicating challenges you've had, such as missing a sustainability target or other hurdles.
3. Small-business election issues.With primary season in full swing, small businesses say the costs of health care reform, the payroll tax cut, access to capital and onerous regulation are top concerns.
Many small-business owners are tired of the excessive politics and little action to help them sustain and grow their businesses in difficult times. Some small-business owners may be willing to cross party lines for more business-friendly policies, a Crain's New York article suggested.
-- Written by Laurie Kulikowski in New York.
To contact Laurie Kulikowski, send an email to: Laurie.Kulikowski@thestreet.com.
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