Topic for the 5/27/12 #storyappchat: David vs. Goliath

One theme we thoroughly explored in last week’s anniversary chat is that the app market has definitely exploded over the last year. And it’s not just independents and small publishers getting into the act–big brands with decades-old characters are establishing electronic book presences.

What does this mean for the little guys (us)? Is it possible to compete with Barbie, Dora and Lightning McQueen? How do we let parents know about our original but unfamiliar characters and stories?

We’ll explore this issue in this Sunday’s #storyappchat. Plan to stop by at 9:00 p.m. Eastern/6:00 p.m. Pacific–just use the #storyappchat hashtag to join in!

Transcript for the First Anniversary Edition of #storyappchat

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Our regular transcript service was/is down right now, so this transcript comes to you courtesy of David Fox (thanks, David!). We celebrated our first anniversary in last night’s chat, and it’s all captured here for your enjoyment.

I can hardly believe it’s been a whole year of #storyappchat fun, and it is quite amazing how the app marketplace has evolved and shifted over just twelve months. If you’ve been coming to the chat and/or checking the transcripts, you’ve stayed on top of it right along with us. What a wild ride!

Remember: we get together on Twitter every Sunday night at 9:00 p.m. Eastern/6:00 p.m. Pacific time. Plan to make #storyappchat a regular part of your app development time in the coming year!

Topic for the 5/20/12 #storyappchat: First Anniversary!

Talk about how time flies. Did you know we held our very first chat on the evening of May 22, 2011? So it’s been a year here at #storyappchat: let’s celebrate! Join us for this Sunday’s chat and we’ll talk about how the app market has changed/evolved/exploded over the past year, and how it affects those of us concentrating on storybook apps for kids. Bring your success stories, the bumps in the road you got past, and your hopes for the year to come.

Ice cream and cake will be served (virtually), so stop by this Sunday, May 20 at 9:00 p.m. Eastern/6:00 p.m. Pacific for all the fun!

Transcript for the 5/13/12 #storyappchat: Mommy Bloggers

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Awesome chat last night, with several content creators (and a few bloggers) sharing success stories, tips and other advice. Many of us commented on how quickly the app market is changing, and how it affects those of us who are focusing on story apps for kids.

Stay tuned for an announcement on next week’s topic, and in the meantime, plan to join us every Sunday night at 9:00 p.m. Eastern/6:00 p.m. Pacific time!

Special Mother’s Day #storyappchat: The Role of ‘Mommy Bloggers’

Sunday’s family-friendly #storyappchat will be all about ‘mommy bloggers’ and their importance in getting the word out about your storybook app. Are mompreneurs the key to the PR plan for your digital children’s book? Of course, the ‘daddy bloggers’ are welcome to join us too, as is anyone interested in the world of children’s story apps and ebooks.

We will kick things off at 9:00 p.m. Eastern/6:00 p.m. Pacific time on Sunday night, May 13. Don’t miss it!

Is this your first Twitter chat? No sweat. Get handy tips for taking part in a Twitter chat from Debbie Ohi–she’s put together a fabulous Twitter party cheat sheet to guide you. We look forward to seeing you!

Transcript for the 5/6/12 #storyappchat: Books Without Words

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Lots of passionate folks participated in last night’s #storyappchat. Apparently including on-screen type (or not) in a storybook app is somewhat controversial–who knew? Check it out in the transcript above, and be sure to join us for the next chat this Sunday night at 9:00 p.m. Eastern/6:00 p.m. Pacific.

Topic for 5/6/12 #storyappchat: Books Without Words?

As you might imagine, I’ve got tons of storybook apps on my assorted devices. A few of these were listed in the ‘book’ category in iTunes, but don’t feature any words! I’ve noticed that people have lots of different opinions on this. Is it actually a book if it has no words? We’ve all seen wordless (or nearly wordless) printed picture books, (like Tuesday, one of my favorites). Clearly the print publishers think there’s room in the world of children’s literature for books with no words. But if there is a voiceover in an app telling a story, should the words appear on screen or not?

Add your voice to this discussion–we’ll be chatting about this in TONIGHT’S #storyappchat, kicking off at 9:00 p.m. Eastern/6:00 p.m. Pacific. And don’t worry–I’ll capture all of it in printed word form in the transcript! To participate, just use the #storyappchat hashtag on Twitter, and chat away!