Transcript for the 8/28/11 Chat: Testing!

View this document on Scribd

Another fantabulous chat, with a heavy focus on testing/vetting/evaluating your latest app creation before it’s ready for public consumption. Lots of great information shared–take a look through the 17 pages above and see for yourself!

And remember, we’ll do it all again NEXT Sunday night (September 4) at 9:00 p.m. Eastern time. I look forward to seeing YOU then!

Topic for the 8/28 #storyappchat: Testing, Testing, Testing!

Before you send your new creation out into the world, how do you make sure it’s ready?

In the world of print publishing, you share it with the members of a good critique group, listen to/evaluate their comments, then revise, rewrite, redraw, repeat (a process that can take quite a while). In the software development realm, programs can be in pre-release versions for months or years before being ready for consumers. In the much faster-paced world of app publishing, what works for you when getting your storybook app ready for the App Store or Android Market?

Come share your best practices for creative vetting, glitch and bug removal and pre-release testing on Sunday night (August 28) at 9:00 p.m. Eastern! Use the Twitter hashtag #storyappchat–and we’ll see you there!

Transcript for the 8/21/11 #storyappchat: App Review Sites

View this document on Scribd

Wow–time sure flies when you’re having fun! Great chat last night, with attendees on all sides of the ‘app triangle’ (content creators, app reviewers and consumers). Here’s some of the nuggets that were shared during the chat:

@AppsforiPads: we will not promote or endorse a paid app that we haven’t tested or tried ourselves, it’s how our readers trust us

@lynleystace: As app consumer I’ll be honest: a star rating from 3 to 5 stars isn’t as honest as the whole range.

@RuckusMedia: The more commercial apps are not so easy to garner reviews. You have to find your audience.

@AppsforiPads: we have actually been contemplating sister-sites, one for iPhone apps & another eBooks

@iPad_storytime: My biggest piece of advice … reviewers are busy, but parent reviewers are esp. busy in summer w/school out, be patient w/us.

@the1stdaughter: Besides, how do U grow, if everything U ever hear is positive? Constructive criticism is perfect.

@DavidBFox: When we sent out promo codes, we kept a database of dates and who. Then followed up after a month if no review yet…

If you missed this one, feel free to peruse the 29 pages in the transcript above, and plan to join us THIS Sunday night at 9:00 p.m. Eastern for the next #storyappchat!

Topic for the 8/21/11 Chat: App Review Sites

Review sites are becoming increasingly important vehicles for getting the word out about a new app. Our own Digital Storytime is an excellent example, but there are more and more of these popping up across the blogosphere and beyond. Bring your list of favorite review sites to this Sunday’s #storyappchat, and we’ll compile a list of the most useful/helpful ones right here on the blog.

See you at 9:00 p.m. (Eastern) tomorrow night (August 21)!

Transcript for the August 14 #storyappchat with @Kwiksher

View this document on Scribd

Alex Souza from @Kwiksher served as our guest host for the August 14 #storyappchat, and we had a lively discussion and a thorough examination ofKwiksher‘s features. For those of you who may not know, Kwik is a Photoshop plug-in that works with the Corona SDK and allows you to create fully-featured, interactive apps for the Apple and Android platforms.

A special bonus: check out the transcript above to find out how you can get Kwik at the introductory price of $49.99 (instead of the current $79.99 price)! Now aren’t you glad you stopped by?

And remember: we’ll do it again next Sunday night at 9:00 p.m. Eastern time. See you then!

Transcript for August 7 #storyappchat

View this document on Scribd

We had some visitors from the classroom during last night’s #storyappchat, which made for an energizing and inspiring discussion. If you missed it, feel free to peruse the transcript above and be sure to stop by THIS Sunday night (August 14) at 9:00 p.m., when we’ll enjoy special guest @Kwiksher who will be on hand to talk about their app-building tool.

Kwik is a Photoshop plug-in that allows you to turn your Photoshop files into interactive mobile apps. Kwik also requires the Corona SDK, and is a truly do-it-yourself solution. They are on the verge of launching officially and we look forward to having them answer questions this week during #storyappchat. Read more about Kwik on their FAQ page.

Don’t miss this Sunday’s chat–see you then!

Topic for the 8/7/11 Chat: Beyond the Story

Ever thought about the world of apps in relationship to other (non-story) books for kids? Although not yet as popular as storybook apps, the non-fiction book is popping up more and more often in the App Store. Recent examples include Spot the Dot by David A. Carter/Ruckus Media, Dandelions by R.A. Mildren and Our Choice by Al Gore.

As exciting as the app format can be for fiction stories, it also offers a wealth of new opportunities for non-fiction books. Let’s chat about the possibilities for creators, developers and consumers of these non-storybook apps THIS Sunday, August 7,  2011 at 9:00 p.m. Eastern.

P.S. New to Twitter chats? Check out this fantastic cheat sheet from Debbie Ohi to get you started. Several of us use either TweetDeck or TweetChat to manage the discussion–you may find these tools useful as well. See you then!

7/31/11 Transcript

View this document on Scribd

The discussion last night was fantastic, centered around the topic of app marketing. Lots of good links and opinions floated by–all served up for your enjoyment in the weekly transcript. Remember, we’ll do it again THIS Sunday at 9:00 p.m. Eastern–just use the hashtag #storyappchat and jump right in!