Transcript for the 4/14/13 #storyappchat: App Review and Curation Sites

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Apparently the #storyappchat faithful are pretty passionate about this topic, because we had several of our regulars weighing in last night about the pros and cons of both app review sites and app curation sites. In fact, we probably could’ve kept going for another entire hour, which means we’ll probably revisit this topic in a few months.

Couldn’t join us? It’s all there in the transcript above for your reading enjoyment. Make plans to stop by next Sunday, April 21 for the next chat. We’ll kick things off at 9:00 p.m. Eastern/6:00 p.m. Pacific!

Guest Host for the 3/31/13 #storyappchat: Ron Martinez

The tools available to writers/illustrators of interactive books continue to evolve. One of the most exciting new packages to come out recently is Aerbook Cloud Publishing, a browser-based platform which allows you to export content in a number of different formats, including iBooks, Kindle, and iOS/Nook/Fire app projects.

The founder of Aerbook is Ron Martinez, and we’re thrilled to have him host this Sunday’s #storyappchat. Among other things, he’ll answer our questions about the migration of app-like experiences to the eBook store, the differences in discovery and pricing, and what the limitations and opportunities are across the various platforms. And if the topic isn’t enough to interest you, Ron will be giving away some export credits for those who are able to pop into the chat.

Don’t miss this one! We’ll kick things off at 9:00 p.m. Eastern/6:00 p.m. Pacific this Sunday, March 31. Looking forward to seeing YOU there!

Transcript for the 3/3/13 #storyappchat: Beyond Facebook & Twitter

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We went way, way beyond the well-known social media tools this week. Take a gander at the transcript above to get the scoop.

In addition to the wisdom shared in real-time via the transcript, Roxie Munro was kind enough to take a couple of screen shots of the LinkedIn groups she finds most useful:

Thanks, Roxie!

Don’t miss the next #storyappchat: we’re doing a joint discussion with @KarenNemethEdM and the folks at #ecetechchat! More details tomorrow, but make plans now to join us, kay?

Topic for the 3/3/13 #storyappchat: Beyond Facebook and Twitter

We’ve had a couple of people pipe up in our chats lately about ways in which they’re using some of the social media tools besides Facebook and Twitter to promote their recent projects. Some of the sites mentioned were LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram and others. So we thought it was high time we took a closer look at some of these other offerings, and how they can best be used to promote/market/build community around the electronic stories we’re creating.

Let’s go Beyond Facebook and Twitter this Sunday evening (March 3) at 9:00 p.m. Eastern/6:00 p.m. Pacific. Simply include the #storyappchat hashtag in your tweets to join us!

Transcript for the 2/17/13 #storyappchat: Music

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Last night’s #storyappchat was full of tips on how to find music for your storybook app–attendees shared their favorite resources and everyone seemed to agree that music should not be added to any app unless the ability to adjust volume and mute tunes and sound effects is provided. After all, nobody wants music to interfere with the story, right?

Details provided in the transcript above for those of you who weren’t able to join us. PLEASE NOTE: we’ll be taking next Sunday off due to the Academy Awards, but will be back in full force on March 3, when we’ll talk about taking advantage of social media beyond Facebook and Twitter. Make plans to pop in, and in the meantime, enjoy the break!

Transcript for the 2/10/13 #storyappchat: Discoverability

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The general consensus from last night seems to be that we’re in a bubble of sorts, with lots of people crowding the app and ebook marketplace. Adam Winsor said it best when he summarized the chat in this tweet:

Thanks all! Conclusion: Wait out the gold rush, make high-quality apps, seek international and niche markets. #storyappchat

— Adam Winsor (@drawbeard) February 11, 2013

For those who might like a little more detail, feel free to peruse the transcript of last night’s chatter above.

And don’t miss next week’s chat about… Music! It’ll kick off at 9:00 p.m. Eastern/6:00 p.m. Pacific time next Sunday, February 17. See you then!

Topic for the 2/10/13 #storyappchat: Discoverability

If you’ve published anything in the last couple of years, you’ve no doubt discovered that the big issue facing content creators is not staying under budget, writing high-quality stories or actually getting published. In the vast sea of stuff out there making up the Long Tail, the hard part is getting discovered by your target audience.

While related to marketing, I’d like to focus the topic of discoverability on the ability (or lack thereof) of the digital storefronts to help connect customers with the content they are ready to pay for, and what we can do to assist or augment this ability. In other words, let’s talk about the pros and cons of the iTunes Store, Amazon’s Kindle Store and Google Play (and any others you’ve worked with). Do these media providers help or hinder both content creators and customers?

Let’s get the party started next Sunday, February 10 at 9:00 p.m. Eastern/6:00 p.m. Pacific time. Just cap off all your chat tweets with the #storyappchat hashtag to join us. We’ll save a seat for you!

Transcript for the 2/3/13 #storyappchat: Building Community

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Football and the novelty of bizarre blackouts didn’t keep the #storyappchat community from getting together to share tips for avoiding isolation. The careful use of social media seems to help a lot of us stay connected–and apparently it’s not all Twitter and Facebook, either. Several people mentioned success with sites like LinkedIn (who knew?) and Goodreads for building and maintaining meaningful relationships, face-to-face or otherwise.

It’s all there in the transcript above, including bonus! play-by-play action from last night’s exciting football game.

Be sure to join us this Sunday, February 10, when we’ll talk about discoverability. We convene (almost) every Sunday evening at 9:00 p.m. Eastern/6:00 p.m. Pacific, so make plans to pop in, OK?

Transcript for the 1/13/13 #storyappchat: Common Core

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We enjoyed a lively discussion last night about the Common Core State Standards and their impact on storybook app/ebook development. Here are a few tips that came out of the chat:

1. Familiarize yourself with the CCSS, and list those standards that your book aligns with, or could help address
2. Take this list and expand on it: explain exactly how your book could be used to cover the standards
3. Use this new expanded list in your marketing copy on your website and in your iTunes app descriptions
4. To really score with teachers, create a few lesson plans featuring your app, and state the standards clearly in the plan
5. Offer the lesson plans free on your website
6. Eventually, SEO will help teachers find your site, if you make mention of the CCSS

Miss the chat? These tips and several others are available in the transcript above. Enjoy, and make plans to join us this Sunday, when we’ll chat about app pricing and how it’s changed over the last year. The fun starts at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT on January 20, 2013!

Transcript for the 1/6/13 #storyappchat: Free-For-All

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Wow: thanks to everyone who showed up last night for our first chat of 2013. We got a good dose of what’s on everyone’s mind–and we’ll be shaping our guest host and topic lists to reflect it.

If you weren’t able to join us due to cable television excitement, football action or other inconveniences, please enjoy the transcript above with our compliments. And remember: we convene every Sunday night at 9:00 p.m. Eastern/6:00 p.m. Pacific time, so put us on your radar for 2013!