Topic for the 5/19/13 #storyappchat: Making Your iTunes Description Effective

When was the last time you updated your iTunes app (or iBook) description? It may seem like a no-brainer, but this blank canvas of text can help interested people get a better idea of what your app is all about, or it can leave folks scratching their heads in confusion. How long should it be? What should be included?

Let’s use the next #storyappchat to discuss what should and shouldn’t go into your iTunes description, how often it should be updated, and other ways to make this valuable developer tool lead to increased sales and happier users. We’ll ramp things up this Sunday evening (May 19) at 9:00 p.m. Eastern/6:00 p.m. Pacific time, so don’t miss it!

Transcript for the 5/5/13 #storyappchat: Eli Noyes

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What a treat it was to have Eli Noyes with us for this chat! He shared his experiences creating content for kids in a variety of different formats, as well as a look behind the scenes on his latest projects, Ruff’s Bone and the Raymond & Sheila books.

We also gave copies of both the Mac and the iOS versions of Ruff’s Bone to several fortunate winners during the chat! Grab the details in the transcript above, and remember we chat (nearly) every Sunday night at 9:00 p.m. Eastern/6:00 p.m. Pacific.

NOTE: we are taking next week off to celebrate Mother’s Day. Join us on May 19 when we will discuss ways to make your iTunes description more effective. See you then!

Guest Host for the 5/5/13 #storyappchat: Eli Noyes

You might recognize Eli Noyes as the illustrator of Annie Fox’s whimsical Raymond and Sheila books. He is also the writer/illustrator of a new story app called Ruff’s Bone, available from Wanderful Interactive Storybooks.

Noyes is an animation and video veteran, having worked on projects for Sesame Street, HBO, Scholastic, Nickelodeon, MTV, Pixar, Disney and Oxygen Media. He is co-owner and co-founder of Alligator Planet, where he is busy creating short films, directing animation for documentaries, consulting on kid’s television and web projects, and, most recently designing postage stamps for the post office.

Help us welcome Eli to #storyappchat (and to Twitter!) this Sunday, May 5, at 9:00 p.m. Eastern/6:00 p.m. Pacific. We will have some promo codes for Ruff’s Bone to give away too! Just start including the #storyappchat hashtag to participate, and we’ll see you there.

UPDATE! Eli has provided some development sketches for both Ruff’s Bone and the Raymond and Sheila books! This is a fascinating look into character development and a very unique illustrator’s style.

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Transcript for the 4.28.13 #storyappchat: Kindle as App Alternative

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There are certainly some advantages to the practice of creating the Kindle version of a story first, then going ahead with the app version later, if desired. We talked about the pros and cons of this approach in our recent chat, and you can follow along in the transcript above.

Also, it looks like we ought to have another chat focused on music and sound, based on the other comments made during this discussion. Remember, we do this (nearly!) every Sunday night at 9:00 p.m. Eastern/6:00 p.m. Pacific, so make plans to join us. Next week we’ll welcome illustrator Eli Noyes, so don’t miss it!

Topic for the 4/28/13 #storyappchat: Kindle as App Alternative

Creating an app is a rewarding, but labor-intensive experience. To be competitive in the app market, animated touch points, professionally-recorded voiceover, word highlighting and embedded games and activities seem to be required features for a storybook app. These can be costly and time-consuming to include, although the results can definitely be worth the effort.

A growing number of content creators have been testing the waters with Kindle versions of their books. Because a Kindle book doesn’t have many of the above features by design (not yet, anyhow!), it can be a good way to introduce an illustrated kid’s story to its intended audience quickly. And later, if it makes sense, the app version can be developed too, complete with all the bells and whistles.

Let’s discuss the pros and cons of this approach for the next #storyappchat. Make plans to join us this Sunday, April 28, at 9:00 p.m. Eastern/6:00 p.m. Pacific. Just start tweeting with the #storyappchat hashtag to chime in!

Transcript for the 4/21/13 #storyappchat: Story Apps for Exceptional Children

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Informative chat last night, which was strengthened by folks like Jon Smith (@theipodteacher) sharing why he’s chosen an ebook created with iBooks Author as the big writing project he assigns the kids in his EC classroom. Several other folks posted good, thought-provoking questions, and still more shared links and other wisdom with the group last night.

Weren’t able to join us? It’s all there in the transcript above–I hope you find it useful. Make plans now to participate in the next #storyappchat, when we’ll talk about the Kindle format, and its suitability as an app substitute (or complement). See you this Sunday evening (April 28) at 9:00 p.m. Eastern/6:00 p.m. Pacific.

Topic for the 4/21/13 #storyappchat: Storybook Apps for Exceptional Children

There’s a fair amount of press surrounding the use of iPad apps for kids with special needs. But what about storybook apps specifically?

In honor of Autism Awareness Month (April) let’s focus on storybook apps for exceptional children. How are they being used in the EC classroom? What sort of features are needed to serve this special population of kids? If you are an educator or parent, please share with us what works with regard to apps and what needs improvement. Developers, writers and illustrators will be on hand to listen!

We’ll get this chat started this Sunday (April 21) at 9:00 p.m. Eastern/6:00 p.m. Pacific time. Please stop by–we’d love to have you!

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!

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

We’re all familiar with app review sites. These are the places, usually run by parents as a labor of love, where you can (hopefully) get the owners to post a short review of your storybook app, helping to spread the word. Getting a favorable mention on one or more of these is essential to any app’s marketing and PR plan. Two of our favorites are (of course) Digital Storytime and The iMums, although there are many others.

But what about sites designed to curate apps? These are similar, but different in that instead of an actual review, usually your app is mentioned in a larger list of related apps, or placed in a category alongside similar, recommended apps. One example of this is the Appolicious site, where you can find reader-curated lists of all types, such as “Best iPad Apps for Teachers” and many more. In addition, sites like Pinterest aren’t exclusively focused on apps, but can serve as curation sites just the same.

Let’s talk about app review sites and app curation sites during the next #storyappchat this Sunday, April 14 at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT. It’s easy to take part in the chat: just start tweeting and include the #storyappchat hashtag! We’ll keep the lights on for you.

Transcript for the 4/7/13 #storyappchat: Karen Robertson

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The energy just crackled during this fantastic chat–Karen graciously shared her war stories and wisdom with the many attendees. Several people also included links to free and reduced-price books and apps too, so make sure you go over the transcript (above) with a fine-toothed comb. Special thanks to Karen Robertson for agreeing to guest host for us–I feel certain we will invite her back soon!

Join us next week (April 14) as we discuss the similarities and differences between app review sites and curation sites. We’ll kick things off at 9:00 p.m. Eastern/6:00 p.m. Pacific, so put us on your schedule in pen!