Inside Social Apps schedule

Wednesday 8th February 2012

• Facebook, Apple, Google: Which Platform(s) Hold the Most Opportunity in 2012?

  by Jens Begemann, Kevin Chou, Anil Dharni and John Spinale

  As social platforms like Facebook have matured since their launch nearly 5 years ago, many developers are focusing more on building apps for emerging mobile platforms like iOS and Android. Nevertheless, despite mobile's growth, social gaming on Facebook still represents the largest segment of the US virtual goods market and is continuing to grow at a healthy clip. Where should developers focus in 2012? Will Google+ offer developers a viable social platform alternative? Will Twitter offer developers greater opportunities? How will HTML5 change the landscape between web-based and native mobile apps. Top execs will discuss the key issues facing the future of the industry.

  At 9:45am to 10:30am, Wednesday 8th February

• The Future of Cross-Platform IP in Social and Mobile Games

  by Barry Cottle

  At 11:00am to 11:30am, Wednesday 8th February

• Cutting Edge Social Game Product Development

  by John Earner, Bill Jackson, Mike Sego and Brenda Garno

  While acquiring customers has become more expensive over the last couple of years, monetization rates from top developers have continued to substantially improve. Today, there are examples of developers large and small that are finding distribution, engagement, and monetization success, despite all the changes in the world of Facebook and social gaming over the last year. At the same time, genres and content are continuing to evolve with new mechanics and game play. How should developers be thinking about product development in 2012? Top developers will discuss.

  At 11:30am to 12:15pm, Wednesday 8th February

• The Facebook Platform Roadmap in 2012

  by Carl Sjogreen

  At 1:45pm to 2:15pm, Wednesday 8th February

• Monetizing Social Games on Facebook: Credits, Today and Tomorrow

  by Terry Angelos, Will Harbin, Lisa Marino and Haining Wang

  With the requirement that Facebook Credits become the exclusive premium virtual currency in social games on Facebook starting last July, there was much debate in the developer community regarding what both the short and long term impact of the change would be on the health of the developer ecosystem. Now that developers have had six months of experience exclusively monetizing through Credits, what does the monetization roadmap hold for 2012? How will Credits evolve beyond its current form to meet the needs of social game and other digital media publishers? Find out what top developers think.

  At 2:15pm to 3:00pm, Wednesday 8th February

• Mobile Game Marketing and Distribution: Acquiring Users on iOS and Android

  by Micah Adler, Peter Farago, Clay Kellogg and Mihir Shah

  User acquisition on mobile platforms has undergone tremendous changes over the last year. With the rise and fall of CPI distribution on iOS, the continued challenges being faced by third party distribution service providers, and the continued efforts of third party social services, how should developers think about organic and paid distribution on iOS and Android in 2012? Join top mobile execs as they discuss key issues and trends in the year ahead.

  At 3:30pm to 4:15pm, Wednesday 8th February

• Social Apps for Marketers and Brands: Maximising Audience Engagement

  by Russ Heddleston, David Katz, michael lazerow and Clara Shih

  Facebook, Twitter, and other social platforms have become crucial channels for brands to build and manage engagement with current and prospective customers. A thriving ecosystem of tool makers, service providers, and agencies has developed to support the needs of brands and marketers reaching their audience through social. As Facebook continues to deepen its product offerings to marketers and advertisers through Pages, the Ads API, and even Facebook Credits, what key issues will brand marketers and advertisers face in 2012? Join top execs in the space as we evaluate key opportuntities and challenges in the year ahead.

  At 3:30pm to 4:15pm, Wednesday 8th February

Thursday 9th February 2012

• Cutting Edge Mobile App Product Development: iOS, Android, and HTML5

  by Paul Bettner, Charles Hudson, Lee Linden and Mike Ouye

  Mobile applications and games monetizing through the virtual goods model have become substantially more sophisticated over the last year. Developers working on mobile platforms are becoming more skilled at improving distribution, monetization, and engagement across an increasingly competitive landscape. Now that HTML5 is gaining more steam amongst certain players in the ecosystem, what does 2012 hold? Join top developers as they discuss key issues, opportunities, and trends.

  At 9:45am to 10:30am, Thursday 9th February

• Social Game Marketing on Facebook: Performance Ads and Page Management

  by Suchit Dash, Hussein Fazal, Simon Mansell and Jeffrey Tseng

  Paid advertising and page management have become crucial parts of the overall marketing landscape for social game developers on Facebook. Now that more Facebook Ads API service providers are building tools for marketers, increasingly sophisticated campaigns and optimizations are possible. In addition, more developers are using tools to optimize their use of Facebook Pages to distribute offers and engage players. Join us as we discuss the key opportunities facing developers and marketers in 2012.

  At 11:30am to 12:15pm, Thursday 9th February

• The Future of Mobile App Discovery on Facebook

  by Cory Ondrejka

  At 1:45pm to 2:15pm, Thursday 9th February

• Monetizing Mobile Games on iOS and Android

  by sulemanali, Perry Tam, Daniel Terry and Darya Trushkina

  Mobile games are the fastest growing segment of the US virtual goods market in 2012. While Apple has only allowed in-app purchases for a couple of years, developers are becoming increasingly sophisticated at merchandising and monetizing content through the virtual goods model. As the space continues to grow, major changes are still expected for the year ahead. Top developers will discuss key issues and opportunities in 2012.

  At 2:15pm to 3:00pm, Thursday 9th February

• Emerging International Opportunities for Mobile and Social Developers

  by Sho Masuda, Dennis Ryan, Arjun Sethi and Mario Schlosser

  As Facebook continues to steamroll regional social networks and offer developers substantial opportunities to reach audiences in Europe, Asia, South America, and Africa/Middle East, iOS and Android are offering greater opportunities abroad as well. How should developers think about targeting specific regional markets? What are the best ways to localize? Top developers will discuss opportunities and challenges for mobile and social in 2012.

  At 3:30pm to 4:15pm, Thursday 9th February

• Investing in Mobile and Social Apps: Risks and Opportunities in 2012

  by atulbagga, tim chang, Eric Goldberg, Rick Thompson and Rizwan Virk

  While the rush of investing in pure play social game developers has subsided from its highs a couple of years ago, overall interest in mobile app and game developers continues to grow. Where should investors look for opportunity in 2012? Join experienced investors in the space in discussing key questions facing the landscape in the year ahead.

  At 4:15pm to 5:00pm, Thursday 9th February