When it comes to numbers, India comes 3^rd in the ranking of all Facebook statistics by country. Although that’s just around 5% (and a little more)  of the Indian population the numbers are still huge. Not surprising to me because almost everyone I know (and I don’t live in a metro) knows about Facebook, about 75% of them have an account, and yet another 60% actively use Facebook to discuss their ideas and views. But what does this mean for Facebook in terms of revenue?

As we all know, Facebook earns its bread and butter largely through advertising. As of April 2012, the social media bellwether has recorded $1.058 billion as revenue for Q1. The third quarter advertising revenue was around $1.09 billion - that’s about 86% of their total revenue! But the Company hasn’t given us a country-wise split of its revenue, which makes us difficult to analyse Facebook trends in India.

These statistics are indeed encouraging, but how do they translate into revenue for Indian advertisers? Active Facebook users in India were once largely made up of the yuppie crowd. But over the last two years, Facebook usage has grown enormously in India. And that’s largely through mobile phones. In fact, almost 30% of its new registrations in India on Facebook were through mobile phones. And we all know the mobile phone platform is one area where Facebook hasn’t managed to monetize successfully.

In India, the focus of a majority of users is to stay updated with friends and family, rather than products. It’s the yuppie crowd that looks beyond this circle. Will this crowd choose to buy through Facebook?

Gaming is another aspect where Facebook earns its profits. But income from this source pales in comparison to income from advertising. In fact, Zynga, Facebook’s largest contributor in terms of gaming apps, had registered only 7% of overall profits in Q3 2012, as compared to 12% in Q3 2011.

Will Companies pay for Fans and Likes?

Take the case of Tata Docomo. This mobile operator has around 10 million fans on Facebook.  While other mobile operators can claim a ‘fan’ base of around 2%, Tata Docomo has a fan-base of around 10%! But the company does not advertise on Facebook, and thus doesn’t contribute to its revenue. All activities happen through the fan base- through comments, likes, etc.  Facebook did try to monetize this segment with its Reach Generator program, but failed miserably

In conclusion:

Mark has rubbished notions that Facebook cannot make money through mobile users. In fact, even as the Company recorded a loss in its Q3 2012 when compared to Q3 figures of 2011, stocks rose around 9.7% as reports indicated that revenue from mobiles contributed 14% of its earnings. Thus, there’s definitely some work going on there in this area, and lets wait for its Q4 2012 reports to see where the trend’s going.

As for social gaming , India definitely has a large percentage of users who’re using Facebook for social gaming. In fact, a recent Neilson India study revealed that almost 84% of Android users had played games on Facebook . It remains to be seen if India can reverse the trend when it comes to increasing revenue through gaming.

With the launch of apps like Google Wallet, people are getting used to the mobile platform like never before. According to Forbes that listed 10 trends to watch in online shopping, the use of mobile apps was listed at number three. While many of us are still unknown to the tricks and advantages of online shopping on mobile apps, it is equally true that we are somehow getting absorbed to these technologies that make shopping much easier than any of us imagined a decade back.

Amidst these changes, it will be difficult to say where the brick and mortar retailers will stand in a few years. Many popular retail chain outlets, such as Best Buy are planning to shut many stores for investing in larger and luxurious retail settings. These changes are clear indications that driving sales is some sort of a necessity for these stores.

As we start predicting that shopping will someday be all about mobile apps, there are still a few hiccups for the mobile platform. The immediate sales and quick delivery system that traditional sellers can offer is something that mobile shopping platforms will still have to think about. Online retailers are, in fact, in quest of the delivery options that will give them some edge over traditional sellers with regards to delivery.

Will this mean that traditional retailers will be complete wiped-off in the next decade? Well, certainly not, at least not in many markets. Many retailers are offering new options such as payment through mobile, easy billing and quick delivery through express delivery services. Also, the new mobile shopping platform may significantly take on the retail jobs that had increased with the increase in chain stores and shopping lines. This may now seem insignificant, but the situation will have its impact on the society soon.

In spite of the hiccups, the future of mobile apps for shopping is certainly bright, and it cannot be denied that online retailers will retain the lion’s share of customers. As more and more, retail stores launch their mobile outlets for customers in the smartphone brigade, the coming days will only witness increase in online shoppers who will use tablets and phones to make the most of their shopping choices.

What has also contributed to the trend is the decrease in smartphone and tablet prices, which has drastically improved their sales in all key markets of the globe. The paradigm change in the trend is certainly not for a short term, and it remains to be seen how the scenario will take impact in the retail market in the coming days.

• Wall Street Journal Mobile Reader app : What can be a better way to keep yourself updated with the latest event and news than Wall Street Journal application. You can get all the latest news along with live updates and market facts with this single application, and not to forget, this is a free app.
• Google Maps : For travel and navigation, nothing can beat Google Maps in terms of popularity and functions. This is a complete free application that promises services all around the world, and there are no extra charges or hidden costs involved. One smartphone application that you just cannot avoid is this one.
• Opera Mini : No matter whether you have an iPhone or an entry level smart phone, Opera Mini is one of the most popular web browsing applications to have. It has been updated recently with an added desktop functionality. Again, this is a free app that helps get access to websites and web addresses at a recommendable speed.
• Whatsapp messenger : Among the varied kinds of cross platform chat applications, Whatsapp messenger is one service that still maintains and retains its stand. It is available for Android, Windows, BlackBerry, andiOS and allows you to share audio, video and location right from your phone along with their known instant messaging service.
• Instagram : If you have been using Twitter, you must have seen how people post pictures from an app called Instagram. This is a perfect photo editing application that allows you to edit your pictures and share them on various social networking sites. What makes this a must have app is the easy to use interface and numerous editing functions.
• Dropbox : The task of managing and synchronizing files between smartphones remains a complicated task, even after the fact that smartphones today are much advanced than ever. With Dropbox you can share anything between smartphones, just like you could do with the same application for your computer. The app is ready for use for iOs, Android and Blackberry platforms.

With these apps on your smartphone, you can keep up with your needs and social circles anytime you want. Almost all the above apps are cross platform apps, which means you can use them for Android, iPhone, or other platforms. There are individual apps that are similar for each platform that you may check. After all, smartphones are meant to make your life easier and faster!

Xminds Infotech Pvt. Ltd. | www.xminds.com | Join Us on Facebook | Connect with us on LinkedIn | Twitter @Xminds |

Want to say HELLO

Current data shows that the amount of time that a person spends on the internet is as low as 70 minutes, while the amount of time spent on television watching is around 168 minutes, which is a mere marginal increase from the earlier average time of 162 minutes. However, checking the usage of mobile phone apps (127 minutes a day!), one would be startled to see the increase, which is almost double than before (earlier the usage time on average was 66 minutes).With the smartphone prices being slashed every month along with the introduction of new applications every other day, the time is not far when the time spent on mobile apps will be higher than television.

While there is a concern for the television business, there isn’t actually any threat. This is mainly because fans and followers, who like to stick to the TV, will still check their favourite programs on their phones right on the apps. This is obviously one of the smartestway for television producers to ensure business and continuity, and exactly, this is what most television channels have in mind.

Before talking of future possibilities, it is wise to understand why mobile apps are here to stay. In the fast paced world, people hardly spend time at home, and when everything is available right on the phone, who bothers to switch on the TV. Obviously, there will be an increase in the number of smart phone users in coming days, while there is no unexpected increase in use of television.

However, what is worth noticing is the fact that there still exists a part of the population that enjoys being at home and glaring at the television on a daily basis, and the scenario would need at least a few years to change completely. By the time, the television industry will itself see an increase in style and technology, and that would probably help to retain its share among a number of families. While mobile apps still continues to pose a major threat to television, the numbers of television users and the amount of time spent on television still remains undisputed and significant.

XMinds want to take the opportunity to thank their customers, users  and partners for all of their support in 2012. We hope that you will continue to support & encourage us in the coming New year too!

The past year has been eventful & another great one for XMinds, we did well for our customers and ourselves. We sustained, tested ideas, sucked at few things, continue to learn many things and figured how to do a couple of things very well.

Here’s wishing you another New Year where you realize your dreams, stay healthy and peaceful.

This year the editors have chosen Action Movie FX as the iPhone App of the Year, which is a bit of a surprise. This is an app that allows users to add Hollywood style video effects to their videos. From adding cracking missiles to car crashes, this app from Bada Robot Interactive is free to use with a host of addable special effects, even some with HD.

The top app for iPad has been given to Fifty Three’s Paper. This is a notebook app that had also received a design award as well at the Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference earlier this year. Again, this is a paid app that comes with varied kinds of purchases that will enhance its use. The second spot was bagged by Action Movie FX.

Among the free apps for iPhone, YouTube managed to get the top spot, pushing Instagram to the second slot. Draw Something Free, Flashlight, Facebook, and Pandora Radio bagged third, fourth, fifth and sixth spot respectively. Others who made to the top-ten list included Twitter, Skype and Temple Run. As for iPad free apps, Skype retained the top slot with Temple run remaining a runner up, and Facebook finished on the third spot.

Angry Birds Space managed to remain on the top of the list of paid applications, while the second paid app that garnered positive reviews was WhatsApp Messenger. Draw Something managed to retain the third spot. Other apps on the paid list of app include Camera+, Where’s My Water?,Angry Birds Star Wars, Fruit Ninja, Angry Birds and Bejeweled. Game of the year was given to Rayman Jungle Run, which the editors felt was a game worth the excitement. Among the paid iPad apps, Angry Birds Space HD again topped the list, while Where’s My Water? And Pages finished at second and third spot respectively.

For many the list was surprising because Apple giving the top app for iPhone to a special effect app was certainly unexpected. Among the others, Instagram that is with Facebook now remains at the second slot, to be expectedly topped by YouTube. The popularity of Angry Birds is probably the most unprecedented ones among all apps, and in spite of being a paid app, it continues to rule the chart. With the new list, some of the much unexpected apps are expected to see a boost in downloads in coming days.

Xminds Infotech Pvt. Ltd | www.xminds.com | Join Us on Facebook | Connect with us on Linkedin

What would you say if such a tool came completely free? Now I can see the smile on your face and you think I am just joking! But I am pretty serious about this and the free tool is called Visual.ly . When I say there’s a free tool, don’t get your expectation high because Visual.ly has just started adding infographic templates that you can customize with your own data.

Visual.ly was actually an infographic based social network initially where you can share the infographics that you had created. The infographic creation page part was newly added to this social network. The creation part is a web based tool with a drag and drop interface. There are a few preloaded themes available, which you can load up in the application, fire up your creativity and customize it by dragging and dropping theme elements.

The most interesting part of this web app is that, you do not need any graphic design knowledge to create cool infographics. I tried the tool myself by customizing the “twitterize” theme available in their collection. I just entered credentials of my twitter profile and the app did rest of the job. It analyzed the profile and presented a well detailed infographic. You can also create twitter infographics where you compare yourselves with celebrities or anyone. Trust me, the infographic creation part is real fun and I can see that Visual.ly I working hard in adding new themes as well.

Though for now Visual.ly cannot help you create commercial infographics as “pictochart” does, work is in progress to make this web based application to become a full-fledged infographic creation tool. With the power of social awareness that Visual.ly has, when the tool is in place, this would be the talk of the Silicon Valley

I agree that Google hates unnatural link building to the same degree as it hates spammy links. But if you were to implement strategies that get natural links, I think you’re in safe zone. I know what you are thinking right now “everyone says natural links, but how to obtain them?” Here’s how to:

The days when you hunted for links are over! Now you have to plant them, water them and grow them “Naturally!”

Before the Google penguin update was made on 24th April,  SEO mainly focused on getting the maximum number oflinks as quick as possible to gain the love of the search engines. It didn’t matter where you get the links or how you get them. All it mattered was if the links were from anchor text keywords. After the penguin update, all these still matter but with on rule: The number of links should be increasing naturally and the nature of the links should not be overly anchor texts. Here are few tips to do that:

Planting the links in the right spots

In order to grow the links naturally, you have to plant them in the right spots. This is where diversification of content comes into play. Diversification of content helps in expanding the spots where you can obtain links. For example, if you are just producing quality articles and including links in them, your reach is limited to a bunch of article directories. On the other hand, produce well written articles, blogs, press releases, great infographics, video content etc and you have an opportunity to spread your links across various platforms. The main advantage of spreading links across various platforms is that your link profile would be organic. Your website would never get penalized for over optimization of anchor text links.

Just publishing different types of content in various spots doesn’t grow the number of links by itself. You need to provide a little support to these published contents to grow naturally. For example, social bookmarking is one popular SEO strategy that can be used to gain extra exposure to any type of published content. You could also share them in the social media sites such as facebook, twitter and Google plus to grab the attention of the social media crowd. Here is a short clip from a video QnA session by Matt Cutts (The distinguished Google Engineer) on this extra promotion Once the extra SEO done to these published content takes its effect, all you have to do is to sit back and watch the links grow naturally.

Natural growth of the links

Now you have great content which is presented to a huge audience. Depending on the quality and catchiness, the content would spread virally into the social media and gets syndicated naturally by other surfers. Each and every share or syndication of your content is equal to a natural link that is generated to your website.

So here is the key to grow links naturally:

Seed = Great, diversified content

Plantation spots = SEO spots where you publish different types of content

Watering the plants = SEO and social media marketing for the published content

Natural growth = Viral social shares and natural syndication

• There will not be a Facebook phone…at least not in the distant future.
• HTML5 was indeed a mistake
• Its mobile apps are going to be bigger and better
• They’re going to spend time refining Instagram (read our blog on why we think Facebook bought Instagram and yes, it’s going to remain a separate entity from Facebook.

And now moving on to the letter…

Dear Mark,

I love Facebook at lot- personally as well as professionally. I love the fact that I can connect with my friends and family, look for school mates whom I last met 15 years ago, keep my mum updated about her lil’ granddaughter, even as I connect to my customers through my Facebook page.

Speaking about the business page, I’m really happy that I can share videos, post photos and even get customers to buy them even without leaving the page. But there’s a teeny weeny little grievance. You don’t let us business page owners to like anything on Facebook. As a business owner, I’d really like to show my support to fellow business owners by liking their page.  I hope you’re looking into the problem. I’m sure you know that small startups like mine depend on your support to reach out to customers. Wouldn’t it be great if we could send a request to customers asking them to like us?

There was never a doubt that Facebook’s influencing the world’s shaping up, but the Egypt revolution kinda reconfirmed this. But what impressed me most that you decided to keep mum about it rather than brag to the whole world. You sure do understand the implications of talking about it!

And last but not the least, here’s a small request…could you please speed up your response system when we report an error. Your typical response to a ticket seems to be… “Thank you for submitting this bug report…..we are unable to respond to every bug report…..We appreciate your patience and feedback…” Seriously there could be a better response to a ticket. Like for instance, how about sending a ticket number so that we could follow it with you guys? …

I’m sure you get hundreds of such letters every day. It must truly frustrating having to listen to suggestions endlessly. But as I earlier said, businesses like ours depend a lot on Facebook and would love it if you could take care of these minor glitches.