We have been rolling out new features and stability improvements nearly every week. We are especially excited about last week’s release because we have incorporated additional viral channels within Facebook.
Users can now challenge their friends to a game contest from within Sharendipity using Facebook notifications. This provides an exciting new level of social engagement for game-related applications currently published on the platform.
Furthermore, from a creators perspective, they now get this tight social integration for free with every Sharendipity application they create and deploy on our platform. No programming is required on their behalf to take advantage of this powerful element of Facebook. Simply add the high score action to your game, and the friend challenge framework will appear on your asset page. Very fun stuff!
More is on the way! Come check out some of the creations that have been published thus far, and challenge a friend today!
Shell Oil has been running an ad in the print media which shows a full, blank page with the following scrawled in the corner…
“The blank page, still the most challenging environment there is.”
We have released an early version of the Sharendipity platform to a small group of people, and this message is ringing true for them as well. When Sharendipity users embark on creating a new casual game or slide show, they start with a blank, white screen and aren’t always sure where to get started.
It is a tricky problem. After all, the blank page may be challenging for some, but it offers the ultimate power as well. If we forced our creators to start with templates it would be a disservice to the creative individuals that don’t want to be painted into a corner.
As the small print on the ad goes on to say, “The mind finds freedom difficult to handle. It prefers parameters, rules, precedents.” There will clearly be a significant fraction of our users that have good ideas, but need a place to get started. This is one of the problems we’re working on now to get more users engaged in content creation. What ideas do you have to facilitate this? Are there elements of templating in other applications - whether it is PowerPoint, Wikis, or some other creative tool - that you like or dislike?
We are currently looking for early adopters to help shake out some of the bugs and provide feedback on our progress. If you’re interested in creating new games, slide shows, or explore the creativity of others, and are willing to put up with the quirkiness of an evolving product let us know.
If you’re ready to get creative, send an email to alpha at sharendipity dot com telling us a little bit about who you are and why you’re interested in joining the alpha group.
My wife Petra and I have gotten involved with JDRF, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, specifically the Western Wisconsin chapter. In addition to lots of other fundraising events, JDRF hosts several bike rides each year, including one in Whitefish, Montana, and one in Death Valley, California. The riders raise money in order to participate in the ride. The rides are fun and raise lots of money for JDRF.
Petra and I sponsored the bike jerseys for Team Western Wisconsin this year, and Michelle Alswager, the executive director, asked what we wanted printed on them. So of course we chose Sharendipity (what else would we put on there?) Other than our business cards, this is the first item with the Sharendipity name and logo, and several times this summer I’ve seen bikers in Madison wearing the jerseys!
The Whitefish ride just concluded, and was a big success. A picture of the riders (in their Sharendipity jerseys) is below.
Juvenile Diabetes, today more commonly referred to as Type 1 Diabetes, affects children (and adults) who require complicated insulin management for life, and are at constant risk of serious complications. JDRF funds research and programs for families coping with the disease.
Consider getting involved in JDRF by sponsoring a rider (maybe Petra or Michelle for the Death Valley ride), or by participating in other JDRF events.
