Appendix A


A Detailed Account of a User Playing Social Oracle 1: The Compatibility Game

Near the center of YNM's home page is a game entitled 'ARE WE A PERFECT MATCH?!?' (Figure 1-29). The game instructs a user to enter two names into the text boxes directly below the icons depicting a boy and a girl monkey . Although the instructions ask for the user's name and that of a friend, the user can actually enter any two names and there are no restrictions on the format of the name . Besides the home page, the user can also access this game by clicking on the 'Love Match?' link located in the menu (see lower left hand corner of Figure 1-29).

click to expand
Figure 1-29: YNM's home page

After the user enters two names and clicks on the 'LOVE RATING' button, YNM displays a page with three compatibility scores: dating compatibility, mental compatibility, and make-out compatibility (Figure 1-30). The scores range from 1 to 5 and their values are depicted in terms of a corresponding number of banana pictures. Finally, underneath the scores is a detailed explanation of what they mean. The user can play this Compatibility Game as often as he or she likes and YNM encourages repeated play by placing the form for entering new names at the top of the page containing the compatibility report.

click to expand
Figure 1-30: Compatibility report

To the user, the game is a source of entertainment, but for YNM the game serves as an advertising tool. To have the game function as such, YNM also includes a text box at top and bottom of each compatibility report, with instructions for the user to e-mail the results to one or more friends (Figure 1-30). For each e-mail address the user enters, YNM sends a message containing the compatibility scores for the two names (Figure 1-31).

click to expand
Figure 1-31: E-mail received by the user's friend or associate

The content of the message plays an important role in creating new customers. Specifically, unlike the user who sent the message, the e-mail recipient does not get a detailed explanation of the compatibility scores - just the scores themselves . To get a detailed explanation, the message instructs the recipient to visit YNM and play the game. In this manner, the game brings new customers to YNM. At YNM, visitors can play the game, which can lead to them e-mailing compatibility scores to their friends, resulting in even more new customers. More importantly, once at YNM visitors are exposed to not only the Compatibility Game, but the message forums as well. If a visitor finds YNM valuable enough, then he or she signs up and becomes a contributing member of the community.




Contemporary Research in E-marketing (Vol. 1)
Agility and Discipline Made Easy: Practices from OpenUP and RUP
ISBN: B004V9MS42
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 164

flylib.com © 2008-2017.
If you may any questions please contact us: flylib@qtcs.net