Facebook Application Review of StoreYa

E-commerce going SOCIAL

Today we will make the review of the Facebook Application called StoreYa, which helps Online retailers to "become Social in less than a minute".

The basic idea of this great Facebook Application is to offer to Online Retailers a solution for importing their online Store into Facebook and customize the new storefront to match both Facebook arena and the specific store's look & feel. In a nutshell when you use this Facebook Application users can see all the products offered that you sell in your online shop and when they chose what they want to buy and click on a product they are automatically taken to the real shop to finish the process of purchase.

In my opinion the idea of this Facebook Application is great, since I think that users are still reluctant from buying directly on Facebook, and this opens a new world of possibilities for online retailers, that want to take the next step into the social world but yet have not found the right way to do it.

Another interesting feature offered by the StoreYa is the backend platform which enables online retailers to track the performance of their products, analyze the interactions of users with products and also make searches on Facebook seeking for purchase intent from users updating their status.

I had the chance to talk with the developers of this Facebook App and they explained to me how this works with the following example:

For example: if you're selling shoes, and you type in "I want to buy shoes" you will receive fresh statuses that were just being posted by users.

In my opinion StoreYa did a great job in terms of the solution that they provide as well as the potential increase on sales that they offer to online retailers. My qualification for this Facebook Application is 4.8 out of 5. A must have Application, if you are selling online.

Facebook Application Review of Next Video

Comedic Videos on FACEBOOK

The Facebook Application that I will review today is called Next Video and I am pretty sure that if you are reading this post from your office, you will be more than happy to check it out.

The idea of this Facebook Application is to simplify the process of finding the latest trending comedic videos, and to create a place on Facebook where users can watch some of the web's best content while still engaging with their friends.

The way this Facebook Application works is very simple. Basically it searches through public Facebook posts for any video postings that users have made that contain keywords, such as "funny" or "hilarious" and like that identifies comedic content. Once this scraping is done users can access to all this content in a like "ChatRoulette" environment with the next button always there to skip the content to the next surprise.

This Facebook application can guarantee hours of entertainment without too much hassle, since all the filtering is already done. If you like the content you can also favorite it or post it in you wall to share it with your Facebook friends, and if you don't like it you just have to press the next button to start all over again with the experience.

The qualification for this Facebook Application Review is 4.7 out of 5, honestly it's being a while since I get to review an app that is so entertaining and easy to use as this one. My advice, go and check it out.

Facebook Application Review of My 2011 New Year's Resolutions

New Year's Resolutions on FACEBOOK

It's being a long time since my last Facebook review, but it came to me a request to review a Facebook Application which I couldn't deny since we are finishing this 2010 and is about time to wrap up our new year resolutions.

The Facebook Application that I will review today is called "My 2011 New Year's resolutions" and is a simple app that will engrave in stone (or bits) our new year's resolutions so as to help us to achieve them.

The basic idea of this Facebook Application is to let everybody know which are our new year resolutions and like that be more motivated by our friends and surroundings to achieve those goals. As some people say, if you say it, you are committed to...

So basically when you install this Facebook Application you will have to post your New year's resolutions and they will be published on your Facebook stream where everybody can see it and like that provide you with their support.

I think the the overall idea of this Facebook Application is very interesting and the impact of the application can be really substantial. I personally believe that once you share your goals with other people, "peer pressure" can be a good thing to lead your own success.

It would be great if I could see somewhere within the Application my friend's resolutions so as to provide them my support as well. Some kind of follow up section that could turn into an interesting meeting point where friends a resolutions get together. This would give some extra value to the app, and allow users to use it more than just one time.


My qualification for this Facebook Application review is 4.2 out of 5, I liked the idea and the concept behind it. This is a great example of something simple, well developed and straight to the point.

Facebook Application Review of Crane BlueBook

Visual Tagging on FACEBOOK

It's being a while since my last Facebook Application Review, but life has been quite busy lately, but now I am back and today I will review the Facebook Application called Crane BlueBook.


This Facebook app enables you to "tag" your friends statuses with one out of the 12 fun and visually iconic BlueBooks icons. These icons range from congratulatory to gently critical so basically you will be able to tell your friends almost everything through them, and if you feel that they are not enough you can always add a comment.

The use of this Facebook Application is very simple and intuitive. Once you install the app you will see your friends listed on the left with their updated status, and an empty box that you will need to fill by dragging one of the 12 books that you have on the right side of the app. Once you have "Tagged" your friends you click the post button and you are done.

Maybe by using this very nice designed Facebook app you will be able to tell all those things that you never dared to say with words by using one of the cool icons offered.

It would be very good also if within the Application users could request/suggest more icons so as to fit the needs of every user.

Overall this Facebook Application is very simple, and fun to use. I think that the challenge will be to make users return to it after using it for the first time, since there is no rewarding or follow up of the actions that you do with the app.

The qualification for this Facebook Review is 4 out of 5. Because of it's design and usability. Maybe if the approach would be more social to generate a long term engagement between the users that use the app, they could get some extra points. Still one of the best designed so far out of the previous Facebook Applications reviewed on this Blog.

Look Both Ways When Crossing the Marketing Street

If you think back carefully (if you're old enough) to the 1960s when advertising was born, you'll remember that for the most part, messages were sent out on a one-way street.  Companies fed impressionable consumers, usually housewives, with products and services that would improve their lives.  Advertising taught  them that Ajax was "stronger than dirt" and that McCormick Schilling seasoning would make their meatloaf tastier, and better yet, have their husbands coming home for more.

Until now, marketing has been a one-way street.   It's not enough to just send messages out to your audience.  With the technology boom, people are continuously receiving and exchanging information right at their fingertips.

Creating unique content and pushing it out through the major platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn is essential to the success of your business.  It's also just as important as receiving and responding to the flow of comments that come back to you.  Make the most of the web-enabled marketplace and engage with your customers.  Give them information at the time they need it.  Refine your content until you get the comment, re-tweet or "share" that you're hoping to achieve.  Interact with your target consumers.  Looking both ways will get you there.


Image courtesy of Human Descent.

Facebook Application Review of MapEvents

MapEvents on FACEBOOK

The Facebook Application Review of today will be about the recently released app called MapEvents. As most of you might guess this Facebook enables you to search and find people and events around you and globally.


Basically this Facebook application let's you share and find interesting events around the globe by using Google maps and it could be described an hybrid between a Social Network (you and your friends submitting events on the map) and an Event Calendar (date & place).

When you install this Facebook application the first thing you will get to see is a very useful tour explaining the basic functions of the app, and once you are done you will be prompted to submit, if you want, your home address to get some initial credits(that still I don't understand what can I do with them).

After you are done is all about adding a new event. To do that you must press the add event link on the header and write the details of the event that you want to pin on the map and that's it.


The idea of this Facebook Application has a lot of potential and it's approach in my opinion is good and I would really like to see some integration with iPhone maybe and use this social layer to the already existent geo location apps such as Facebook places, Gowalla or Foursquare.

One thing that I do think that they must improve is the UI. Somehow the whole thing looks too crowded without enough space to breath, and in the quest to offer more options, features I feel lost in some cases without knowing where to go.

Bottom line is a great idea, with lot's of potential depending on how far they push this app to make it popular enough to have the map full of events.

My qualification for this Facebook Review is 4.2 out of 5, I believe in this kind of applications, but to succeed they will have to learn from the big players who understand that simplicity is Bliss and they should seek for that.

Practice Good Social Media Responsibility

A story broke today about breaking news and the use of social media.  A Facebook user posted information about a player making the NBA draft, except the information was not official and the posting has since been taken down.  Questions arise about the best uses of social media, its benefits and potential backfires.  http://www.daytondailynews.com/dayton-sports/social-media-changing-the-way-sports-news-breaks-722849.html.

Social media has become a platform for so many individuals to shout out their thoughts, share information, give themselves a pat on the back, share inspiration, ask for feedback, and the list goes on.  But, when it comes to sensitive news topics, let's leave it up to credible sources. You'll still get great mileage out of practicing responsible social media skills.

How a Magazine Writer Uses Social Media

As a freelance magazine writer, I've come to rely on obtaining information and even inspiration from the Web.  Having loads of great PR contacts and receiving their steady stream of press releases and emails is always appreciated.  But, I don't I rely on them entirely when sitting down to write the story.  I let my fingers do the research.

Like a spiders crawling websites, I, too, search and search and search for pertinent, relative and authentic information to help build the story.  I may go to Linkedin to find out more about a person's business expertise, to Twitter to gather daily thoughts and ramblings, to YouTube to catch someone in action, to Four Square to see where people are in the day, to Facebook, to keep in touch with businesses and people in general, and so on.  Then, of course there are blogs written about a certain topics, or published articles to compare the content, tone, or to discover new angles.

As a freelance writer, I also have to know who I am writing for by understanding the publication thoroughly and being aware of their readers' interests.  Through social media, I can easily keep up by following their tweets, visiting their online magazine (although content for print is usually distinctively different than online versions), and reading back issues of publications that I am interested in submitting queries to.

The information is all there.  Best of all, it's not a one-way street.  There's plenty of opportunity for interaction to take anything, from writing a story, to building relationships to the next level.

Facebook Application Review of MyFrameShop

Frame it on FACEBOOK

The Facebook Application Review of today is about the recently released development of the website art.com, called "MyFrameShop".

This Facebook Application was developed to provide users the ability to turn any personal photo into a professionally-framed work of art.

As simple as it sounds, once you install this app you can upload your personal photos either from your computer, Facebook albums, Picasa or Flickr accounts to the application. When the photos have been uploaded you can custom-frame the selected photo by choosing from hundreds of moulding and mat combinations.

I personally think that the whole idea of this Facebook Application is very good because it brings a fast and simple solution to a real problem which is framing and printing pictures, in a very simple and well designed interface.

One thing that I did not like about this Facebook app was the fact that I was forced to let them prompt on my status without asking for permission. Honestly I think that this can be a helpful tool to promote the app, but if I am a customer purchasing from the app I think that I deserve not to be used as an advertising source as well. - Due to this review the developers decided to change this. Good Job!!

My qualification for this Facebook Application Review is 4 out of 5. Overall they did a great job, and as I said before I really like Facebook Application that make our lives easier, and this is one of them.

Facebook Application Review of Cold War: Clambake

Cold War in FACEBOOK

Today's Facebook Application Review is about Cold War: Clambake in my opinion the possible next big hit on role-playing games following the steps of the great and successful Farm Ville.

The idea of this Facebook Application as their authors say "it's about competing for good or evil in communist propaganda campaigns using ice cream trucks to target pets, subversive boy bands that use ultrasonic waves to drive American youth insane, and other deadly, outlandish scenarios".

When you install this addictive and fun Facebook game, the first thing that you are requested to do is to pick a side, customize your avatar, and follow some simple instructions to get you ready to start world domination.


When it comes to describing this Facebook Application or trying to categorize it, the best thing would be to say that Cold War is the meeting point of a virtual world ,social media and comics.

Most probably this game will make it to the top list of RPG Facebook games, because everything up to the last detail has been sculpted in the right way, with the right amounts of explanations, graphics and missions.

My qualification for this Facebook Application Review is 4.7 out of 5. In my humble opinion this Facebook app will be responsible for keeping us busy on Facebook some extra minutes every day.. so get your allies aligned, earn intelligence points by doing the right missions... and get ready to take over the enemy.

To install this Facebook app Click Here

Facebook Application Review of Last Letter

Locations on FACEBOOK

The Facebook Application Review of today is about the just launched App called Last Letter. This new Facebook Application is a simple but very addictive game that will test your memory speed as geographical knowledge.

We you install this Facebook Application you are one click from starting the game. The main idea is to compete against the App by writing names of cities or countries from all over the world, but this locations must start with the last letter of the location entry provided by the Application.

Now the cool part of this Facebook application is that when you are trying to figure out the name of a country or city that you can write there is a clock ticking which will really test how fast your mind and fingers are.


Another good thing that they added to this Application is what they call bonus letters which are letters that if you manage to include in the location that you write will give you extra points.

The design as well as the User Interface of this Facebook Application are top level. Honestly I've seen very few Apps that manage to simplify in such a clean and usable way the idea that they wanted to bring to the users as the developers of last letter did.

Only one thing I would personally change about this Facebook App is that when a user writes a wrong location, he is supposed to erase the location to be able to write a correct one. This leads to time waste while deleting wrong locations, and it's just makes the user feel that he is wasting time and his engagement gets unfocused for some seconds.

Anyway this is a great app, my qualification for this Facebook Application Review is 4.7 out of 5. Check it out and test your expertise about the globe and it's places.

Facebook Application Review of ShtListr

Strike One on FACEBOOK

Today's Facebook Application Review is about the fun App called ShitListr. The concept of this Facebook app is very simple, let's say a friend ditches you at a party or someone forgets your birthday -- you're mad at them, but still not enough to remove them from your Facebook friends. Well that's exactly where this Facebook Application starts being useful by letting you add them to your shit list.

So once you had add some of your "not that good friends" in this Facebook Application list a notification will be posted into their wall stating the reason why they have been added to your ShitList. The cool thing about this simple and very easy to use application is that from this point- "after strike one" - the whole Facebook community can vote in order to promote your added friends and raise their "Crapularity" in the rankings.


Overall this Facebook app looks very nice, they made a good job in terms of UI and design. The only downside that I found it is the fact that some of the posts look a little bit spammy, so maybe some moderation or flagging system could help to guarantee the fun of the ecosystem created by this Application.

My qualification for this Facebook Review is 4.2 out of 5, a cool and fresh idea with a nice design... so go ahead and start adding those nominated friends that we all have and some times do not understand what did they do wrong.

Facebook Application Review of doTogether

Let's do It, on Facebook

Today's Facebook Application Review is about the interesting app called doTogether which enables you to start an activity or ask a question and get real time answers from friends in the form of actionable links with images/videos.

When you install this Facebook Application the first thing that you will be asked is "What do you want to do"... and from there this Social collaboration tool will let you engage on a live conversation around your friend's recommendations around this topic. Also you will be able to bookmark URLs, with different sources of related information so as to organize better the thing that you want to do.This Facebook app will also give you the possibility to install what they define as the doTogether tool which is a browser add on that will make easier the process of bookmarking related elements to the Application from the Web.

As the developers of this Facebook Application describe on their site " If you are searching the web, start an activity and invite your friends to help you along. Do it together. It's fun, easy and saves you time."

Overall the design of this Application looks fine as well as the UI. If I could suggest for some improvements that would be to organize better the way the information is displayed because some times I felt that something was missing along the way.

Overall this is a cool concept and a good Facebook Application, so my qualification for this Facebook Review is 4.1 out of 5. So next time you know, before doing it alone you can do it together with your Facebook friends, with this App.

Facebook Application Review of Avastar

Avatars walking down on FACEBOOK

Today's Facebook Application Review is about the new app, still in Beta called Avastar which will take you to a whole new dimension of what is called virtual worlds.

The main idea of this Facebook Application is to offer to the users a new level of entertainment by creating an almost unlimited universe of games and options inside the new world that they offer. The main idea to become Famous and Rich, how you do it??.. well there is a long way for that!!!

To get started with this Facebook Application you will need to create your Avatar. For those who are not familiar with this word, an Avatar is a fictional character (which represents your persona) that interacts with other avatars in virtual environments. The cool thing with Avatars is that they are customizable, and along time and experience things and features can be added to it.


The main idea of this application is to go over different experiences which will reward us with money and points that later we will be able to trade for goods, and upgrades. For example you can use an object such as your telephone to call a PR agent that can help you to win extra Hotness points. This points of hotness most probably in the near future will let you go through things easier.

So the main idea of this Facebook Application is to go beyond the traditional games, and offer to the Facebook users a new adventure through out different layers of interaction with the Application as well as with your friends that use it at the same time.

Overall this Facebook Application is a great entertainment for those who are into virtual worlds, so if you are into this type of games, where everything must be achieved by following different steps, then this great application is for you.


As I said before they are still in Beta, so you might bump into some bugs, but still the whole experience can be achieved. The graphics of this Facebook Application are amazing, as well as the way all the elements have been put together making it very attractive and addictive (in the good way of course)

My qualification for this Facebook Review is 4.5 out of 5, and my recommendation is to give it a try even if this will be your first time in Applications based on virtual worlds, only the first scenarios that you will see make it worth to check!

Facebook Application Review of ClipGenerator

Custom Music Clips on FACEBOOK

Today's Facebook Application Review is about the new and redesigned app called ClipGenerator which allows you to create your own Musical Clip.

When you install this Facebook Application the first thing that you will see is a sample of what you can do with this app. Basically the idea of this application is to help you to create your personalize Music Clip by following three simple steps.

The first thing that you will have to do while creating your Clip with the ClipGenerator Facebook Application is to select your favorite music out of a very extended list of hits. Once that step is done you will have to go through the "Personalize" step where you will be able to upload pictures from your Facebook Account as well as some other useful sources such as Picasa, Photobucket, etc.

The last step on this Facebook Application is to Review the final result of the created Clip, which for sure will not deceive you.

I must say that while I wad writing this Facebook Review I got very impressed by the high quality of this Application. The user Interface is perfect as well as the navigation and the final result that you will get.

The qualification for this Facebook Review is 4.6 out of 5. This Facebook Application is a great tool to create this type of presentations/clips.

Facebook Application Review of Friendsfilter

Analytics in FACEBOOK

Today's Facebook Application Review is about the new app called Friends Filter. This interesting Facebook App is a data mining application that allows you to better understand the demographics of your Facebook friends.

The main ides of this Facebook Application is to provide you with all the analytics of your Facebook friends, in terms of who they are, where they are from, what they like, how active they are on Facebook, how many of them are single, etc, etc.

The great thing about this Facebook Application is that everything is done automatically right after you install the app. So in just a matter of seconds you will be surfing on organized, and detailed information about the list of friends that you have on Facebook.



To be honest when I install this Application to write this Facebook Review I was impressed by the way all the information was displayed, either through very food graphical elements, or through analytical text.

The qualification for this Facebook Application Review is 4.4 out of 5. It's a must for those like me that like analyzing data and understanding things through graphs and organized data.

Facebook Application Review of SecondLove

Love is around FACEBOOK

Today's Facebook Application Review is about the new app called SecondLove which connects Facebook singles from all over the world.

The main idea of this interesting Facebook Application is to use the power of the Social Network, and bring results according to profile matches. To do this when you install this app the firs thing that you will be required to do is to create a "SecondLove profile". Once that is done you will start appearing in the search results of this Facebook Application.

When I started Reviewing this Facebook Application the one and only thing I did not really like about during the process of making my profile was the fact that I was required to fill all the profile fields, instead of allowing me to fill only the ones that I feel comfortable with. Besides that only good words about this new app.


Once the profile is done, I spent some time making some searches finding different combination of profiles.. which to my surprise this Facebook Application responded very well, with good listings and call to action buttons such as "send a message" or "send a wink".


So in conclusion for this Facebook Application Review this app is pretty cool, easy to use and a great free solution for those who are looking for an excellent quality free online dating experience on Facebook. My qualification for this Facebook Application is 4.3 out of 5.... feel the love and start sharing it.

Facebook Application Review of Yowindow

Check the Weather on FACEBOOK

Today's Facebook Application Review is about a very interesting app called Yowindow (Weather)... I guess by now I made too easy for you to guess what's about...

The main idea of this Facebook Application is to provide you the weather forecast in a new and more interesting way. Imagine that instead of getting "the cold" information from the weather channel, or radio you could literally see a beautiful landscape, that changes along with the weather to give you the right picture of what's the status out there.

A good way to describe this would be as the developers of this Facebook Application say:

"Just like the view from your window."

The cool thing about this Facebook Application is that once you install it you can browse cities from all over the world and the actual weather from the selected spot is reflected in the landscape with amazing changes according to the season and current forecast... this means that you will see actual cloud cover, rain, snow, fog, even thunderstorms.

Also there is another cool feature that let's you go over he days to see the actual changes in the picture, so as to visually figure out what will happen.

Overall this Facebook Application is a good app to install and use every morning before leaving to the office. Specially for "Visual" people like me. When numbers are not enough to understand whether to take a jacket or not, this Facebook Application comes to the rescue.

My qualification for this Facebook Review is 4.3 out of 5 it's a cool App, well designed and very useful. Thumbs up to the developers of it. Here is the Link

Facebook Application Review of When I Croack

Famous last Words on FACEBOOK

The Facebook Application Review of today is about the App called "When I Croak" which has a very interesting idea to share with us which believe me you did not expect.

The main idea of this Facebook Application is to be able to chose what would you like to happen when you pull the short straw... or writing it more clear... when you die. After that day we are going to the centre of attention so this idea stands for choosing all the things that we want to happen that day. So yes, you are reading right...this Facebook Application will let you plan in a fun way your big day, so get started and start picking your selection of songs, poems and list of guests for that day that I personally wish is far away from all of us.

As the developers of this Facebook Application told me: "When I Croak is the fun way to plan your big day. Taking care of these details is oddly enjoyable in itself - and it also saves your loved ones from having to make these decisions at a difficult time (let them argue over the will instead!)"

An interesting thing of this Facebook Application besides it's original and weird idea is the fact that you can see some charts of the most selected choices for music, Poestry and reading plus access a several amount of interesting websites and links shared by the users "planning their goodbye party" with this app. Also you can export your information to a secure place outside Facebook and give others access if you want.

My qualification for this Facebook Application Review is 4.2 out of 5, thumbs up for an original idea of something that never before appeared in any of the Facebook Applications previously Reviewed.

Here is the link of the When I Croack Facebook Application.

Facebook Application Review of Favorite Places

Favorite Place in the World on FACEBOOK

Today's Facebook Application Review of the recently launched Application called "Favorite Places on Facebook".


This interesting Facebook Application is about Maps, locations and Favorite places. The main idea is to enable users to select their favorite places in the world through Google Maps and the application will then let users to add this exact location (map included) and the Google StreetView panorama into their Facebook profile.


Once you share your selected favorite place on your Facebook Profile your friends will be able to see it and comment about it as well as play with the camera of the Google StreetView service. So basically with this Facebook Application you can start a snowball by selecting one place that will take your friends to different destinations over and over again.

Google StreetView... what??. For those who are not very familiar with this, Google Street View Panorama is an amazing service that offers 360 degrees pictures of some of the most popular locations in the world and all of them are linked with Google Maps, so let's say you find The Eiffel Tours in France through Google Maps, then you can see real pictures of that place with Street View.... amazing right?


Anyway back to the Facebook Review...as I was writing before, once the user has found his favorite place through the Google Map, and checked out all the pictures about the area, he can also share some comment or story explaining why this is one of his favorite places in the world. I personally think that this idea is a great thing to share memories with friends... like " do you remember when we went backpacking to Spain and..."

So my friends that's all about this Facebook Application Review of Favorite Places which is great Facebook App. I love Google Maps and Google Street View so this app won my heart from the beginning. My qualification is 4.4 out of 5. If you look at me... I'll be " walking around the streets of Tokyo for the next ten minutes before I go to bed.

Here goes the link of the Facebook Application "Favorite Place"