We're not using a framework. The app itself is a standard Cocoa/Objective-C app, just using a mix of web views and native views for rendering the content of individual screens.
Kind of surprised to find this on here today. I made it about two years ago as a quick hack, and haven't touched it since. I used unicode glyphs because I didn't see any benefit of recreating those in CSS. Was planning on adding the backsides so you could flip them over, but never got around to it.
Pleasantly surprised that it worked perfectly on my iPad with touch and dragging. I always read HN on my iPad and so many sites, especially anything keyboard driven, become useless.
Just been going through this process myself. I usually use Fireworks, but wanted to learn Photoshop since there are so many more resources available. Here's some that I've found helpful:
- http://365psd.com/ and http://designmoo.com/ - Both have free, high-quality (for the most part) PSD's you can download. Sometimes for me the most helpful thing is just seeing how someone else constructed something. How many layers they used, which layer styles created a certain effect, etc.
- http://methodandcraft.com/ - Just recently launched, but already has some nice videos I've learned a lot from.
That's probably a good rough estimate. I did some of my own back of the envelope calculations along those lines and figured out a site like Daring Fireball is probably making around $5,700/month from the Deck, which is less than I would have thought. I'd love to get some first-hand info though.
I don't know how they perform, but I assume their successful because companies keep advertising there. I don't mind these particular ads because they're high quality, not obnoxious, and relevant to me. I never click through ads on most sites, but I actually do click through these because I'm interested in the product. It's ideal advertising to me.
Thanks for the info. I think you may be thinking of the wrong Deck though. I was referring to http://decknetwork.net/, which is a network that only shows only a single ad per site with a limited number of advertisers and publishers. For example, on Daring Fireball (http://daringfireball.net/). Fusion (http://fusionads.net/) does the same thing. I'm not sure how much that changes the numbers, but I believe it's a bit different from the typical ad network.
Hmm, interesting model from those guys. Problem with that is, as il said, ads that make money are typically not ads that you like.
Now, to differentiate from the mobile side, there are reams of networks you can use. The whole 1-ad thing is not actually that effective imho, as you have 1 single source of revenue. You have no points of critical comparison to determine what is working.
The key is response vs. relevance. If you can have several ads on page that promote products and services that are relevant, then you have the right mix. No one says you need to stick with one ad or that you need to cram every single banner possible in your page. Go with a good balance, and start as far on the relevance side as possible. Inch your way over to response and watch your stats: if you see your pageviews start to inch down because you added that other banner spot or text link group, take it out. Test, test, test and retest - that is the key.
One good avenue to providing relevant ads is simply by making an account on Commission Junction and searching for relevant products. If you have a site about IT, apply to every IT software affiliate program and software sales company out there. Set up an OpenX ad server and start to optimize. Look for who gets the response and conversions from users.
The best part about affiliate ads on your site that you control is it keeps you honest. Unrelated irrelevant junk will either alienate people or not convert, so you are incentivized to stick with what adds value.
Most important of all of this - and it is easy to forget - is this: as a site/app owner, YOU control the impressions. That control is important, so don't give it away to just one single advertiser network. Make them work for your business, just like you do for your own customers.
For the mobile, I would most likely want to use the same network for consistency. And the main reason I want to use one of these networks is because the ads are high quality and relevant. I'm less worried about maximizing revenue, and more concerned with the ads being helpful and unobtrusive.
Thanks again for the tips. I haven't done much with advertising, so it's definitely helpful to hear.
Glad I can help. I understand your desire with helpful/unobtrusive ads, but I would just caution you to not leave money on the table. Do some testing to find that balance - let the users help you decide :)
Go to college. Put all the education and career considerations aside for a moment. College was one of the best times of my life. Go have some great experiences, make friends, go to parties, travel, do crazy shit, and take time to think about the rest of your life and want you want it to be. After that, you'll be working until you retire, and that's something I wouldn't rush into. I've been out of college about 7 years, and never once I have thought, man, I wish I've been working full-time longer. Plus, I made some of my best friends and met my wife while I was in college.
You have no idea in what direction your career will take you, so I wouldn't worry too much about trying to plan for the "long run". A lot of my friends switched careers or went back to school at some point in their 20s. Many people are now making a living off creating iPhone apps, and the iPhone didn't even exist 4 years ago, so there is no way to plan for everything.
