No matter what type of web site or application you're building, social interaction among the people who use it will be key to its success. They wil...
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May 10, 2010
Ash
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Don't be mislead by the title: Joshua Porter's book is primarily about social psychology and the impact this has on web-based software. Design is the set of considerations you need to need to create the desired behaviour.
The first part of the book is about taking potential users from Unaware (of your app) to Passionate Use, and the stages they pass through to get there.
Porter uses the increasingly standard model of the Social Object - the things people manipulate on a si More...
The first part of the book is about taking potential users from Unaware (of your app) to Passionate Use, and the stages they pass through to get there.
Porter uses the increasingly standard model of the Social Object - the things people manipulate on a si More...
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Sep 07, 2011
Neil
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This is a really strong overview of Web 2.0 social network design. It dates back to an era when Myspace was dominant, and Facebook was a poor cousin, but it is nonetheless a very useful book. Porter discusses what he calls and AOF approach to design: 1) determine the Activities you want people to be able to do in your social network, 2) define the social Objects that the activities operate on, and 3) choose the Features you will create tools to support, based on the previous two considerations.
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Dec 29, 2008
Mo
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Short, sweet, and to the point, this book is a great overview of designing software applications for the social web. Porter walks the reader through the various hurdles potential users are presented with, from awareness and sign up to emotional attachment, and he details methods by which designers can minimize those hurdles through effective design.
Using established, high volume examples, such as Amazon, Flickr and YouTube, Porter gives clear reasons for the success of certain softw More...
Using established, high volume examples, such as Amazon, Flickr and YouTube, Porter gives clear reasons for the success of certain softw More...
Feb 15, 2009
Glenn
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In his book, Joshua Porter targets intermediate to advanced designers who already know the basics and are seeking ways to improve their design skills, especially pertaining (but not limited) to social networking oriented sites.
There are two main themes in this book, the psychology of motivation and what he calls the usage lifecycle. As he goes through each design element, he discusses the psychological drivers behind that design element and how you can leverage those drivers. For exa More...
There are two main themes in this book, the psychology of motivation and what he calls the usage lifecycle. As he goes through each design element, he discusses the psychological drivers behind that design element and how you can leverage those drivers. For exa More...
Apr 07, 2009
Caitlin
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Well, first up, this has been the easiest read of any web book I've ever tackled. I *zoomed* through it. And the information is really interesting. Yes, quite a bit of it is common sense; yes, there's some repetition, but I think it's an excellent introduction to how people behave online. It's a book that would be useful not only for people developing social networks, but people attempting to achieve anything online.
It's also - apparently contrary to the title - not just for designer More...
It's also - apparently contrary to the title - not just for designer More...
Feb 12, 2012
Sofia
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Finally, a good book on social media! The last few books I’ve read were all style and no substance, and I was getting weary of even trying new ones, so this was a breath of fresh air. It was actually useful, not just impressive-looking.
Not so much about practical design as it is about psychology applied to making smart choices about your web software, this book touches on many interesting aspects of building online apps and leveraging people’s need to be social. It looks at why peopl More...
Not so much about practical design as it is about psychology applied to making smart choices about your web software, this book touches on many interesting aspects of building online apps and leveraging people’s need to be social. It looks at why peopl More...
Aug 31, 2011
Jason
rated it:
This is an excellent book that covers many of the aspects of web design often forgotten about or not understood by university computer science lecturers and high school computing studies teachers. As a teacher I would use this book in my classroom to inspire students to see the depth of thought that needs to go into modern web design. I also think that teachers setting coursework could do with more of these techniques when curating their content. The Usage Lifecycle in the Introduction could alo
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Jul 19, 2009
Sabine
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While reading the introduction I had a short moment thinking "oh please, not another "social web=twitter, facebook & co" book", after a couple of chapters I realized that this book can be a quite valuable reference for designing social interactions. Joshua continously keeps providing you with tips and hints that sometimes may sound trivial at first, but are often forgot during the design process. This book is quick and easy to read and - although not overwhelmingly inspiring
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Jun 18, 2010
Amira
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The book is just AMAZING. So simple yet so strong. It describes how you can design social websites and it has some great tips. What I loved the most is that Porter describes how people feel and talks a lot about how the website elements affect people's feelings and reactions.
Mar 09, 2011
Brian
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This book is a few years old now, but I'm stroke by how few companies are actually doing these basics around designing for social experiences that Mr. Porter lays out. Every page is chock full of good design nuggets.
Sep 07, 2010
Jorge
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Not the "best in class" for this subject. Nice reading (so-so at a times) with a lot of common sense but few new ideas
Nov 07, 2010
Sjors
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Good book, maybe a bit simplistic, but still a good use of two hours of your life
May 28, 2008
Scott
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Great overview of why and how social networking sites work to build a strong and active userbase. I took notes throughout that either support some of the work that I have in progress or provided new ideas. I've also suggested to higher ups so they have a more detailed understanding of why we're spending time building some of the functionality that we're building. It's heavy on examples and little psychological support; light on technology and details.
Dec 17, 2009
Jodi
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not done reading this yet, but learning that psychology is a very important component to compelling website design!
Jun 07, 2008
Nicole
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fully recommend for those interested in social web communication & social network start-ups
Mar 16, 2011
Volkan
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Great primer on how social features can enhance the user experience on the web.
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