Happy Anniversary! One Year On The App Store

Wow. Hard to believe it’s been a full year since I released my first app(uh…by accident). It seems like only yesterday that I began telling the world about my great new app…oh wait, I’m still doing that. 🙂
It’s been an amazing journey. So what has happened since my six month update?

The app still hasn’t taken off liked I hoped it would…so no swimming in a vault of money for me, or this:

Gotta do it man..
(BTW, does anyone else wonder what happened to Huell? Is he still in that hotel room?)

But I’ve had some success overall.

-the downloads are now over 18,000. Again mostly free, but all in all..not bad.

-I had the #1 Photo and Video App in….FIJI! Which only meant a few downloads…but hey…I was still #1 somewhere!

-I managed to get my updates out without breaking anything.

-my app still works in iOS7 (whew!)

-judging by my update numbers, I am retaining users, which I think is a big win.

-I didn’t get banned from anywhere the past six months.

-I did have a school somewhere in England download 30 copies of my iPad app through the Apple Volume program…which I hadn’t thought of before.

-I’m continuing to get great feedback from my users.

Here’s my downloads graph. As you can see, a few spikes (iPad app launch, reviews), but overall pretty consistent.

ADVICE FOR NEWB APP DEVELOPERS NOW THAT I’M ONE YEAR OLDER AND…WISER?

1. PLAN EVERY STEP OF THE WAY. Figure out each stage,what you need to do, and make it happen.
2. Get HONEST feedback about your app idea from people who will give it to you straight. Your mom is going to love it no matter if it’s the worst idea in the world.
3. Make your app look great. The only negative comments I get about my app is that it’s ugly.  And it is. So if you don’t have the skills to make it look awesome, hire someone.
4. Test your app over and over again.
5. When you run into problems, ask for help. There are so many great online communites to tap into. Just make sure you give back when you can help.
6. Think hard about how you want to price your app. Research the various models and pick the one that will suit what your goals are.
7. Do your homework/research before you launch your app so you can MAKE A BIG SPLASH ON LAUNCH DAY, and keep the momentum going. Take the week off so you can do nothing but promote, reply, repeat
8. Don’t expect the app store to sell your app for you. You have to market it.
9. If you have a bit of money for promotion, use it wisely. Pay for ads in places that will get to the people who will use your app.
10. If you know nothing about or suck at social media/marketing…hire someone, or learn how to do it properly.
11. Sending promo codes or tweeting celebrities about your app in general is a waste of time.
12. Be prepared to be called a spammer promoting your app. Even when you are promoting it to people who should be interested in it. Because you are.
13. Be prepared to be ignored by a lot of the people you contact. But as the saying goes, if at first you don’t succeed, try again. Just don’t stalk them.
14. Be prepared to be blocked on Facebook and unfollowed on Twitter by people you know.
15. Proofread everything-your emails, tweets, and posts, as mistakes and copy paste errors will make you look like an idiot to people you are hoping will look at your app. Or get your app rejected. And don’t tweet tired.
16. Try to find fun ways to promote your app
17. Listen to all the feedback you get from your testers and users, and use it to make your app the best it can be.
18. Play by the rules, even though others aren’t.
19. Thank anyone and everyone who helps spread the word about your app.
20. Don’t give up. Even when people tell you are crazy. If you really believe in your app and the idea, it doesn’t matter. And at the end of the day you’ve got an app on the app store. Not everyone can say that.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU.

All of the relative success that I have had is all because of the great family, friends and colleagues that I have. Your support has meant so much to me, and I hope that I have been able to express my gratitude and reciprocate. If not, just let me know.
I’ve listed a whole bunch of great people and sites who have helped me along the way, I’d appreciate if you could help them out by checking them out.

SO WHAT’S NEXT FOR YOU, NOEL?

Well, I’m still working on updates for the apps…and promoting them of course!
Going to have a nice update soon that addresses some of the issues people have mentioned, speeds things up a bit, and adds more assignments!

I did make a decision however to stop emailing/tweeting people here and there as I came across new places to promote the app.  Instead, I started collecting them so I could make another big “splash” hopefully to get the app up in the rankings and stay for a bit. That is currently underway, so we’ll see what happens. Already managed to get another great review.

I’ve got an idea for another app that I think might be pretty cool. But I’m going to do it right this time, as a native app.

So I have begun the process of learning how to program apps in xcode by downloading tutorials, ebooks,  and playing around a bit. It’s pretty exciting, but it’s going to be a lot of work.

But nothing worth doing is easy, as the saying goes. And I’ll keep updating this blog as I start a new phase on this newb app developer journey.

I’ll end off with the words of the great Dr Seuss from my favourite book of his “Oh The Places You’ll Go!”

“So…
be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray
or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O’Shea,
You’re off the Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So…get on your way!”

Noel Chenier

Help out a fellow developer!  Download the free versions of my Photography Assignment Generator Apps and let me know what you think!
If you want to keep updated on my newb app developer adventures, subscribe to the blog by clicking on the subscribe page at the top or in the sidebar on the right!
———————-
Photographer and teacher
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NEW! Photography Assignment Generator Apps now available on the app store!
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Contact Noel

Noel

Updated list of some awesome people you should check out!

WEBSITES/COMMUNITIES/RESOURCES/COOL PEOPLE

LifeinLofi.com http://lifeinlofi.com

Run by Marty Yawnick, this is a great iPhoneography resource.  Marty does honest reviews and says what he thinks about the apps. If there are problems with the app, he points them out. He’s also willing to give apps second chances when they take the feedback he gives them and makes changes.

Mobitog http://www.mobitog.com/

This is a long running iPhoneography community. Lots of great discussion, reviews, tutorials, and challenges!

Mobile Photography Central http://mobilephotographycentral.com

Great iPhoneography community

Richard Byrne http://www.freetech4teachers.com/

Amazing resources for technology for the classroom. If you are a teacher, you need to check out this blog.

Combo Apps Blog http://ashcroft54.com

Tina L Rice creates some interesting art with her mobile photography and apps.

Outdoor Photography Canada Magazine www.outdoorphotographycanada.com

Great Canadian photography magazine you should check out!  Huge thanks to Editor Roy Ramsay for using my app to get the ideas for their last two photo contests!

PhotoLife Magazine http://www.photolife.com

Another great Canadian photography magazine you should buy!  Thanks for the mentions about the apps!

Billy Wilson http://www.thebillywilson.com/

Billy hosts a weekly Google+ Hangout show about photography and other things.  He’s had quite an interesting mix of guests on this shows, and he was nice enough to let me on  to talk about the apps. Check out all the shows here.

Barb Crawford http://barbbarbbarb.com/

Great blog about local Saint John people, artists, fashion, food, you name it.

Mark Hemmings http://about.me/hemmings

Mark is an amazing photographer, and a great teacher.  If you want a great photography trip, sign up for his Mexico trip.

Greg Hemmings/Hemmings House http://hemmingshouse.com/

Hugely talented filmmaker and storyteller here in Saint John, and all around cool dude.

Mel Martin http://www.azdeepskies.com/

Mel has some amazing astrophotography on his website that you should check out.

Jeff Roach at http://sociallogical.com/

This guy knows his social media.  He’s helped me out a lot (now, don’t let my social media suckery be your measurement of his knowledge…he gave me the tools, showed me how to use em…I’m just like the idiot with the nail gun who ends up shooting himself in the foot…)

Sean McGrath http://seanmcgrath.ca/

Another awesome photog here in Saint John.
Also has some really wicked photoshop scripts! http://www.codeandhustle.com/

Kelly Lawson http://lawsonphotography.ca/

Another awesome SJ photog and lover of the golden rule!

Christian LaForce http://thechronicleherald.ca/topics/Christian%20Laforce

Canadian Photojournalist

Alan Bailward http://www.bailwardphotography.com/

Canadian fashion/lifestyle photographer

Ashlan Nathens http://www.ashlann.com/
Australian Photographer and Illustrator

Jordan Oram http://www.maplemusketeer.com/

BC Based photographer, writer, artist.

Alex Mills http://www.alxmls.co.uk/

UK Based photographer

APPS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT

Pixhole https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pixhole/id636465635?mt=8
A really fun photo puzzle game that you should try out. It’s FREE!

Letter Glow https://itunes.apple.com/CA/app/id650715760
Great app for adding text to your images.

Monokrom https://itunes.apple.com/id/app/monokrom-photo-editor/id673637750?mt=8
Great black and white effects app.

Distressed FX https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/distr…
Great filter effects app.

iColorama S  https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/icolo…
Another great editing app to get artistic with your images.

Photo365 https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/photo…
A great way to keep track of your 365 photo challenge.

Perspective Correct https://itunes.apple.com/app/id584634318 
Great app for correcting perspective on your iphone images.

Collect http://collectphotoapp.com/
Cool app that lets you organize your photos in a calendar style to capture your life.

Memory Jar http://memoryjarapp.com/
Great app that lets your record, organize, and archive your life in your photos!

ITakeNotes https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/itakenotes-meeting-notes-reports/id567645467?mt=8
Great app for documenting meetings on your ipad with lots of cool features!

Quotely http://www.quotelyapp.com/
Not released yet, but this app looks great for anyone with kids who say the darndest things and want to remember them!

REVIEWERS/REVIEW SITES/PODCASTS

iOS Affairs http://iosaffairs.com

Tracy Pease’s reviews are some of the most in-depth I have seen, and many are tutorials/walkthroughs for the apps she is reviewing, including tons of screenshots and examples.

Today in iOS http://tii.libsyn.com

This is a great podcast.  While not a reviewer, Rob gives developers the opportunity to showcase their apps on his podcast.  All he asks for in exchange is promo codes. The podcast itself is very informative and full of info on what is happening in the world of iOS.

Three Geeky Ladies http://www.threegeekyladies.com/

These three ladies love all kinds of apps, and have great podcasts discussing/reviewing them!

My App Adventure http://www.myappventure.com/

Great podcast/website by developer Scott Ruth where he talks about his experiences as a developer along with a new podcast!

Julie Clover

http://appadvice.com/appnn/author/juli

http://www.padgadget.com/author/juli/

Has a regular photography app blog posting/reviews on  these review sites

Mobile Photography Related
Reviews, resources, news, and links about photo apps!

Appotography http://appotography.com/

PhotoCruncher http://www.photocruncher.com

iosPhotoApps http://www.iosphotoapps.com/

The Photo Momma http://www.thephotomomma.com/

I Comme Photo (en francais) http://icommephoto.com/

Other great review sites:

Idownloadblog http://www.idownloadblog.com
148apps.com http://www.148apps.com
Appy Hour.TV http://appyhour.tv/
Cult of Mac http://www.cultofmac.com/

(If I’ve forgotten anyone, email me so I can add you.)

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