Micro-Apps Emerge as Immersive, Connected Experiences

Facebook Connect micro-apps

TheHotlist.com = a Micro-App

Okay, so I just made up a new term “micro-app.” That’s the only way I can describe TheHotlist.com — it’s a micro-app. Basically, TheHotlist uses Facebook Connect to deliver a rich interface for your Facebook events. The interface is intriguing, delivering you a map and a calendar and showing you who’s attending what, where. It’s interesting and it may highlight something we’re going to see more of: deeper web applications built as massive mash-ups using networks like LinkedIn or Facebook as their core.

Micro-Apps and TheHotlist in experimentation

TheHotlist.com is in Experimentation

It’s obvious from the traffic being generated by TheHotlist that it is in the experimentation phase of its life cycle. What’s interesting about this concept is that the Hotlist team could have built a more immersive application on the Facebook application platform. Instead, they chose to create a destination domain for their concept. I must assume that they have a larger vision than just connecting with Facebook. In fact, this  kind of micro-app might be connected with Yelp, LinkedIn, Amiando even Twitter at some point, delivering a rich, event-based experience that any one network would have trouble emulating.

Rich event experiences

Boring Facebook Events

TheHotList has tons of potential and I like the concept of aggregating specific content from a wide variety of networks. However, the more networks they integrate, the more complicated, confusing, and overwhelming TheHotList could become. I do think we’ll see more and more micro-apps like TheHotList emerge as users clamor for deeper experiences across networks. But my biggest fear is the collision of identities on channels like TheHotList. Keeping your professional and personal networks separate will be a constant challenge for applications like TheHotlist moving forward.

Watch micro-apps

Social Media Diversified Portfolio

TheHotlist is worth a visit, that’s for sure. The interface is a little clunky, and the applications seems a little buggy (that’s to be expected in the experimentation phase), and it’s too early to marry yourself to promoting or relying on TheHotList for event promotion. That being said, I think you should start looking for more micro-apps as many of these social networks collide.

About The New Media Life Cycle Analysis

The New Media Life Cycle Analysis is the brainchild of the Tippingpoint Labs strategy team. Each week, our team takes a look at a new media channel and presents its findings here, to help chief marketing officers, directors of marketing, and social media experts add some context to their social media and content marketing strategies. If there is a new platform or channel you’d like to see us evaluate, please let us know. We’re more than eager to take a look!

About the author

Andrew Davis -

In 2002, Andrew founded Tippingpoint Labs with journalist James Cosco. Since then, he's spent countless hours exploring the online universe and building a methodological approach to developing digital strategies that drive revenue or reduce costs.

Andrew's always asking big questions and analyzing data to understand markets, online forces and even business models. Andrew's research has resulted in the creation of innovative online metrics including Online Brand Value and Category Brand Value, eye-opening graphical representations of website evolution through the New Media Life Cycle and even using online data to predict offline revenue.

When he's not surfing the web, Andrew's traveling the globe speaking to a wide-variety of audiences about everything from social media to the future of print. Andrew is a frequent contributor to the Tippingpoint Labs website and has been creating valuable content since the early 1990s for The Jim Henson Company, CNN, The Today Show and MTV.

He's contributed to a book of short stories, called The Way Things Were and produced and co-wrote Roadside Ambition a documentary film about one small town with two huge balls.

"In a world where content is consumed as rapidly as it's created, companies need to develop a sound strategy to creating valuable online experiences that can, and should, be leveraged enterprise-wide. There is a content solution to every business challenge."