Social Media Conference: Inside Social Apps 2012

Social Media in San Francisco

Inside Social Apps 2012 brings together some of the world’s leading developers of social media and mobile apps and games to discuss trends in the future of app and game growth and monetization on social and mobile platforms. It’s a two-day conference right smack in the center of the “design center” community of San Francisco and it feels like it. A combination of “hip” meets “tech” engaged in lots of stimulating intellectual discussion.

What’s initially striking is that ISA is not just another “gaming conference.” Since it’s about social just as much as it’s about mobile, there’s a whole lot of participation from big players like Facebook, Google, and the myriad of platforms, applications, and services that surround them. The prime focus here is on what’s happening on the business side of social media and applications, and that affects brands and technologies across verticals.

The very first panel discussion, in fact, was entitled “Facebook, Apple, Google: Which Platform(s) Hold the Most Opportunity in 2012?” Over the course of two days, discussions covered the gamut including monetization, app and game design, marketing and distribution, on both established and emerging platforms. And surprisingly, attendance was similarly spread across technical, creative, and commercial. From my tweet that was “favorited” by another attendee:

As far as social media conference management goes, WebMediaBrands Inc., did an incredible job with the operational aspects of this conference. Full catering, drinks, charging stations and free (albeit slow) wi-fi were all provided. Lunch-goers with similar interests were invited to sit with one another at pre-defined “topic tables” (e.g., game publishing table, monetization best practices, the widget table). The venue was inviting, and panelists and topics were well selected and well designed, respectively. Day one was concluded with a hosted on-site social reception with just the right amount of people, and least amount of noise to make it a good setting to make solid business connections (I exchanged cards with Carla Bourque (obviously no relation) the VP at Buddy Media).

All in all, it was a very well managed and rewarding event well worth the investment of time and money. I look forward to the next, scheduled for NYC in the Fall.

Below is a collection of some of the best articles on this year’s Inside Social Apps conference activity.