What Makes a Successful iPhone App?

Last week’s post pertained to the new Army’s Social Media Handbook iPhone app that is now available on iTunes.  There are different ways to create and measure the success of mobile applications and the Internet has an abundance of articles about those topics. Since the release of the iPhone in 2007, there has been an explosion of mobile applications.  All multimedia and smartphones have created “app stores” to sell applications of games, books, activities, etc.  It has become a phenomenon within the American culture.

Paul Myers, CEO of Bappz, a specialist developer of mobile applications, wrote “5 Pitfalls to Avoid When Developing a Successful Mobile App”, which address topics developers should analyze before creating an application.  He believes that applications should only be released when ready. Developers tend to jump the gun and try to release applications as fast as they can instead of making sure all the features work properly and are reliable.  Users can post reviews of the application on the iTunes store, which can have long-term effects on the product.  Vadin Dagam, CEO of Digital Prunes–,a mobile gaming company, believes that applications should be simple and visually engaging.  These two points seem easy, but some developers forget that these applications are created for handheld devices and don’t have time to use intricate applications.  Two points that came across in both articles were to update frequently and maintain quality.  Updating the application will keep users engaged in the product and spark interest again.  Maintaining quality of the app differentiates it from other, poorly made apps.

In addition, Jeana Lee Tahnk, a PR consultant, wrote “HOW TO: Create a Blockbuster Mobile App” on how to make your application stand out from the clutter.  She states that applications should start free.  This exposes the application to users, allowing them to create buzz through word-of-mouth.  It helps establish presence in the app store, which can motivate customers to download the app.  From there, more features or upgrades can be added with a minimal price.  People will be more willing to buy the app if they have used it.  When developing a mobile app, there should be a vision.  Developers should know and understand why the app is being created and what they will do after its initial release to maintain that vision.

So, does the Army’s Social Media Handbook app follow these guidelines?

The Army’s Online and Social Media Division and Sustainment Center of Excellence Mobile (SCoE Mobile) have collaborated to create this app.  They have taken time to completely finish this app before releasing it on iTunes.  The creators created this application because their vision was to let users take advantage of the Social Media Handbook and understand the guidelines when using certain mediums.  The interface and navigation are geared toward mobile screens with visually stimulating graphics. Lastly, it’s free!

With this new medium, the Army can reach current and potential users and there are more possibilities to educate about safe practices of social media.

Social Media Handbook iPhone/iPod app

On March 3, 2011, Brittany Brown, a public affairs specialist, posted on the Army’s official blog that the Army’s Online and Social Media Division teamed up with Sustainment Center of Excellence Mobile (SCoE Mobile) to create an iPhone app.  People can retrieve the U.S. Army’s Social Media Handbook through the application.  Users who want to look up information pertaining to social media can use this iPhone app.  A similar application will be available for iPad, but it has not been placed on Apple’s App Store yet.

Jaunita Chang, U.S. Army Director of Online and Social Media Division, was interviewed on Gov2.0 radio about the new iPhone app.  In the interview, Chang explains that the social media handbook was geared more towards soldiers, senior officials, and families that used social media.  They created this application because Chang and her team got overwhelming amounts of questions on how to use social media safely and effectively.  Since the handbooks have become popular, SCoE Mobile approached the Online and Social Media Division to create an app to allow people to have the Social Media Handbook in the palm of their hands.  The app users can look up the social media guidelines before they post on their social networking sites, if they want to.

Since the release of the newly created app, there have been several reviews posted in the blogosphere.  Chris Bennett’s review of the iPhone application suggests that the content is effective and informative because it provides an overview of what social media is as well as guidelines on how it should be used.  It talks about multiple networking sites and also allows the user to use sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, and YouTube through the app.  He includes improvements that could be made in “version 2.0” of the app.  Bennett suggests to “add a ‘Social Savvy Soldier’ quiz” in the app so users can test their knowledge.  If the user has an incorrect answer then it can refer them back to articles to help them understand.  With the quiz, users could also post their scores on their social networking sites, which would advertise the app to their friends.  This would allow potential users to become aware of the application and be more inclined to download and use the product.

Here is how the application works:
Soon after the app is activated, a message appears that asks if the user would like to receive a tutorial.  If the user opts to use the tutorial, they will receive simplified instructions that contain a sentence and picture on each page.  The app transforms the Social Media Handbook into a more portable format.  Developers of this application have added an interactive portion where users can post on various social networking sites.  The app has a feature where the user can record voice memos as takeaways from the material that they have read.

The creation of this app provides another medium for users to use the information from the Social Media Handbook.  Since being released earlier this month, there hasn’t been concrete evidence in the apps success. To see all the features in the app-Download it yourself!

Treating Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Through Virtual Reality

The conventional way of treating Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is through psychological therapy. With treatment, veterans and soldiers have been able to understand and cope with the trauma that they have been through.  In recent years, doctors and developers have established an alternative treatment for PTSD: virtual reality therapy.  This type of therapy combines new computer technologies with conventional therapy sessions. Through a virtual world, patients suffering with this disorder can slowly become exposed to situations similar to what they experienced in the past.  It essentially eases soldiers back into society and helps reduce overwhelming sensations of anxiety felt in public settings.    Psychologists personalize their therapy treatment with each person so they can receive the most effective treatment possible.  It is very intense especially since they are reliving their traumatic experiences again virtually.

This video shows samples of the software that is used for virtual reality therapy as well as explaining the reasoning behind the treatment. 

There have been many doctors and researchers behind this innovative type of treatment.  Dr. Sally Satel, a researcher at American Enterprise Institute (AEI), has been a key player in pushing this alternative treatment forward.   She has been promoting virtual reality therapy to various veteran committees since 2007.

At the beginning of this year, a new type of virtual treatment was created on Second Life to help veterans lessen the symptoms of PTSD.  This is a less intense version of virtual reality therapy.  The Department of Defense  also created space in Second Life so soldiers and veterans could go online anonymously to learn about the disorder.  The space also provides resources about where to receive treatment.  People navigate through Second Life and experience triggers that cause the stress and pain.  Researchers and doctors believe that letting veterans and soldiers have a glimpse of this modernized therapy can motivate them to get more therapy.  It seems like a stepping stone for returning soldiers that might not want come to the realization that they are suffering from their experiences. Lynn Goya’s blog post, “Can Video Games Help with PTSD” explains that officers, veterans, and soldiers think that if they are being treated for a mental health problem then it could impact their career negatively.  Accessing the less intense version of virtual therapy anonymously will enable people suffering to take an initiative to overcome their trauma.  The Department of Defense is also being proactive in helping people find treatment facilities.

In this clip, from: 37 to 1:10, KOMO News interviews Dr. Greg Reger, a psychologist, who treats soldiers who suffer from PTSD.  The reporter also addresses how the virtual world in Second Life helps returning soldiers cope with the disorder while being anonymous. Vodpod videos no longer available.

The Army and Department of Defense are taking initiatives to help soldiers overcome PTSD by assessing why conventional therapy has a bad reputation and trying to find alternative treatments.  The new techniques to treat PTSD seem to have positive outcomes of helping soldiers overcome the stress and trauma.

Training Soldiers Through Gaming Tools

Photo Courtesy of U.S. Army by Spc. Amanda McBride

The U.S. Army has been interested in using gaming technologies to train soldiers since 2004.  James Dunnigan, a pioneer developer of Army gaming technologies, states “you can take any situation and make it into a game.”   This is one of the main reasons why the Army wanted to train through video games.  Developers can create realistic situations that may arise and instruct soldiers how to react to those situations.  Gaming is a helpful tool, but it is not a solution for combat training.  Soldiers still need physical training to prepare them for wartime.

James Paul Gee is a leading gaming developer and a professor at Arizona State University.  In this clip he explains the importance of teaching through gaming and how the U.S. Army is more advanced at incorporating other learning strategies than educators. At the 48 second mark, Gee talks about a conversation he has with an Army official explaining that gaming helps the soldiers that would fail with regular teaching methods.  If soldiers don’t learn from training then they could potentially be killed in combat. As mentioned in the previous post, gaming helps with problem solving and strategic thinking.  With gaming, there needs to be a reflection component to hear other people’s strategies and collaborate on the best method to solve the mission.

The U.S. Army has teamed up with University of Southern California’s Institute for Creative Technologies (ICT) to create a game with cutting-edge technology that depicts intricate combat scenarios.  This game has been created to engage soldiers in training and enhance performance rates.  Through this game, soldiers will practice how to detect road bombs, IEDs, and other new technologies being used today.

In addition, representatives gathered at Fort Leavenworth, on August 6, 2010, to develop new games that they want to incorporate into the Game for Training program.  This will be the representatives’ third annual meeting for the training program.  Currently, Virtual Battlespace 2 (VBS2) is the most popular game used.  It has recording features that allow players to record missions and then go back to review their actions.  This game trains soldiers on small unit tactics, techniques, and procedures in a realistic war zone setting.  Soldiers can also rehearse tactics that they have created to ensure success.

This Frontline video shows an example of gaming technologies being used by the Army.  The first minute shows an example of a game-based training that ICT created for the Army.  It shows a small unit of troops going through a mission attempting to save Iraqi civilian avatars from the enemy.  The video also shows the control room of the training game and the controller explains how the program works.

The U.S. Army has created and implemented technology faster than other companies in the nation.  Since 2004, they have been using gaming tools to help train soldiers in combat.  The new gaming tools that are being created every year must provide adequate training because more machinery and technology are being used by the Army.  There still should be physical training to ensure that strategies and tactics are being used correctly.  With the combination of these two trainings, the Army can produce strong soldiers and lower death and injury rates in combat.

Next week’s blog will analyze how gaming is being used to treat Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Recruitment through Video Games

Over the past decade, the U.S. Army has been implementing more technology and social media into their strategic plan.  Gaming is one of the latest technologies to be utilized by the Army in three main categories: recruiting, training, and therapy.  This post will discuss how video gaming is used to help recruit soldiers.

P.W. Singer, military technology expert and author of Wired for War, mentions “Meet the Sims … and Shoot Them” that in 2002, the U.S. Army created America’s Army, their first recruitment video game.  The game was intended to be a recruiting tool, but became popular with the general public. Within five years, they had 9 million individuals register to play the video game.  A year after it was released, one-fifth of West Point’s Military Academy’s freshman class had played the game.  Players had to connect to the Army’s recruiting site in order to play the game.  From the recruiting website, players were able to see video testimonies of current soldiers on why they joined and why other people should join—making it a complete success.

Also, the video shows gameplay from America’s Army 3, the newest version of the recruitment game.  It shows you how realistic the video game is and how it might persuade players to sign up for the U.S. Army.

The U.S. Army has funded another way to recruit through video games.  The Army Experience Center, a one-of-a-kind virtual education facility for teenagers to come and play war simulation games, opened on August 29, 2008, at Franklin Mills Mall in Philadelphia, PA.  Carrie McLeroy, editor of Soldiers Magazine, explains in “Army Experience Center Opens in Philadelphia”, that twenty soldiers are available in the facility to talk to people and share their stories and answer questions about the Army. Researchers have found that people learn better when simulating war strategies in a non-life threatening atmosphere.  The Army Experience Center closed on July 31, 2010 because the two-year pilot program came to an end. Brian Lepley, the Accessions Command spokesperson, stated that “it helped [them] learn to reach younger Americans on their terms with relevant technology innovations.”  Throughout the duration, 149 recruits had been contracted through the Army Experience Center.  With these results, the Army is now developing a plan to open other recruiting centers in the country.

There has been criticism from anti-war activists and parents that using video games as recruiting tools misinforms teenagers about the Army and war. They believe that there is a blurred line between virtual war simulations and real life war.  In NPR’s “‘America’s Army’ Blurs Virtual War, ‘Militainment’” article, Peter Singer, the director of the 21st Century Defense Initiative at the Brookings Institution, discusses how people are blurring virtual experiences with actual war.  Video games allow people to experience and imitate war zones and battles, but are also able to replay the battle if they get killed.  In real war zones, soldiers do not have a chance to go back a replay missions and battles.  The Army Experience Center and America’s Army don’t address to potential recruits that there is a distinction between video games and the actual Army.

This Frontline video, explains what the Army Experience Center is for and various viewpoints on the Army’s recruitment methods. At 2:39, it shows the negative views of the center from anti-war activists and parents.

From the popularity and impact of America’s Army and the Army Experience Center made on recruiting, gaming has evolved to help with facilitating training and treating soldiers who suffer with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) through video games. The next two posts will analyze these topics more in-depth.

Military Blogs

Although the use of social media was discouraged prior to the publishing of The U.S. Army Social Media Handbook, military blogging was used by many soldiers. Daniel Bennett, a blogger on frontlineclub.com, wrote “Tracing the First Official U.S. Military Blogs” where he analyzed the first “official” U.S. military blogs.  From his research, he found that the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) wanted to create blogs to drive readers to their main site and to facilitate dialogue.   Capt. Steve Alvarez had official duties to create and maintain a blog.  He created the “first official U.S. military blog” on September 24, 2004.  In a Department of Defense article, “CENTCOM Team Engages ‘Bloggers’”, Alvarez explains the main factors of why CENTCOM was interested in blogging.  CENTCOM believes that blogging helps get correct information out in the blogosphere and it initiates conversations with readers and other bloggers.

Bennett just covers the Army officials’ military blogs in his post, but many military soldiers and personnel used blogs.  For instance, Jean-Paul Borda started blogging prior to 2005 while he was in Afghanistan with the Army National Guard.  During the month of September 2006, Borda became interested in other military-related blogs and started milblogging.com, an index of all military blogs. By October 2006, Milblogging indexed over 1,500 military blogs in over 25 countries.  This site gained attention from several media publications and was even used by Military.com, the largest military and veteran membership organization.

In the early days, blogs helped soldiers keep in touch with loved ones while they were deployed.  It helped soldiers tell their story to the world and let readers get perspectives from the frontlines.  This helped increase the Army’s credibility because it allowed readers and the media to get raw information coming straight from soldiers.  This is important because a majority of the public thought the information being presented through traditional media was inaccurate.

Ever since the social media handbooks were published, more U.S. officials have taken on blogging today. Military blogs keep readers informed of what is going on in the Army and reassures the reader that the information they are receiving is accurate.  Readers can also communicate through blogs and give feedback.  Many U.S. officials have their blogs on the Army Live site.  The site published Army Live Blog Strategy, which allows audiences to identify the site as an official account and source of information coming directly from the Army.

Blogging helps engage readers through soldiers’ stories but also disseminates accurate information. Additionally, helps personify the Army to the audience and shows a glimpse of military life.

2010 v. 2011 U.S. Army Social Media Handbook

Social media is being used by major corporations and non-profits as another medium to converse with their constituents.  The U.S. Army and all personnel were discouraged to use social networking sites until February 25, 2010.  James Dao, a blogger for The New York Times, explains in “Military Announces New Social Media Policy” why it has taken the Department of Defense so long to allow communication through social media. In his post, Dao states that it has been a slow process because officials wanted to minimize the potential threats of cyber attacks and protect against malicious activity that occurs on the Internet.

After the threats were analyzed, the U.S. Army created the 2010 Social Media Book for Army families, giving them explanations of why and how social media was going to be used.  Their main reason for using social media was so they could communicate with larger audiences faster.  They wanted the families to have instant access to information and also be able to tell their stories.  By using social media, the Army families would be able to create immediate connections with others who are in similar circumstances.  The handbook encourages more families to participate and join the movement to help keep communication and information ongoing with the public.

To help Army families safely communicate, the handbook briefly describes how the U.S. Army uses social media tools and sites.  The four main areas of social media that the U.S. Army decided to adopt are social networking sites, blogs, micro–blogs, and media sharing sites.  Army officials emphasize that their Army.mil website is their main hub and all of their other social media sites are linked back to it.  They end the book by reiterating why families should join and engage in communication and how to be safe while doing so.

This year, the U.S. Army has come out with a revised edition of the Social Media Handbook, where they dive deeper into how social media can positively impact the U.S. Army.  The Chief of Public Affairs, Stephan R. Lazan, addresses how social media has impacted the Army thus far and how it allows army men and women, their families, and officials to become proactive communicators.  Using social media helps get important information out to the general public faster than traditional media.

Last year, the book addressed how Army families could communicate more effectively. However, this year’s edition of the Social Media Handbook includes information for soldiers, leaders, and Army personnel.  The book sets guidelines provided by the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) -the judicial code for the members within the U.S. Army- on appropriate usage of social media.  It states the importance for soldiers and personnel to be aware and understand that terrorists and other threats lurk on social media sites to obtain important information.  The book also sets guidelines for military leaders about professionalism and self-promotion.  Military leaders are allowed to interact with soldiers online, but should maintain a professional relationship while doing so.

In addition, changes have been made to the handbook to include social media in the Army’s crisis management strategies. Leaders can get feedback from stakeholders to better their communications and crisis management.   Lastly, the book emphasizes ways to promote the U.S. Army brand while using social media sites.  Promotion of the brand will help leaders recruit the next generation of Army soldiers.

Within the past two years, there have been tremendous changes and efforts put forth, encouraging the use of social media and the involvement of all members.