Twitter Application Development For Dummies [Paperback]

Dusty Reagan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 15, 2010 | ISBN-10: 0470568623 | ISBN-13: 978-0470568620 | Edition: 1

Get the guide to planning, developing and monetizing apps for Twitter!

Twitter is the one of the hottest trends in social networking. With several million users, Twitter's popularity is growing everyday. Twitter will continue to increase user base while third-party companies keep popping up all over to make money building Twitter apps for phones, advertising tools, analytics/management tools and more. Some of the most popular Twitter apps include TwitPic, Twhirl, TweetDeck, and FriendorFollow. With this book, author Dusty Reagan uses one of his unpublished Twitter app ideas and takes you through the API, idea creation, development, and monetization of the app. Twitter Application Development For Dummies offers advice on creating interesting applications, looks at what types of applications thrive, discusses creating unique applications, explains how to make money, examines the business aspects of the process, reviews browsing and downloading applications, addresses protecting your information, and more.

• Twitter's API is open and third-party companies and developers are creating all kinds of apps ranging from analytical tools to advertising tools to tools
• The author is going to use one of his unpublished Twitter app ideas
• Walks the reader through covering the API, idea creation, development, and monetization of the app

Twitter Application Development For Dummies will get you up and running so you can create great apps for Twitter from the creator of one of the most popular apps!

Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Discover the fun of building a Twitter app, and earn some cash too!

Love Twitter? Know a little (or a lot) about developing applications? Learn how to build a Twitter app, some great ways to make it stand out from the crowd, how to get it discovered, and how to turn your Twitter app-building into a productive little business — all from the creator of FriendOrFollow.com, one of the coolest Twitter apps around!

• If your skills are rusty — check Chapter 2 for a quickie refresher course in Web application development

• Exploring the ecosystem — explore the types of Twitter apps already available and the five categories of the Twitter ecosystem

• The money thing — learn about Twitter's unusual financial environment and ways you can earn money from your apps

• Build a Twitter Web app from the ground up — work with Twitter API libraries, choose a Web hosting provider, and set up a Web framework

• Get the word out — discover ways to promote your apps and how to make your app business grow

Open the book and find:

• Basics on using HTML, CSS, PHP, and MySQL

• How to create and manage your developer account

• Advice on choosing an idea for your app

• An overview of Web apps, Twitter bots, mobile clients, and more

• Twitter's two APIs

• Different ways to monetize your app

• Example code for every API method

• Code for a complete app

Learnt to:

• Turn your ideas into applications

• Develop apps with a high chance of success

• Find out what users are looking for

• Make money from your apps

About the Author

Dusty Reagan launched a Web development company called Floating Head Studios in 2007. He developed the hugely popular Twitter app FriendOrFollow.com in 2008, and a few months later launched FeaturedUsers.com, a niche ad network centered around the Twitter ecosystem. Follow him on Twitter at @DustyReagan.

Product Details

• Paperback: 456 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies; 1 edition (March 15, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470568623
• ISBN-13: 978-0470568620
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #480,638 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dusty Reagan is an entrepreneur, humanist, self-proclaimed "geek", and lover of technology. He strives to add value to his community and is a proponent of the arts and local small businesses. His deepest desire is to make a substantial positive impact on society.

Prologue

Born and raised in Cleburne, Texas, Dusty was resourceful and had a natural affinity for computers. Through high school, Dusty used his computer skills as a freelancer, providing design and technical support for local businesses. During his junior and senior years of high school Dusty fought a life-or-death battle against Ulcerative Colitis. Always the optimist, Dusty was thankful for the character he developed through his battle and for the insights he gained on life.

Dusty received a bachelor of science in computer science with a minor in business from Texas A&M University in 2003. After graduating, Dusty moved to Austin, where he briefly freelanced as a web developer before landing a full-time programmer position at Direct Impact, an Austin-based direct marketing agency. In early 2007, Dusty left his full-time position to take another stab at freelancing, this time under the guise of Floating Head Studios. Also in 2007, Dusty married his then fiancée of 9 months, girlfriend of 4 years, Sharlee LaLime. Shortly afterward, Dusty founded the Austin spin-off of "Jelly," a community of mobile workers who desire to work around other like-minded individuals.

Conjunctured

Passionate about turning the typical business model on its head, Dusty then began collaborating with John Erik Metcalf, Ceasr Torres, and David H. Walker on the development of the co-company & coworking space Conjunctured. Conjunctured is a member-based community of entrepreneurs and freelancers who work together under a common brand while maintaining their autonomy. Conjunctured officially opened its doors in Austin on August 4th, 2008 at 1309 E. 7th St. Conjunctured is now home to a variety of working professionals and numerous community technology and entrepreneurial educational events.

Friend Or Follow & Featured Users

On October 6th, 2008, Dusty launched Friend Or Follow a Twitter follower management web application. It's popularity grew quickly and on Feb. 9th 2009 Dusty launched his second Twitter application, Featured Users. Featured Users is a niche ad network centered around the Twitter ecosystem, where 3rd party Twitter application developers are the publishers and Twitter users are the advertisers.

Authorship

In June 2009, Dusty was approached by Wiley to write Twitter Application Development For Dummies, for their popular For Dummies series. After disappearing for several months to write, Dusty reemerged to celebrate the book's publication on March 8th, 2010.

To Be Continued...

If you're in Austin you can find Dusty at Conjunctured building web products and hanging out with other Austinites scheming ways to make Austin and the world a more awesome place.

"Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value."
- Albert Einstein