Facebook Mixx Maker (V2.0) Q&A with Jeremy Lim (Project Opus, Donat Group)

Welcome to the Facebook Demo Q&A Series. Today let’s welcome back Jeremy Lim (Project Opus, Donat Group) updating us on what’s new in Mixx Maker, what lessons Team Mixx Maker has learned on Facebook, insight on sharing music online, and more.

Mixx Maker and MixxMaker.com are both running on the same Drupal install, so they share the same database. Because of that, they both share a mutual blog and forum. Plus, we can also aggregate all Mixxs for display on MixxMaker.com.

Not reinventing the wheel can be a good thing. Mixtapes worked, so Mixx Maker works. The concept of contextual music is tried and true, and people don’t have to relearn the idea – they just know. Personality pieces are also good. A Mixx’s theme and the music tied to it speaks volumes of a person, which does cater to the ego.

Facebook Mixx Demo Q & A with Jeremy Lim (Project Opus)

Q: Can you tell us a little bit about your Facebook app Mixx?

Jeremy Lim: Mixx is a social music application built in Drupal. Discover music by asking your friends to create collections of songs around themes you choose. Ranging from “Music that I can dance to when no one’s around”, all the way to “Music that I can use in the bedroom”, Mixx lets you get the music you want with the help of your friends.

Q: What’s the Facebook advantage? How is your Facebook app different from a plain old web application/widget? How does it tap into the social network?

Jeremy Lim: For Mixx, Facebook offers three advantages over traditional web:

1. An established user base and social network
2. A number of viral tools
3. An easy way for users to adopt a product.

A traditional application would be open to anyone, but Facebook allows us to create an intimate experience amongst a user’s circle of friends.

Q: Inside Mixx: What languages (PHP, Java, Ruby, etcterea), libraries and framworks have you used to develop your Facebook app?

Jeremy Lim: Mixx is based on PHP, Drupal, and mod_perl.

Q: Any tips and tricks or advice you can share on developing, designing or marketing Facebook apps?

Jeremy Lim: From a marketing standpoint, making a positive impact from the outset is crucial. When messaging, it’s important to establish what your benefits are and how those benefits can be obtained.

While there are a number of viral techniques out there ( e.g. forced inviting, or incentives for invitations), my best experience with applications have been the ones that are clear, concise, useful, and deliver on what they’re supposed to do.

Thanks Jeremy Lim (Project Opus) for your time.
Interested in more? Join us at Vancouver’s first Facebook Developer Garage.