Adobe gets Flash with social networks

Flash platform services extend options for developers

Adobe has extended its Flash platform with tools to let developers add social and collaborative capabilities to applications, exploiting viral methods to distribute applications by allowing users of social network sites to easily share them with others.

Announced at the IAB MIXX Conference and Expo, Adobe Flash Platform Services for Distribution are online services designed to provide a cost-efficient deployment model, and which can also generate revenue for developers by hosting adverts for other applications, Adobe said.

"The new services from Adobe allow Flash Platform developers, advertisers, game makers and other content publishers to connect with an even larger audience more effectively, and grow revenue opportunities," said Adobe general manager and vice president David Wadhwani.

Adobe said that advertisers and publishers are looking for more effective methods to reach audiences via social media, but it can be difficult to get users to install applications, and mobile distribution strategy consists of little more than posting applications to an app store.

With the new Flash Platform Services, users can instantly add an application to their own page or account on more than 70 social network services, including Facebook, MySpace and iGoogle, according to Adobe.

Web applications can be distributed to multiple mobile platforms, including Apple's iPhone, Symbian handsets with the S60 user interface, and Windows Mobile devices.

Users wishing to install a sharable application on their mobile follow an SMS text message link to the application, and the Distribution service detects their device and delivers the correct version of the application.

Developers can measure distribution and customer usage through a Distribution Manager application, Adobe said, which provides both traditional and social media analytics.

The Flash Platform Services are managed, hosted and maintained by Adobe and partners, with enhanced capabilities available on a pay-per-use basis.