What Pinball Can Teach Us About Web Strategy



I used to play the silver ball. From Soho down to Brighton I must have played them all. Well, actually I've only played pinball a handful of times but this post gave me a chance to riff lyrics from The Who, so I couldn't resist being dramatic. I do love a pinball machine, however. They're tactile and responsive; You feel part of the machine. The ball is unpredictable but if you hit the right places it increases momentum, Pinball Spot Lights and triggers additional events, more balls, more bang and more feedback. This got me thinking that pinball is a bit analogous to website strategy and social media integration.

Pinball games are like website ecosystems - Think of the silver ball as a website visitor who is traveling around the interweb. They may have a destination or objective in mind but how do they get there and how many touch points will earn points? What touch points will keep them coming back and how can they all be tied together to really light things up? An effective web strategy that integrates social media is much like a well designed and well played pinball game. Think of the bumpers and discs in a pinball game as your social media spaces (Facebook, Twitter, Flickr) and your website as the paddles (This is the ultimate destination of the silver ball). The point of a well played pinball game is to get as many bounces and touch points of the silver ball with the various bumpers and discs, which in turn bounce the ball back to the paddles. The more interaction between these components and points earned will often trigger another ball to join. Now things get really interesting. With increased ball activity there is increased opportunity for earning even more points and possibly landing in that secret spot or hitting a ramp that lights up the board with mega points. Think of the secret spot as search engine rankings. They basically rank websites based on their popularity and relevance, so the more visitors you have bouncing around your web properties and attracting other visitors, the better chance you have of making an impression with search engines. The trick, of course, is not letting the ball slip by your paddles. You want to keep the ball in play as much as possible and hitting the bumpers that earn the most points.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Guide To Pinball Machine Elements

You may have played hours of pinball without really knowing what makes a pinball machine tick. In this guide, we take a closer look at the different elements of a pinball machine. The design of the pinball machine has seen much change over the years, yet the backbone of this wonderful game is fairly straight-forward Pinball Hinges and has remained largely unchanged. Introduced as early as the 19th century, the plunger was the first element of pinball machines that still stands to this day. In essence a rod loaded with a spring, it launches the ball into the playfield. Some modern machines have an electronic substitute for the plunger, which launch the ball using a solenoid. This means, however, that "skill shots" can no longer be performed. The 'playfield' is the area where the ball interacts with the various targets and objects. It is inclined so that the ball can make its way down towards the user, where the user then has to use the flippers to avoid losing the bal...
Read more

Getting Together a Pinball Collection

From your youth you can still hear the bells ringing, see the lights flashing and remember the excitement of achieving the high score on the pinball machines at the arcade. So, you have decided to invest your time and money in having your own home collection to relive those thrills. This is a noble ambition. You will reap many rewards, but, you will also encounter some obstacles. If you are prepared for these, you will be much happier in your pursuit. You must consider where you will put a collection, or even one, of these monster fun machines. Commercial sites that have pinball machines are usually well-equipped to accommadate their size, which can be quite large. Homes usually are not. A living room can be used, but for something that so clearly speaks fun, it does not seem practical. If you are fortunate to have a true game room, well, where better for such a machine. More often than not, they are religated to a basement or to a garage. Just be certain that you are able to free up e...
Read more

Starting a Pinball Game Collection

If your idea of fun is to play pinball on a weekend night with your friends, you've probably thought that it would be fun to have one in your own home. Imagine having one or several of these light-up machines ready for you to play whenever you want to! Your place could become the gathering place for friends and family. However, it's important that you put some thought into this big purchase. It could be the start of a collection, but it's not the kind of thing you go into on a whim. One big consideration is that before you really shop seriously, think about whether you have enough space. If you have an empty basement or game room, you're set. But if you have to make room for it in one of your already-occupied rooms, you may be surprised at how much space it takes up! A garage is also an option. If your car or cars doesn't take up the whole space, and if you don't use your garage as a storage shed, this makes perfect sense. So clean up any area you're thinkin...
Read more