What makes you want to play Angry Birds over and over?

Posted on June 2, 2011 by askmanny

I had avoided the Angry Birds game until two very good friends of mine told me: “Just play it! You will see…”

So I did. To give you an idea of how hooked I got, I will admit to being stuck on one level (Level 3-5, in case you’re curious) for half of the flight back from Boston a couple of months ago.

A few weeks ago, I was chatting with my son (who also loves the game in all of its variations) about what makes Angry Birds so special. We jointly came to these two conclusions:

Simplicity: the premise of the game is SUPER-simple. You don’t have to think to play it. You don’t really even have to do much but play it… By the time you start Googling how to proceed within the game (am I the only one that has done it?) it’s simply because the game gets progressively more complex, but the basic principles are the same: you got a bunch of (angry) birds to help you get rid of a bunch of pigs by knocking down the hideout they are in.
Strategy: you can’t play all levels of the game the same way, much like you can’t apply a one-size-fits-all tactic to all situations in life. You have to assess your resources (birds) vs. the goal you’re faced with (the # of pigs and how they are spread out through their hideout). Then you have to plan: not as in “Project Plan” but as in “OK, here’s what I am going to try this time around!” If your plan doesn’t work, you go back to the drawing board and try another plan.

Today, I ran into an amazing post titled “Why Angry Birds Gets More Play Than Health Apps” and the whole conversation with my son about Angry Birds came back. This time, it made me think about health applications… and I realized that the reality about making a user go back and want to keep on using a health application (0r web site) is not so distant from the reasons that make Angry Birds so addictive. This phrases sums up the concept:

If we are going to use a new website or device or program, we want it to be easy. We want it to save time, not take time.

How cool is that? Being addicted to doing healthy things, huh? What is your experience with health applications that work or don’t work? What makes them tick?

Our diabetes networks go mobile!

Posted on May 27, 2011 by askmanny

Last month, we announced the launch of the EsTuDiabetes mobile application for iPhone and Android:

(Download it for free at: http://road.ie/estudiabetes)

Today we’re announcing the launch of our TuDiabetes Mobile application for iPhone and Android:

(Download it for free at: http://road.ie/tudiabetes)

And next month we will be launching the HealthSeeker mobile apps for iPhone and Android…

We’re very excited about being able to give “legs” to our networks, so that they can be taken on the road by all the people who can benefit from them!

Diabetes Hands Foundation Wins 2 Telly Awards for Big Blue Test video!

Posted on May 24, 2011 by askmanny

Diabetes Hands Foundation (DHF) announced today that it is the recipient of two Telly Awards for the diabetes awareness video Big Blue Test (BigBlueTest.org).

“We are proud and thrilled that our grassroots online video effort to raise awareness of diabetes has earned this recognition,” said Manny Hernandez, President of the Diabetes Hands Foundation (DHF) and founder of TuDiabetes.org, a social network of people touched by diabetes.

DHF received one 2011 Silver Telly Award, the competition’s highest honor, for Online Programs in the Social Issues category for the Big Blue Test video. The organization was also awarded one bronze prize for the Health and Wellness category.

The 2010 Big Blue Test video was produced by DHF in collaboration with David Edelman of Diabetes Daily (http://diabetesdaily.com) and Riva Greenberg of Diabetes Stories (http://diabetesstories.com). The video was directed and edited by Sean Ross (http://ethosphane.com). Roche Diabetes Care helped fund the initiative.

The video promoted the 2010 Big Blue Test, an awareness campaign to encourage exercise for those with diabetes. In conjunction with World Diabetes Day on November 14, DHF invited people with diabetes to test their blood sugar, do 14 minutes of activity, test again and share the results. The video was translated into Spanish, Portuguese, French and German, expanding the number of people who could watch it, understand the message and share it. Diabetes continues to be poorly understood by the general population. The Big Blue Test video helped increase public awareness and engaged viewers in a positive learning experience.

The video, which is less than 2 minutes long, features children and adults who have diabetes skating, running, swimming, dancing and cycling. “The Big Blue Test and the video message resonated with people,” said Riva Greenberg, writer and collaborator on the content development of the winning production. “We aimed to make people aware of the importance of activity in managing diabetes, and help children in need of everyday supplies to live.”

Roche Diabetes Care committed to make a donation of 75 cents, up to $75,000, to diabetes-related charities for every viewing of the Big Blue Test video. The video went viral and was viewed over 130,000 times.

The 32nd Annual Telly Awards competition received over 13,000 entries from all 50 states and numerous countries. Founded in 1978, the Telly Awards is the premier award honoring outstanding local, regional, and cable TV commercials and programs, the finest video and film productions, and web commercials, videos and films. Winners represent the best work of the most respected advertising agencies, production companies, television stations, cable operators, and corporate video departments in the world.