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Developer Spotlight: Kobo

May 3, 2012ByBryant Lee

Kobo is an eReading device and mobile app where people can read, discover and share over 2.5 million books, newspapers and magazines.


Kobo Touch

Kobo iPad

Kobo iPhone


What Kobo Does Well

Kobo uses single sign on to simplify the registration process, avoiding the need for people to create new usernames and passwords.
Kobo educates people on the benefits of logging in with Facebook and shows screens shots of the sharing experience.   
Kobo defined Open Graph actions for some of the most conversational aspects of reading a book – such as beginning and finishing a book – to encourage sharing and stimulate discussions with friends.
Kobo provides detailed controls for people to manage what stories are shared to Facebook.


Implementation Profile

Actions - Objects
  • Start reading – Book:
    "Jackie Chang started reading a book"
  • Finish reading – Book:
    "Bryant Lee finished reading a book"
  • Write a note – Book:
    "Jennifer Taylor wrote a note in a book"
  • Highlight a passage – Book:
    "Douglas Purdy highlighted a passage in a book"
  • Add – Book:
    "David Swain added a book"
Aggregations
  • Started Reading
  • Time Spent Reading
  • Notes
  • Finished Reading
  • Earned Awards

Result
Since launching with Open Graph in January, Kobo has seen traffic from Facebook grow by more than 50% and daily registrations increase by more than 90%.


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