Taking the first steps to making revenue

As you know, Nimbuzz is a free application to download and to use and we want to keep it that way. However we need to find ways to make money so that we can still deliver the same quality product you got used to!

The first step in this direction was the launch of NimbuzOut, a great way of making really cheap international mobile calls.

Now we are also trying something else. With the new Symbian 2.3 we are experimenting with text ads. This is an additional revenue stream for us and we are aware that it needs to be executed well so it won’t bother your online experience.

For the moment the ads will be displayed on Symbian devices only and there will be text-only advertising so that we can understand how this can potentially help us make the app better and fund new features development.

As always your feedback is very valuable for us and we are looking forward to read you thoughts and recommendations in the comment section bellow.

It is an additional revenue stream for us, but we are aware that this needs to be executed well, and we need user feedback.

51 Responses to “Taking the first steps to making revenue”

How about offering two versions? One for free but with ads and one for a few bucks but without ads?

Philipp April 1st, 2010
Hi,
First I would like to congratulate all NimBuzz team for the great app! I use NimBuzz on Symbian in my N97 and have tons of compliments about it. The new feature on NimBuzz I have to admit is far from beeing the costume and annoing advertisings we find on web. Finaly I wan’t to apologize for my farely bad written english, since I’m brazillian and out of practice on english writting.

Once more, congratulations for the great work!

Regards,

Patrick Renssen

Patrick Renssen April 1st, 2010
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uberVU - social comments April 1st, 2010
HI I downloaded nimbuzz on my blackberry curve but I can;t make nimbuzz and skype calls?? is there a solution for this application that enables us to make calls from nimbuzz blackberry?? thanks

Mustafa Zayat April 1st, 2010
The ads are ok, i don’t mind them.

What I do mind is the lack of new features and the removal of current ones.

Msn VoIP calls were removed in latest symbian version. In contrast Fring, your direct competitor, even allows VoIP calls over GPRS while you allow them only over 3g.

I predict ppl will just stop using Nimbuzz when they notice the ads, because is just not worth it.

I still belive Nimbuzz is the better looking IM app and it provides more (less important) features than others (except for videocalls) but the most important features need a lot of work.

Btw… The twitter client was a great idea, but it still needs work, for instance…. How do i start to follow someone who just gave me his id? where can i type it to start following him?

David April 1st, 2010
I love Nimbuzz, I’ve recommended it almost to a 50 friends.
i have to say the last 2.3 for Symbian update is not quit good,me and my friends have a limited data plan and the new update is using it fast we did not even noticed!!!
so plz can you somthing about that? because here in Syria the data plan (limited or not)is very very expensive.

and thank you for all the go work.
i <3 Nimbuzz

Mohamad Arag April 1st, 2010
Personally, I will move over to Fring if that happens. Skype works on there as well and even have Video calling which has been promised by Nimbuzz for MONTHS. You will loose many users if you start introducing, rather ask for a once off payment to install the app like other companies, ads – NO WAY.

João Luis Costa April 1st, 2010
personally, i dislike the new text ads (like any advertisement); but these ones take space away from the actual chat area. with screen real estate already being pushed, i feel it’s distracting any would convince me to look into mobile chatting alternatives such as fring, etc.
i love nimbuzz, but i’ve got an older phone with a small screen (unlike the N97 in the picture above), and the text ad takes up almost a fifth of the screen!

michael April 1st, 2010
Hi, maybe 2 versions of Nimbuzz will be the answer;
one for free with ads and one for 2 – 5 €.
I thing people, who didn’t like ads are ready to pay a little charge for a ads free Nimbuzz pleasure..

Regards,

IKE YAZILIM

IKE YAZILIM April 2nd, 2010
@Mohamad Arag
We did not make changes on that, Please check with your network provider for more details.
@João Luis Costa
We haven’t promised Video calls, we are focusing on providing a better service before introducing new features like that.
Could you let us know what is so disturbing about the ads?
@michael
Could you let us know which device (brand and model) do you have?
By this way we can test it and see how big the ad appears on the screen.
Thanks!
@IKE YAZILIM
Thanks for your comment and suggestion.
We will considerate this as an option for the future!

queralt escrich April 2nd, 2010
@Philipp
Thanks for your suggestion, we will consider that option.
@Patrick Renssen
Thanks for your feedback, we are glad you enjoy using our app
@Mustafa Zayat
The BlackBerry version of Nimbuzz does not include the calling feature.
@David
Thanks for your feedback.
MSN calling are not available due to some changes in the MSN protocol itself; we are working in order to adapt our services to those changes, as soon as they are implemented the calls will work again.

queralt escrich April 2nd, 2010
I have Nokia 6630 and Nokia 6120,i use nimbuzz on both of them in making Voip calls,how ever recently when im chating the adverts come up and as u might know,the screens of both my phones are relativly small,the add takes about 35% of the screen itself,it makes the chating experience soo disturbing,and i want u to know that in egypt,the country im living in,they banned nimbuzz from bein accessed in 2 out of 3 mobile networks because of the Voip option,it will be kinda great if you contact the egyptian government offecials to come to an agreement about this,anyway,thanks alot for this wonderfull application,its my favourite

amr April 2nd, 2010
@Queralt:

Hi,
I have no problem to watch ads or pay 5€ per month if you give NICE XMPP client with good VoIP Calling compatible with gTalk, gMail plugin, empathy, psy or pidgin. (video dont mind)

But, right now, I cant talk to any linux xmpp client, nor gmail voice plugin with nimbuzz.

Moreover, you remove jabber, but, soon or later all services will go to XMPP. All gMail users + 400millons NEW users now use XMPP (facebook officially support xmpp)

Our wishes is to have an multiple Xmpp/Jabber/gTalk account client with compatible voIP Calling-.

NOTHING MORE. No propietary protocols. NO.

I will pay for that as I donated before to openoffice, thecorporation movie, playdeb.net, Keme project, wikipedia and many others projects.

If you continue dividing & conquer users over differents propietary networks, will be difficult to us to recommend you. I dont want nimbuzz to nimbuzz vodeoIp calling if I cant make voip call to any XMPP client.

Can you understand that ?

Some donations:
http://wikimediafoundation.org/w/index.php?title=Special:ContributionHistory/eo&offset=1260807603
http://www.playdeb.net/sponsors/ (5€ per month)

Sincerely,
Guillermo Lo Coco.

Guillermo Lo Coco April 2nd, 2010
I would say to nimbuzz team, thanx for being honest. Because that’s true, without funds a business cannot run. And the point of doing business is, of course, money. Money to make profit, and salary for those working as developers. Yet, lets face the reality,
Ebuddy has advertising message, same with Morange and do not forget that Mig33 does make money by advertising text and add on features. However, I wish nimbuzz earn enough funds to develop more advanced features and expand their business.

Anonymz03* - Kevin April 3rd, 2010
well new version is fast on 5800 but i hate adds :/ so annoying

gio_n_s April 4th, 2010
Nimbuzz is a great app. Thanks for the great job. I don’t know how it will appeal with ads. Especially on my nokia7210s. I know support is necessary but let think it over. Nice job!

Palala April 5th, 2010
ADD JABBER

UPDATE NIMBUZZ FOR BLACKBERRY

Carlos April 5th, 2010
I love this App mostly due to its crisp, clean, elegant, and ergonomic design. I fear any type of non-functional addition like Ads, will break this balance and ruin the experience. Screen space is just too limited, heck, I would even downsize the beautiful Nimbuzz logo! Personally I would pay for an Ad-free version but this would limit my ability to continue to market the App to friends and colleagues.

Euclides April 5th, 2010
I think nimbuzz should have a Splash gif image (advert) that pops up when logging on and on the contact list, a services area that sends a text advert when logging on. This low quality 5-10 kb image is downloaded whilst chatting without affecting the users chat experience. These other users seem to think that it costs nothing to run a chat client like Nimbuzz. I hope the best for Nimbuzz but please do not charge people to download it. I assure you, you will not stay ahead in the game.

Neelan Peters April 5th, 2010
@amr
Thanks for letting us know.
We will try to reproduce this issue and adapt the size of the messages to your screen.
@Guillermo Lo Coco
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
We will indeed take into account your idea when considering other options to obtain revenue.
@Anonymz03*
Thanks for your support
@Carlos
For technical reasons we no longer support XMPP/Jabber Gateways, but we are still focused on providing the best quality gateways.

We do not intend to re enable the Jabber Gateway.

Please feel free to contact us for any comments or questions via mail to support@nimbuzz.com
@Euclides
Thanks for your comment and feedback.
As you know we are improving our application which every release and we will try not to break the user-experience while we introduce other functionalities.
@Neelan Peters
Thanks for sharing your thoughts

queralt escrich April 6th, 2010
Hi!

I have been using Nimbuzz to be able connect to Skype on my mobile. I was quite satisfied with it until today when Nimbuzz updated and start showing an add on the bottom of my screen on my mobile. I must say it’s quite annoying, but I understand why you have it there as well. Of course as a customer I want the best for myself.
Nimbuzz is good, I like the user interface and simple menu layout, but I definitely don’t like that add!
On the other hand there is Skype’s own application and add-free. I don’t know how many are thinking same as me, but I started thinking of switching to Skype. Because I HATE adds! It’s like a small bug in my soup.

Hope you find a source soon, and remove that annoying add.

Thanks for your effort!

ark April 7th, 2010
@ark
Thanks for your comment and sharing your thoughts.
Kind Regards

queralt escrich April 7th, 2010
The new adds are EXTREMELY annoying, because theyre in the CHAT window. Why aren’t the adds in the main screeen (contact list) of nimbuzz ??! I’ll see the add once and move on to my chats. I don’t want to see the same add in every single chat window !!

Also, it really does take a lot of space in the chat area, 1/4th my chat area on a nokia E71 (used to be able to display 4 messages at once, now only 3). And for some reason, the cursor doesn’t show anymore ? There used to be a cursor in the typing area when it was highlighted, not anymore. Instead, the add highlights, and if I accidently click it, it goes ahead and loads a webpage which costs money btw !! And those cheap add webpages are full of images which use a lot of data !!

This really used to be my favourite app, I use it literaly 24/7. If you don’t find a fix for this add issue, you’ll force me to look for other apps. How about you guys try putting those adds on your website instead of the app !!

Amr April 9th, 2010
Okay, here’s is what I would like Nimbuzz to do about the adverts. If possible, a change in its location would be appreciated. For touch phones, it is near the text input field which is probably more often touched to type than the Chat bubble icon on the screen. Now, unless that was the whole idea, Nimbuzz would probably like to change it. Perhaps a vertical advert on the left side? Or even maybe a horizontal advert in between every 25 chat messages. Sorry to quote a competitor, but Fring puts in banner instead of a text advert (in the same place though), but it leaves the area once the window fills up with chat messages.
I definitely do not wish to move away from Nimbuzz! It is a fantastic application and totally uncomplicated. (unlike IM+ for instance)
I’m hopeful!

Nikhil April 9th, 2010
Oh, and why is gtalk not logging in? :-S

Nikhil April 9th, 2010
@Amr
We are working in order to re-size the ads to the screen size for some devices that have reported that are occupying a big space.
Thanks for your feedback
Regards

queralt escrich April 9th, 2010
I’d rather pay for a premium advertisement-free edition than have ads intrude on my already cramped chat window.

Ryan April 9th, 2010
@Nikhil
As mentioned previously we will re-size the ads so they fit better on some devices screens.
In regards if the gtalk issue, could you let us know if you get any error message when trying to register your account on Nimbuzz? Which one?
Since when are you experiencing this issue?
Are you able to login on Gtalk itself with the same credentials?
Let us know
@Ryan
thanks for your feedback, we will consider this option.
Cheers

queralt escrich April 9th, 2010
Dreams for next nimbuzz update version–

1– new feature rich twitter plugin with twitpic,better user interface(somewhat like gravity’s),option to delete a tweet.

2– video call support on nimbuzz
and other IM accounts.

3– user defined settings for twitter plugin refreshing.

4– evolution of nimbuzz as pro-
mobile social network with best features of facebook,twitter,orkut,etc..,available in app,web and mobile web.

5– themes for nimbuzz app without compromising on app’s snappyness.

6– if advertisements r shown,it should be done on separate space only for adds and not in chat sessions.it also can be eliminated from mobile app if enough revenues come from adds on web n mobile web networking sites.

7– improvement in allround user interface and smooth transitions between tabs n menus.

Thats all for now.

Piyush veere April 10th, 2010
Well actually some user are right:
Some users are right
My mobile screen is
:240×320
When the adds appears
Only 3chat text/messages can be displayed
The reason is the Adds and the Avatar picture.
In chatroom, you developers have introduce a new feature *Show Pictures* i think its great. You guy should do same with Group and Private Chat. So that it can save more space, atleast users will have options you know.
Personally i think the add should be displayed:
(a) At Logon Screen
(b) Nimbuzz should create another section for adds, like they did with Twitter Client
(c) When users enter room, it must be displayed on top similar like the topic is displayed
(d) As for private chat and group chat, it must be displayed within the first chat text send only.
(e)it can be displayed on top of menu screen only, before the profile picture or personal message. I hope you get an idea.
As for the Adds below the chat screen it will surely annoyed some users. Some will feel disturbed/irritated or even distracted. So you guys, better think.

Anonymz03* - Kevin April 10th, 2010
Amr pointed out another interesting point which is trully a concern

Anonymz03* - Kevin April 10th, 2010
Another idea, Nimbuzz should provide an account or an address or i don’t know something like that within the application, where users can easily make donations to nimbuzz team. Atleast another way of making money.

Anonymz03* - Kevin April 11th, 2010
@Piyush veere
Thanks for the list of suggestions.
We will forward it to our development team and they will research and consider which of this suggestions can be implemented.
Kind Regards
@Anonymz03* – Kevin
Thanks for your feedback.
We are currently aware of the issues with the screen size, and we are working in order to fix this in the upcoming releases.
In regards of where they should be displayed we will consider your suggestions and about the donate button, is also a nice possibility to think about.
Cheers!

queralt escrich April 12th, 2010
Thank you for the reply. For some reason, I could not log into Google. I deleted the account as last resort and re-created the same name, and now it works.
Oh, and I noticed a funny bug in Nimbuzz 2.2! In Settings > Notifications > New tweet, I went into the menu, saw options and selected back. Then went back into the New tweet menu, and the Vibration level option had gone! I repeated the same, and one option kept disappearing everytime! Until after all options disappeared, on going back into New tweet, and the application closed! Hehe. I don’t know if its been corrected in the new 2.3, but I’m amazed as to how different bugs creep in despite such great efforts.

Nikhil April 16th, 2010
@Nikhil
we recommend you to use the latest version available 2,3
Let us know if you still experience this issue after downloading the 2.3 version
Regards

queralt escrich April 19th, 2010
I use a nokia E71 (im actually writing this post on it), like many others have cited here, screen real estate is a major concern with phone apps, and efficient use of limited resources is a major consideration.

The in-chat ads seem to be a poor solution to revenue raising to me. They take up a large portion of my relatively small screen, and no decrease to the text size that is legible will change that.

Also annoying, the ad is highlighted when moving between scrolling through chat and typing a message, meaning the app is less efficient to use and accidental clicks are far too easy.

I like nimbuzz a lot, it is one of the most attractive and intuitive phone clients out there, but these ads are a major concern to me.

nate May 5th, 2010
hi, i’ve been using nimbuzz for approx. 1 year.. so far i’m soo happy with it.. now i’m using the latest version of nimbuzz on my Nokia E71.. the ad took about 1/6 screen.. could you make the ad text smaller? because it makes nimbuzz UI not as good as the previous version..

and one other thing, i live in Indonesia, and sometimes the ad says “Gairah muda di E71 anda!” (in english: “Teenage passion on your E71!”) or “mainkan hingga berkeringat! klik disini! (in english: “play it till you sweatin’! click here!). i dont know what exactly inside those ad, but i hope the sentence is not like that.. FYI, those words somewhat have negative connotation in Indonesia.

That’s all.. btw, keep up the good work guys! If you’re about to release the paid version of nimbuzz (ad-less, more feature), i’ll pay for it.. because this is the best IM client for my phone for now..

fakhreza May 5th, 2010
@nate
Thanks for your comment and feedback.
Our Team is exploring other possibilities to re-size the advertising on devices like yours, where it occupies too much space.
Kind Regards

queralt escrich May 6th, 2010
@fakhreza
Thanks for your comment and feedback.
We will have a look to the type of advertising which is displayed in your country so we can filter inadequate content.
Kind Regards

queralt escrich May 6th, 2010
On my N82 the adverts take up a lot of room (3 lines of chat only so you are removing 1/4 of the ‘useful’ space) and the crude font just badly jars with the otherwise clean visual design to the point I thought your update had been compromised by malware.

The placement next to the text input box also means that when typing and walking I’m frequently having to cancel unintentional clicks on the link. I can’t tell you how annoying this is.

I’ve just moved back to Nimbuzz due to your improvement in power regulation and the chat history. I think you have the best client but the ads are intrusive in my use and I’m likely to return to Fring soon.

Cha May 7th, 2010
@Cha
Thanks for your feedback.
We will try to implement a different position or re-size them in upcoming releases, so they do not annoy you while hatting.
Cheers

queralt escrich May 10th, 2010
I chose nimbuzz over ebuddy about a year ago because of its simplicity and ad free on the chat screen, as I only use it as an alternative for msn chat on mobile(which my service provider will charge if I use the office client). I have to say I’m really disappointed when I saw the text ad on the chat screen, as I also use E71, that leaves me no choice but to uninstall nimbuzz…..

I can understand that you have to find a way to increase revenue but ad makes a poor impression to your software, and I’m sure that are someone out there willing to pay for an ad-free version. And with all the above suggestions to apply ad without ruin user experience.

Looking forward to the next version, keep it up guys. Thanks for created nimbuzz in the first place.

P.S. When running on E71, nimbuzz eats battery life pretty fast.

Sean May 25th, 2010
@sean
We understand your concern regarding the advertisement.
We are planning to re-size it and improve the usability.
Regards

queralt escrich May 26th, 2010
It’s been almost 2 months since you’ve included ads – in this time, your users have made it very clear that they would be willing to pay for an ad-free version. It’s really not that hard to implement so I do not understand why it’s not available. Using Nimbuzz these days actually upsets me, I was a brand ambassador for you but your lack of customer focus is extremely disappointing. Your lack of foresight and planning with regards to the implementation of the ads is pathetic – obviously no usability testing and no plan to adjust it based on feedback. Get a new product manager because your current one is doing a terrible job

sachin May 28th, 2010
@sachin
Our team is considering other options to get revenue, we are studying your suggestions, and in case we will provide a payed version we will announce it.
Regards

queralt escrich May 31st, 2010
Just today I started getting text ads on my Nimbuzz app. I have a Nokia E72 and screen real estate as mentioned earlier by someone else is very precious. The ad takes up nearly 1/5th of the screen space. I might just move to another application with this continues. However, I dont mind paying an upfront charge for Nimbuzz like in the Ovi store. Only thing is it shouldnt be exorbitant. If you expect people to pay $50 for an app then it wont happen. Anywhere upto $10 is acceptable. But ads on QWERTY phones is a strict no no.

drumster June 3rd, 2010
@drumster
Thanks for your feedback, as mentioned previously we will consider your suggestions for upcoming releases.
Cheers

queralt escrich June 3rd, 2010
how can i make a clear call using nimbuzz to my nimbuzz friends that the very big problem for me because i use we use nimbuzz in our work in my cmpny nw.pls. Help us if there’s a filter for calling in nimbuzz pls. Inform my nimbuzz ID…THANKS TO NIMBUZZ even we have problem here.

vincent July 9th, 2010
@vincent
To make a call to your Im contacts you just have to select the contact you want to call and press the call button.
If you want to call to landline number or mobile phone number, you will need to purchase NimbuzzOut credits.
You can find more information about it here: http://www.nimbuzzout.com
Note not all versions of Nimbuzz support the calling feature.
Regards

queralt escrich July 9th, 2010
I hate ads, willing to buy non ad version.

ex-user July 23rd, 2010
@Ex-user
Thanks for your feedback, we will consider it.
Kind Regards

queralt escrich July 23rd, 2010

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