On Facebook, humans have Timeline, dogs – Dogline

Social Media

Canine social networking site Dogbook rolled out an all-new design this week, offering dog lovers a 300% larger profile picture, bigger news feed photos, a new My Life Story section, a Dog Years Calculator, a customizable My Favorites section, that are all part of the new Dogbook “Dogline” features. Also included in the update are a Happy Birthday Video feature, and a faster high-definition photo uploader.

We’ve thought of every possible way to make Dogbook as much as possible the place to make your dog’s life that much more special and memorable (…) We wanted a more robust user experience. Obviously all of our members are dog lovers, but it’s “their” Dogs they love first and foremost and the re-design reflects that; it makes recording and keeping track of their dogs’ lives that much easier and that much more fun.

Alexandre Roche

Dogbook co-creator

Five months in the making, the re-design is launching with a three month site takeover by automaker Subaru that integrates seamlessly into Dogbook’s new look and feel. The takeover, part of the brand’s long-running “Dog tested. Dog approved.” campaign, includes a branded email intro to the revamped site, two web videos and a free dog bandana give away.

 

This is how to do advertising on social networks. Don’t do ads, do involvers. Don’t be interruptive, do relevant creative. Subaru and Carmichael Lynch get this way better than most (…)  We can really embed advertisers into the user-experience from page to page to deliver the kind of results that are so often promised but rarely delivered upon.

Geoffrey Roche

The new layout has just launched but many Dogbook users have already embraced its added features. There’s even a user-generated Best New Cover Photo competition taking place between the apps’ fans.

Dogbook was created in 2007 by Lowe Roche Toronto founder Geoffrey Roche and his son, Alexandre Roche. The duo has since launched popular sister sites (also re-designed) Catbook, Horsebook and My Babybook. With the new design, members can create a beautiful 300% bigger Profile Picture, post photos of their best friends adventures, write their life story and create a list of their favorite treats, vacations, cars and even drives.

Members will now receive birthday alerts – in dog years of course – which brands can sponsor to get their message to 6,000 users daily. Later this year, Dogbook will roll out a Horoscopes feature and a Memories section for dogs that have passed away. Finally, the site will bump up the adoption section, giving members the option of becoming involved in charitable efforts. The geo-location “Dogs Around You” iPhone/mobile app will also get a re-launch to foster even more on-the-go Dogbook interaction.

The Dogbook Facebook application has 3.5 million users worldwide and has been featured on ABC World News, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and the BBC.

Credits:

Credits for the Happy Birthday video:
Client: Poolhouse

Product: Dogbook
Director/Editor: Tyler Williams, Eye of the Storm Pictures
Music: Ted Rosnick, RMW

Credits for the video that showcases the new features:
Client: Poolhouse

Product: Dogbook