When we launched MyBlackBerry™, my friends at Inside BlackBerry asked me, “What’s in store for MyBlackBerry in the future”? My response was that “our intention is to start small and then work with the community to build what they want in a true web 2.0 fashion. It’s onward and upward from here.” For the past six months, this is exactly what we’ve been doing.

We took all of the feedback from the “MyBlackBerry Feature Request” thread, suggestions from some of the other smaller threads that members had started, and a wish list that I had tucked into my drawer, and then we started phase 2 of MyBlackBerry.

There was a lot to consider, and we needed to make sure that we remained true to our promise: that the site is connected to our other communities in Facebook®, MySpace®, and iGoogle™ (with more community connections to come in the future) and that it’s a place about YOU and YOUR BlackBerry® smartphone. Click the link below to read about some of the requests and how we addressed them.

More Countries!

We heard this request loud and clear, and MyBlackBerry is opening up to the world. Currently MyBlackBerry is still English only, but the registration form has opened up. We will continue to notify the community as more languages and carriers are added.

Device-specific areas

A pretty self-explanatory request that we addressed in two ways:

1) Quick links for your specific BlackBerry smartphone along the right-hand nav (including a link to check for BlackBerry® Device Software upgrades);

2) Ability to add your BlackBerry smartphone to “My Topics”. In one click you can see all of the recent discussions related to your smartphone.

Marking Posts as Faves

The request here was to make the more vibrant discussions (“Post your BBM 5.0 Barcode”, for example) really easy to find every time you visit the site. All you need to do is click “Follow Topic” in any discussion and it will be one click away each time you visit. Plus, this is how the site becomes unique to you.

Make the site easier to use

There were a bunch of small tweaks that needed to be made so that people could easily navigate their way through the site. One of the biggest improvements here is staying in the discussion window when you are replying; the previous version of MyBlackBerry took you to a whole new window, so replying to messages is now much more efficient!

And we’re not even done yet! Here are some other things we’re working on:

• An app/mobile friendly version (yes, it is coming)
• Ability to display your BlackBerry smartphone PIN in your profile
• Badges for our super friends who make the site spectacular
• Easier ways to make friends

I also want to give a big shout-out to James from the MyBlackBerry community – his dedication to helping us make the site better is truly phenomenal. (Just search for his name in the site, and you will see the lists of suggestions he posted.) Thanks, James!

Hope to see you there! And as always, feedback is welcome.

Facebook is a trademark of Facebook, Inc. iGoogle is a trademark of Google Inc. MySpace is a trademark of News Corporation.

It’s time once again for more BlackBerry App World™ goodness! My goal today is to answer a variety of BlackBerry App World-related questions submitted by you, the readers, as well as a few gleaned from the MyBlackBerry community. In future posts we’ll walk through BlackBerry App World and BlackBerry App World web store features to maximize your app searching experience. Let’s get started!

Note: Comment error has now been fixed on this post. Get commenting! We’d love to hear your feedback.

Help! BlackBerry App World does (insert issue here) when I (insert action here). I have a (insert BlackBerry smartphone here).

While I’ll be answering a few questions of this nature today, I wanted to take the time to promote our Inside BlackBerry sister blog, Community Post. Community Post is the dedicated support blog of Research In Motion (RIM), and the go-to destination for your BlackBerry smartphone-related issues. Check it out! They’re very helpful and did not bribe me with lunch to say that.

How do apps get in the Top 25?

The “Top 25″ is based on downloads in a twenty four hour period. We’re always looking for new ways to improve the user rating system to help make sure that great applications get the recognition (and downloads) they deserve. Speaking of the “Top 25″…

Why is BlackBerry App World in the Top 25 Free Apps?

“BlackBerry App World” is actually a listed application in BlackBerry App World – that’s how we can send you a notification when there’s a new version of BlackBerry App World available. Because a large percentage of users consistently download BlackBerry App World updates, the app often places quite high in the “Top 25″.

Based on user feedback, BlackBerry App World will be blocked from appearing in the “Top 25″ in an upcoming release.

Help! I switched BlackBerry smartphones and now I have no apps.

Yes you do, you just need to log in!  Launch BlackBerry App World and go to “My World”.  Within the menu, select “Log In” and enter the PayPal credentials (email and password) you used to buy your apps.

BlackBerry App World will quickly verify your account and then you’ll see the apps you previously purchased.  You can then download and install them and be back to using great applications on your BlackBerry smartphone!

Every time I upgrade, I have to read through the EULA and it is LONG. I’m talking Homer’s “Odyssey” long.

Yes, it is long – but selling applications is a complicated business and the End-User License Agreement (EULA) contains important information for you to read. For anyone who says “hey, no one ever reads the EULA” – cast your eyes on this tweet:

People do read the EULAs and they tweet about it. Coolness!

“What does everyone think about BlackBerry App World? I know there are still some flaws with it, but I really think that RIM is moving in the right direction, but they really need to bring the amount of memory it requires down……it’s obnoxious!” From MyBlackBerry

We’re always working on making our apps better and we’re definitely working on making BlackBerry App World smaller and faster.  Stay tuned to Inside BlackBerry for future announcements!

Anyone looking to free up memory on their BlackBerry smartphone can read my previous post regarding archiving apps using BlackBerry App World. Archiving: all the cool kids are doing it!

“Has anyone seen the BlackBerry App World standee from the 3rd floor?” Various RIM interns.

Yes. Yes, I have.

“So my phone has the little icon/alert at the top that says I have three new updates in my BlackBerry App World application, but I already did the updates this morning. When I go into the application there are no new updates, but the alert/icon won’t go away! I’ve restarted my phone by removing the battery. Please help!” From MyBlackBerry

We identified a problem with BlackBerry App World notifications and it has been fixed and available today in BlackBerry App World 1.1.0.20

Please post a comment below with more BlackBerry App World related questions or your favorite BlackBerry application!

So after much hubbub, MyBlackBerry™ has launched and is feeling the love from the BlackBerry® smartphone community. Now that we’ve fully jumped into the Internet’s social waters, I thought it would be a good idea to take a look back at how MyBlackBerry got started and where it’s going. There’s no better person to ask than MyBlackBerry’s Community Manager (and my boss), Becky Young.

Who are you and what do you do?
I am part of RIM’s social media team, that works on everything from the Inside BlackBerry blogs to the Facebook fan pages, and of course MyBlackBerry.  Our daily lives are full of listening – a lot of listening! And then we try to take what we learn from listening and incorporate that into the building of our social programs.

For MyBlackBerry I am the project lead, supported by Rodney on the technical side and Rob on the marketing side, and of course quite a few other RIM employees who help us keep the site together (app teams, accessories teams, support services, IT…the list is HUGE!). My main role is to make sure we stay true to what people using social sites expect.  It was quite a shift in thinking from “how do we design a site to tell people about BlackBerry smartphones” to “how do we design a site to help BlackBerry smartphone users talk to other BlackBerry smartphone users.”

What was the genesis for MyBlackBerry?
It has really evolved from where it began. The catalyst was mostly seeing web 2.0 and using web 2.0 tools in our everyday lives outside of RIM. With MyBlackBerry we wanted to do two things: create a place that is all about YOU and YOUR BlackBerry smartphone (not everyman’s BlackBerry smartphone – but yours) and connect this place to the largest BlackBerry smartphone community in the world.

The largest BlackBerry community in the world?
Well, when we started this project there was this dark cloud looming over our heads that said “but why will people join? They belong to enough communities already.” Not only that, but we have a vibrant user community spread across other social sites, so why would we go and create yet another place for BlackBerry smartphone fans? Our solution was to tear down the walls and bring all of our communities together. For people happy being a fan of our Facebook page, that’s fine. They can still be plugged in to the community discussion, and that’s what makes the community powerful. It brings people together from all over. 

Were you surprised by the overwhelming interest in MyBlackBerry when it was first revealed? What do you think triggered that?
I was delightfully surprised by the interest. When the initial story came out in July that there was a site called MyBlackBerry, I think much of the interest came from the fact that no one really knew what it was, and only a handful of people had invite codes. Speculation of what it really was I think really contributed to the interest. We’re really looking to use that interest to drive the development of the MyBlackBerry community forward.

What kind of BlackBerry smartphone user is going to participate in the MyBlackBerry community?
When we were developing the site we knew it had to be open to non-BlackBerry smartphone users too, because all people use social sites differently. Some people just like to read or watch other people’s contributions, and we didn’t want them to miss out because they weren’t really the type to sign up for social sites. In terms of features, the people we developed the site for are the very active social media users: people who love to share their opinions, show off the special tricks they use on their BlackBerry smartphone, and spread the word about a new application they’ve downloaded.

Will we ever see BlackBerry smartphone rumors on MyBlackBerry?
MyBlackBerry isn’t trying to be like the other BlackBerry smartphone websites on the Internet – you know which ones I’m talking about. MyBlackBerry is about connecting BlackBerry smartphone users.

Explain the decision for the three main discussion areas (Applications, Tips and Tricks, Accessories).
We listened. And listening told us that BlackBerry smartphone users seem to like discussing applications, personalization (accessories for now, but we’ll be making some additions in the near future) and simple tricks. Being added to BlackBerry Messenger contacts also seems like a biggie, but there isn’t much you can discuss around that.

Even though it has just launched to the public, what is your favorite part of MyBlackBerry so far?
The discussion thread called “Introduce Yourself.” I love it! I love that the community came up with this.

When will we see MyBlackBerry launch outside of North America?
There is a lot involved with launching the site to other countries, especially when we have to consider all of the different languages to support. But we will be expanding, so stay tuned.

What’s in store for MyBlackBerry in the future?
This is only the beginning. The greatest thing about a community is that you can have a wish list of features but wonder if they’re the right ones. And then the community starts a thread called “Feature Requests” and you go “Oh, hey, look, I knew we were on the right track!” And like I said at the beginning, we’re listening. Some people were expecting more initially from MyBlackBerry, and that’s ok, because our intention was to start small and then work with the community to build what they want in a true web 2.0 fashion. It’s onward and upward from here.

Will you be my MyBlackBerry friend?
Of course!

Come in. Become a member. Discover the answer to what other BlackBerry® smartphone users are asking: what is MyBlackBerry?

MyBlackBerry is the official online community for fans of BlackBerry smartphones. It is a place where BlackBerry smartphone users can connect with one another, to learn more about devices, rate and review the things they love, and discuss topics that interest them.

You can also check out the MyBlackBerry conversation on Facebook®, MySpace© and iGoogle.

Go on, what are you waiting for?  Join MyBlackBerry today and discover what you can learn and share with other BlackBerry smartphone users.