Below are a collection of articles covering the news and event. SplashCast has the best summary of all the articles I've seen so far - they also have a live broadcast here. TechCrunch and Mashable also have solid summaries (see below). All these posts are worth reading in full. I'll comment later...
A Look at the Apps Facebook Is Letting In (Including Us!)
What is being announced?
Facebook is announcing the opening of what it’s calling The Platform - a system for 3rd party companies to program their services for use inside of Facebook user pages. As part of the announcement, about 30 preselected companies that have integrated with The Platform ahead of time are being showcased to demonstrate what kinds of things are being made possible. This goes beyond the ability to post media from outside into Facebook and it goes beyond the previous Facebook API (also called The Platform) - outside companies are now being allowed to deploy advanced functionality inside the Facebook site.
Who is involved?
There are about 70 companies that began development before the launch of the Platform. Here is the most recent official list we’ve seen:
Atomic Mobile, Attendio, Amazon, All Widgets llc, Box.net, Bunchball, Picnick, Chumby, Channels.com, Dogster, EF Tours, Ether, Fashion for the People, FeedBurner, Fliptrack, Forbes.com, Ford Models, Glimpse.com, Hot or Not, I Like, Jangl, Lending Club, Localplatform, Microsoft, Mog, Mosoto, Obama for America, Oodle, Pickspal, Platial, Plum, Project Agape, Prosper, Photobucket, Qoop, Radar, Rapleaf, Red Bull, RockYou, Rupture, Scrapblog, Scribd, Sidestep, Slide, Snapvine, Splashcast, Terralever, The Founders Fund, Twitter, Uber, U Playme, Veoh, Viagogo, Virgin Mobile USA, Warner Bros Records, Washington Post, Widgetbox, Yakpack.
Wasn’t there already a Facebook API?
Facebook released a read-only Aplication Programming Interface (API) on August 15th, 2006. This allowed software developers to access key information from inside Facebook for use in 3rd party applications outside the Facebook site. It was also called The Platform. Information about that API, including some examples of outside applications that have been built, can be found at http://developers.facebook.com/ More examples and information can be found at http://www.programmableweb.com/api/Facebook/mashups
This week’s announcement is fundamentally different because it’s about letting 3rd party developers build inside the Facebook site itself. Different companies have integrated in different ways and to different extents.
Will Facebook allow companies to monetize?
Some monetization in Facebook will be permitted, so long as it’s not done on the same pages where Microsoft ads are being run. More may be possible in the future. That is a remarkable differentiator compared to other, similar websites that maintain tight control over monetization in their ecosystems. This is one of the big unknowns in regards to Facebook opening up but there is every indication that this will be a real game changer. When companies can’t monetize their presence in larger ecosystems, then innovation becomes far less affordable. If Facebook does allow meaningful monetization to occur, they could serve as a lifeline to hundreds of small companies that will then take risks, develop innovative new products and change the face of the web.
What is Facebook’s status in the market?
Facebook is currently the the 18th most visited site on the web according to Alexa and traffic analysts Hitwise have this to say about their recent growth relative to sites that Hitwise believes are related: http://weblogs.hitwise.com/leeann-prescott/2007/05/facebook_visits_up_106_since_o.html
Will it open up to anyone?
Other companies interested in adding their functionality to the Facebook Platform for internal use will need to apply for acceptance.
What is SplashCast’s integration in Facebook?
The entire SplashCast content creation and aggregation proccess is now accesible inside user pages at Facebook. After building shows and channels, users can add that content to their profile pages or the blog-like “notes” section of their profile. SplashCast, like the other applications, will be accesible through an applications menu on a designated page in Facebook. Once an application is added through the application menu, it will continue to appear in the user’s sidebar where the photos and notes options are now.
Is this going to make Facebook profile pages cluttered like some other sites we all know?
Hopefully the simple beauty of Facebook will survive the inclusion of new functionality. This has been a big concern of many users, but there are a couple of things that may be reassuring. 1. Some media embedding has already been possible - YouTube videos, for example, have been welcome in Facebook for some time. 2. Auto-play will be blocked, so no annoying music starting automatically when you go to someone’s profile page. 3. The services being allowed into Facebook have been carefully selected. SplashCast’s “skinless player,” for example, is free from the flashy branding that clutters so many other media experiences elsewhere.
How were the initial companies chosen?
The companies included in today’s launch were hand picked by Dave Morin, who came over to Facebook from Apple to run this project.
How does Facebook’s openness to 3rd party features compare to other sites?
Most hosted sites that allow users to create profile pages disable embedded output from other sites for security and monetization purposes. Some allow a small number of “widgets” to be posted (this is the case at Bebo and Wordpress.com for example). Some others allow almost anything to be posted on profile pages but do not allow third party service providers to monetize their presence. No other services allow wholescale inclusion of third party admin consoles inside their users’ sites. The level of integration, the allowance of monetization and the number of services brought into Facebook make The Platform particularly remarkable.
What is SplashCast?
SplashCast (http://splashcastmedia.com) is a media publishing platform that lets users publish collections of many different media types (video, photos, PPT slides, RSS feeds and others) in one small media player on a page.
Additional information is available on the site so check out the full post.
Source: SplashCast: Channel Yourself Across the Web
Facebook Launches Facebook Platform; They are the Anti-MySpace
Facebook is giving an unprecedented amount of access to developers. The API would allow, for example, a third party to recreate Facebook Photos, the most used photo application on the web. Users could then remove the default Facebook Photos and install the third party version instead.
Applications can serve their own adds and/or conduct transactions with users. Ads can basically be shown anywhere that Microsoft ads are not currently shown.
There will be a special applications area on Facebook where users can browse and add third party apps. But there is also a crucial viral component - when a friend adds an application, it is noted in their news stream on their profile. Clicking on the item brings you to the app, where you can add and/or interact with it yourself.
Users will also be adding applications to their site, where others can click and add it to their own profile. The apps will essentially look like any other Facebook application.
The payoff is two way. Not only do developers get deep access to Facebook’s twenty million users, Facebook also becomes a rich platform for third party applications.
Facebook’s strategy is almost the polar opposite from MySpace. While MySpace frets over third party widgets, alternatively shutting them down or acquiring them, Facebook is now opening up its core functions to all outside developers.
Additional notes as the event transpired are available on the TechCrunch site so make sure to check out the full post for additional details.
Source: Facebook Launches Facebook Platform; They are the Anti-MySpace
Facebook Platform FAQ (added 4.20pm)
We’re getting questions about what the platform entails, and when you can start developing for it. Many of those are answered by the Facebook Platform FAQ, embedded below - zoom in to read the text. The application directory should soon be available at facebook.com/apps
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Facebook Platform FAQ (added 4.20pm)
We’re getting questions about what the platform entails, and when you can start developing for it. Many of those are answered by the Facebook Platform FAQ, embedded below - zoom in to read the text. The application directory should soon be available at facebook.com/apps
Mashable has some embedded Flash formats so best to also check out their coverage.
Source: Facebook F8 Live
very good site..................................................
Posted by: handwerkersoftware | June 18, 2007 at 03:38 AM