User backlash against Facebook applications
June 21st, 2007 by Wendy McAuliffe
A storm is brewing in the blogosphere today over the number of new applications - both commercial and user-generated - being touted on online community Facebook.
The Facebook application platform is open to all developers, and so as you’d expect, a mixture of good and not so good applications are springing up.
The fight back surprises me, as it is a complete u-turn on the open source debate that has typically been a part of social networks and communities such as Facebook and MySpace. The trend in opening-up application platforms to developers can only help to speed-up the progress of Web 2.0 as we know it. Why else would Apple be opening-up it’s iPhone platform to outside developers?
I have been impressed with the creativity in commercial Facebook applications in particular. I would far rather have the option to install a Tripadvisor ‘where I’ve travelled’ interactive map on my profile for example, than have my page bombarded with banner advertising.
While the industry continues to debate the to advertise/not to advertise issue in relation to social networks, surely the way forward is to investigate the creative alternatives more deeply.
Is Facebook a flash in the pan? Well we’ll have to wait and see. But the opportunities now for it to lead the online advertising industry in monetising online communities are endless. It will be interesting to see how this argument develops.
