Web 2.0 31 Jul 2007 03:48 am
Facebook as a platform
Facebook goes from strength to strength, both in usefulness (in comparison to myspace especially) and in raw user numbers. But with the advent of f8 a few months back, Facebook is now showing it can be a home for a raft of new applications.
Like desktop operating systems did before it, Facebook is offering an operating environment that users find simple, safe and highly functional. I have easy sign-on, recommendations from friends, virus free and lots of social structure. It’s just that much easier… for the right application.
Unfortunately, that’s the kicker. Not all apps work. I don’t think we’ll be playing WOW inside facebook anytime soon. You can iframe apps, but you still have to exist within Facebook’s UI. So…
- Is Facebook an example of the ‘next’ platform for applications?
- Is Facebook going to get it right, or are they the precursor to something that does?
- Is Facebook’s API access to social data ultimately what becomes the platform?
- Is social meta-data the killer convenience of the next applications platform, or is there something else? (The rise of the lifestream perhaps?)
Let’s talk about it! Join the Tangler discussion.
[Thanks to BeFitt for the snazzy pic]