Today marks the one-year anniversary of the release of Facebook Platform. We figured it would be a fitting time to take a look at what the platform promised, what it’s delivered, and where it’s going in the future. The summary: Facebook Platform has been a victim of its own success, offering an unparalleled distribution platform that has appealed to both tens of thousands of legitimate developers as well as shoddy shotgun entrepreneurs looking to make a quick buck. Facebook has had its share of missteps, but no matter how much they improve the platform, it is only as strong as its apps (which at this point simply aren’t very good).
Facebook Platform launched on May 24, 2007 to widespread acclaim. It was heralded as the “Anti-MySpace”, which had until then been notoriously closed and unhelpful to many application developers. Suddenly we had a platform that offered unprecedented access to a social network’s API, enough so that 3rd party developers could potentially create apps that would rival Facebook’s home-brewed offerings.
Only four days after the platform’s launch, iLike (then the leading 3rd party app) had accumulated 400,000 users - nearly 5% of all Facebook users had it installed. Initial results were promising enough that a number of venture capital funds were established solely for Facebook apps.
But after a couple of months, the novelty began to wear off. The promised “revolutionary” applications were few and far between, and most of the available apps were really, really bad. Facebook users were also notoriously fickle, installing and discarding apps with abandon. To combat this, some developers chose to create an endless stream of mostly useless (but viral) applications that could be pumped out as quickly as users could get sick of them. The result? Spam. Lots of spam.
Facebook Platform had devolved into a cat-and-mouse game between developers and Facebook, as developers tried to maximize the number of users they could expose themselves to. Many of the most popular app makers, including RockYou and Slide, had resorted to so-called Black Hat tactics, exploiting loopholes to increase their exposure. Many users were constantly inundated with spammy application invites, some of which falsely promised personalized message left by friends.
By August, three months after the launch of the platform, Facebook started to respond to the abuses by changing the rules. Metrics listing the most popular apps began to measure actual use rather than raw install numbers (many popular applications were simply installed and forgotten about). Stricter limits were placed on the number of invites an application could send out. But Facebook didn’t take any steps to punish applications that had gained users through illegitimate means, effectively telling developers they were free to exploit the system if they could figure out how.
On the development side, Facebook Platform also presented a number of problems. Apps that went viral on Facebook often saw their usage rates rise exponentially in a very short amount of time, leading to slow responses and errors. Developers also had to deal with a constant competitive threat from the network itself - at any time Facebook could implement a new feature that could wipe them out of existence.
In September at TechCrunch40, CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced fbFund, a joint funding venture from Accel and Founders Fund that would earmark $10 Million for Facebook apps. The project got off to a rough start - Facebook rejected all applicants after deciding to change its application process (it had previously asked for a simple email request).
One of Facebook Platform’s problems had more to do with stupid users than the platform itself. Many people had friends that, for whatever reason, liked to litter their profiles with obnoxious and annoying apps that destroyed Facebook’s classic clean feel. Finally, in January 2008 Facebook relented and allowed users to hide apps from their friends’ profiles. This was an oft-requested feature, and one that should have been available since the platform’s launch.
Facebook continued to further tweak app restrictions. In February the site implemented blocking, which allowed users to prevent a specific app from every contacting them. It also added a “clear all” feature, that allowed users to clear their Notifications box of all invites.
Perhaps Facebook’s most unsettling move came during March Madness, when it introduced the “official” CBS Sportsline NCAA Basketball app. The app was given an unprecedented amount of publicity across the network, and its invite restrictions were far more lenient than normal. Other developers were understandably outraged, as Facebook demonstrated that the rules only applied to the little guys - pay enough, and you’ll get free reign. Facebook has shown little remorse for the debacle, with its Senior Platform Manager stating “I can’t say it won’t happen again.”
Outlook: Who knows. Facebook is planning to introduce a micro-payment system in the near future, which may finally give way to useful, monetizable apps that don’t rely on spamming invites. But the damage has been done, and some users may be too jaded to care about anything the platform has to offer in the future. What’s worse, we probably wont see an end to the junky apps any time soon - a number of venture firms have poured millions of dollars into companies that thrive on cranking these things out, and they’re going to want to see results.
But the important thing to remember is that Facebook Platform is, in the end, all about Facebook. It keeps your data locked up tight under the guise of privacy concerns. What users really want (or what they should want) is to control their own data, and make it known that they, not Facebook, own it. Facebook has taken a few first steps in letting some of that data out. Perhaps if users start to demand more, the trend will continue.
Photo credit: Dave Morin
Jason,
I think you will see an end to the “junky” apps. There are already a lot of useful applications built or being built that will never take off “virally” because they are not setup to abuse the viral channels.
As of today, you can check your Gmail, create social lists, setup SMS groups, word processing, and a lot more in Facebook.
With the upcoming launch of the new layout, I think you will be seeing more applications take on an actual social utility feel. How cool would it be to be able to have a social media player (ala iTunes) or a project management tool (ala Basecamp) in Facebook? I think these utilities are coming, and what’s driving them is the ability to tie your social graph directly to them.
Unless it has a lot to do with your network of friends, I can’t see how it adds anything to have a useful app inside facebook. It may be extemely useful, but it’d be just as useful outside facebook.
Great, and good enough.. leave some room for other players…
You just can’t open up and let 3d party developers through in all the junk they want without checking it out and creating editorial-lists.
Untill Facebook or iGoogle get that usefull aplications are designed to be usefull and actually need help in promotion as they are not designed to spam users there is no point for serious developers to jump on board. Right now it’s create junky apps quick and care about viral promotion; create the next one.
How about this, instead?
Today marks the one-year anniversary of the release of the Facebook platform, Facebook Platform.
Ha. Those guys are losers. I understand they want to control the fourth estate, Fourth Estate, but ‘Facebook Platform’ sounds a bit ridiculi, no?
Curious Article,
It will be a testing time for the facebook guys, now that they have the mainstream attention, they need to really take it from the provider game to the consumer game. They need to monetize and build a business that is self sufficient.
Look forward to seeing more articles in this style from the TC team, you have the ability
Good article.. facebook platform was a technical innovation of great acclaim, but little thought was put in to quality control.
They should have had developer enviroments in which people could opt in for and test out apps. ONCE those apps had gotten a seal of approval from the community/testers of facebook then they could be released upon the world.
I can’t agree more than what you’ve said.
Nice review through and through.
Well, I think this is greate honestly. Well done !!!!!!!
They’re just one year in - imagine Windows just one year after launch. I wouldn’t write them off just yet.
Jason, good write-up. I think your review of that year that was is pretty spot-on. I was in there myself from almost day 1 and I feel you’ve captured all the developments and changes during that one eventful year accurately.
I’ve made junk apps and I’ve seen junk apps and cheap copies thereof flourish. To me, Facebook apps is a repeat show of what we saw during the first years of the web as we know it.
Initially everyone copies what works and improves on it incrementally, but at the same time we’re bound to see disruptive new apps that wouldn’t have been possible on anything else but Facebook, and they’re the ones that may turn out to have long term appeal and may prove to be commercially viable in the long run.
All in all - just like at the beginning of the web, nobody knows yet where this is all going. We see simple concepts doing remarkably well, and we see them copied and repeated slightly improved 47 times within a week, so who’s going to take the cake?
Too early to tell only 12 months in, but once thing is certain. This sure is an exciting environment that once again reminds everyone of the golden rule of, “Adapt or die”.
Facebook, the internet largest gated community.
Congrats and best of luck for future!!!!:)
Caravan moves at the speed of the slowest camel. In order to become popular, application must be targeted at stupidest users.
We saw this on our own experience when running LiveBook - application which enables Facebook users to write a fiction story. Practice shows that participate in the original project was much less interesting than throw stones turd or send each other boring pictures.
@Dmitry, what, are you disenchanted with what the masses really want? You don’t say! Here, let me turd-poke you straight away. *poke plus turd*
@Mike Arrington: oh, seesmic comments are back. Cool! Did I miss a post about everything being all hunky-dory again? Mark P, time to raise rent immediately!
Rightly said. A perfect summary of what we saw happening with platform in the past one year. I am banking on the new “tabbed” feature that is going to come out, to un-clutter my profile and keep any app on a separate page. Facebook apps are a face of modern day spam.
Very interesting article !
Thanks a lot.
The non-technical view of a day to day user is this:
Facebook apps have enriched the Facebook experience. It’s nice to be able to tell your friends what you like, play fantasy basketball, and throw werewolves at each other. But ultimately these applications add no value to my life and worse yet they provide no lasting functionality. What is important to me as a Facebook app one day will likely be seen as a fad a week later. This is a company that needs to open up, devise a brilliant advertising scheme, or face a slow and painful demise.
The only way FB could hatch “brilliant advertising scheme” would be by intense data mining that would feel invasive, coupled with seamless integration of these commercial messages so as not to appear like advertisements. Not sure it is possible.
BTW, these “very interesting” type comments really suck.
very nice review. all of the now-most-popular apps took advantage of the spam loophole…any new apps are at a major disadvantage.
on another note - those facebook placards on the cake look like tombstones.
You neglected to mention our very own KPCBFBAF, the largest fund dedicated to those little Facebook applications: http://www.newsgroper.com/tom-.....d-kpcbfbaf
In my opinion , Facebook platform is a good idea with poor implementation.
I liked Facebook initially because it use to have clean interface , unlike Myspce cultured interface , which i hated so much.
Now?
It became so cultured to the extend that when visiting a friend profile it take me 10 minutes to figure out where his wall is.. that is assuming i didn’t click browser exit right away!.
Bring us ” clean Facebook” back!
@Frank
As it stands, I completely agree.
A professionally written and balanced article on techcrunch? Hey Arrington, you’d better fire this jerk! : )
Great article. I like the fact that it is a fairly objective view on a very complicated issue. Personally I think the reason that it didn’t work quite as planned is because of the way people used it, adding, on a whim, any application they thought looked even slightly interesting. One thing Facebook could have done to help prevent this is give users more details about an application/a full preview of the app, before they installed it.
I’m skeptical about the new Profiles system but perhaps it can reduce the clutter.
This article feels “fair and balanced” in the Fox News sense of the term. No mentions of the money some developers have made exclusively through Facebook. No mention of an entirely new way to spread software that has matured and spawned dozens of copycats in under a year. Not any graphs which show the ever-increasing app-creation rates. Not one quote from any happy developers actually involved with the process (they exist, though TC won’t tell you).
Who’s pulling TC’s strings?
1) most of the little junk apps will go where they belong - to the junk yard. VC’s are so funny. They often reject well thought out realistic business models (making ‘only’ millions instead of billions’) for the next frenzy. Here is one of the conversations that I am overhearing in my inner ear: Junk App Dev Team: ‘oh we got 100.000 users throwing pics of dead chicken at each other - this is going to be the next revolution….’ VC: ‘oh my got we’ve got to load them with capital before someone else does…’ FaceBook a week later: ’sorry VC the chicken thing only happened in the first week - then our users started to understand that the chicken are totally dead and that it’s actually just sick pics of dead chicken, so they got grossed out and lost interest…’
2) ‘The damage is done….’. Spot on! Lot’s of people I know are done with it an don’t want to be bothered by the chaos of the app platform approach. This definitely opens the door for the next ‘facebook’, no matter how big the network effect already is.
3) If facebook would understand the business they’re in at this stage they’d get to the concept of turning FB into the backbone of social interaction. By opening up and offering a really useful API, they’d become the central identity management system for thousands of useful apps. They should remember that their core audience won’t stay 19 forever. At some point they’ll have to start working and get things accomplished. Any solutions around that should be the real FB business model (i.e. give people a chance to utilize their social network to launch their career or start their business… there’s so much to do that makes sense)
The form of protectionism they display right now will make them more vulnerable then anything else. Of course they’ll have to watch google to not eat their lunch but that’s what they have all those millions in funding and big brother MS for….
It’s about time for them to look into the long term goals instead of trying to create next weeks new hype machine.
Peter
do you follow me @ http://twitter.com/peterurban
I liked this post. You could have also said:
”
Facebook Platform, One Year Later:
Well, that sucked.
Photo credit: Dave Morin
”
That pretty much sums it up for me as a developer.
I can’t believe you didn’t ink to this report: http://20bits.com/2008/05/06/t.....-platform/
It provides a detailed quantitative analysis of the developer forums and the platform, showing that developers are less committed to the platform today and that it’s much harder to succeed now than it was even two months ago.
I think one of the best examples of how applications fail is “Feedheads”, application that allows you to insert your Google Reader shares into your newsfeed. It is very nice and enough for the task; but it failed to get enough userbase.
But half a year later Facebook announces that they will allow people to feed their Google Reader shares into newsfeed using new native features - and everyone (Techcrunch editors included) rejoices, like if it was not possible before.
So, to sum up: native features will always win over 3rd-party apps. Just because they have better leverage and easier way to the user.
#8 You are right Sam. And I can´t understand how they couldn´t see such predictible response from developers and users.
Facebook got away with using the fbFund announcement for PR, but not putting their money where their mouth is.
They interviewed dozens of companies but never backed any of them. Surely there was one good app in the mix. What gives? How’d they get away with a year of that?
Pure marketing ploy.
The platform itself, however, was a super strong move in web development. No question.
I smell another bubble in the horizon
Kiki
http://www.StartupBuzz.com
“What users really want (or what they should want) is to control their own data”
What a user “should” is an individual right, and no advice from a blogger seems to be necessary. We don’t mind keeping our data in people we trust! Once let out data can not be recovered back, but data can be liberated anytime.
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