Next Wednesday is Facebook’s F8 developer conference, and speculation is swirling about what Facebok might announce at the event. Last year, CEO Mark Zuckerberg kicked off the Facebook Platform for Web app developers, which is now its own mini-industry. So what will Facebook announce this year? We’ve suggested that Facebook might take the opportunity to expand its open source offering, new profile product, or launch Facebook Connect. My vote is for a payments system (confirmed in March) so that developers can actually make money.
But those are all known projects, more or less. What could Facebook do to really make a splash, and get some of the attention back that has been flowing to the iPhone and elsewhere?
In a Twitter on Wednesday, Michael said:
I think it’s time to start speculating about what Facebook will be announcing at the F8 conference next week.
Of course, the conversation quickly moved to FriendFeed, where some of the following responses (both silly and serious) were generated. Please add your own speculation in comments (best one gets a TechCrunch T-Shirt). I’ll excerpt a few from that FriendFeed thread to kick things off:
They will be acquiring the Democratic Party. - Todd Brunner via twhirl
better access to messaging infrastructure. - Robert Scoble
They will disable all applications because the find them “too confusing” for the users ;o) - Daniel
The CIA Monitoring API - Todd Brunner via twhirl
What ever it is, you’ll have to install the Announcement Application and invite 20 friends first to find out. - John Worthington
Facebook gets angry at all the iPhone, twitter, and FF attention, attention shifting and drastic plans afoot - Dan Rockwell via twhirl
Mobile platform - simonpure
FB offers whitelabel service - Rebecca Caroe via Alert Thingy
Facebook needs to buy Friendfeed.. or Friendfeed needs to buy Facebook.Whoever got the money, go for it! - Muthu Ramadoss
Further international expansion. - Andrew Feinberg
Personally hoping for jabber interoperability with facebook chat. - Matt Harwood
More design flexibility? Profile pages and page sites and groups can need more color and more individuality options. - Lars Wehmeyer
They’re going to announce that they’re going to copy the functionality of the 5 top applications (after shutting them down for a week of course)
- Thomas B via NoiseRiver
An Amnesty Day for disabled accounts due to their overzealousness to disable accts would be highly appreciated & not excessive:) - Roney Smith
Hopefully something to improve their ads, especially those they target at international users (as a Russian I am forced to watch child porn ads, really). But I don’t really hope for it. - Svetlana Gladkova
Is there actually a reason to care? - Brian Sullivan
They’re going to buy yahoo. - Chris Hollander
They’re going to integrate Google Gears into Facebook - Daniel Spisak via twhirl
Facebook is soooooooooooo boring. - Thomas Hawk
bill gates is their newest programmer - acedanger via twhirl
Two possible features: Multi-friend chat and in-house video and voice messages. - John Worthington
oy … more speculative hype?
Facebook is about to announce:
1. It hasn’t figured out a business model
2. It won’t figure out a business model
3. It still has enough cash to get it through 3 more years and prays someone will buy it
4. Microsoft’s preferred shares are going to screw over the common holders
Bye bye.
They are going to shutdown the website for one day (heck, one hour), driving Ballmer insane and make him offer the billions they are asking.
Just gotta say, who cares anymore? Facebook’s API was interesting last year, but look where it went. Thousands of “apps” with little to absolutely no value. Spam in the form of application requests. Privacy violations from developers who don’t respect the terms of use from FB.
Please, I’m more interested in which new guy is begging for change on my street than whatever in the hell Facebook is doing.
I wonder if someone will buy out Facebook? Google maybe? hah http://blabtech.blogspot.com
At least come up with something clever to say before you spam your crappy blog.
ROFL
pwned.
Zuckerberg is going to announce that he’s going back to Harvard to finish his degree so that he can graduate, better his resume, and go do investment banking/consulting.
Mike,
http://www.readtheanswer.com/index.php?RTA=web2
The ‘I Have a Girlfriend’ firewall application - potentially destructive posts, photos, and other information remaining private before you accept it to go public so your girlfriend doesn’t:
A. Get the wrong idea and punch you in the throat;
B. Find out that your ex is a raging psychopath who still loves you and thought it was a good idea to post her feelings on your wall;
C. See you in a state of extreme inebriation and lose what little respect she has left for you.
Or something like that.
They are going to announce
1. Ads
2. Search Engine or a Collaboration with One of Google Compitetors
3.Fmail or facebookmail.
Cheers, Nag
They will announce the portability of the Facebook apps platform in all screens : cell phone, iphone, etc.
Simple. They will announce a location aware application for the iphone and they will announce some kind of share-revenue program for embedable API´s in their native systems.
AND ALSO THEY WILL ANNOUNCE THEY ARE GOING PUBLIC!!
Seconded on the going public.
Come on people. In an slowing economy and volatile stock market, you really think facebook would go after an IPO? It would be like digging a grave for all their current shareholder wealth. I would certainly invest in facebook if I could, but the opportunity will not come until 2009 at earliest.
The only thing that I’m really looking forward to is the redesign, which their saving for next week. Better privacy and news feed control would be much appreciated. Other features like the payment system, mobile apps, and improved ad platform are a bonus that will improve monetization of the company, but could I care less since it won’t likely effect my usage (I have a greasemonkey script that removes all ads from facebook
they will announce nothing.
payments for sure, new profiles go live, major upgrade to ad platform, and………………..twitter acquisition.
- A revamp on the profile page at least. It’s been in the work for some time, but I’m sure they will an official release for a new layout for profile pages.
- Keep up integration with mobile phones.
- (Following the mobile phone idea): Maybe an announcement on location-based profiles as a copy of Loopt.
1. Location based profiles
2. A lot of the F8 will focus on the new redesigned profile
3. Fighting against spammy apps and FB stance on privacy
4. Facebook Iphone Integration
5. Facebook Connect and example integration presentation
That should take most of the time.
They’re going to launch the Developer payment program.
because Facebook doesn’t get *enough* attention…..
Search platform.
contrary to my guesstimate a few weeks ago, Facebook will NOT be launching Payments at F8 next week (i’ve heard confirmation from FB source that Justin’s report at Inside Facebook article is correct).
they’d like to get it out the door as soon as they can, but as Orson Welles sez:
“we will serve no wine before its time…”
look for other Facebook Connect announcements to offset New Profile (good news for users, not so much for developers).
regardless, should be a glitzy affair… (’cept for when i’m talking).
Facebook bought Techcrunch for 100.000.000 USD
- predictive status updates
- insanely super fun wall
- direct integration with the IRS and dept of homeland security
- imaginary friends feature
- “people you may want to stalk” feature
Acquisition of Loopt? / Investment in loopt?
Facebook will open up their networks to allow for anyone to create their own network. This will seriously hurt companies like Ning where people go to create their own social networks, as I will be able to create my own “social network” on facebook as my friends are already there.
What about an Fphone? I mean, why not?! Sell it to college kids for $99.
They will announce a new dessert topping that seconds as a floor wax.
They will annouce their music store initiative and they locked up deals with all the major labels.
They’ll announce some partnership/acquisition deal with Ning.. Fning.
layoffs and downsizing… since they havent figured out how to make $$$
a better facebook photos would be great, with higher quality and download options, a better comment system maybe?
application payment and facebook monetary system also possible.
(facebook virtual payment/money).
BTW, what is this friendfeed propaganda in ever post?
we can go to scobleizer if we want to hear friendfeed in every single post.
BTW, what is this friendfeed propaganda in every post?
we can go to scobleizer if we want to hear friendfeed in every single post.
Super-whale
A big cute intelligent robot-whale that automatically will befriend and chat with all users whenever we want. It can be set to share our sense of humor, our religious beliefs and political views. Advanced options offers users to set how intellectually challenging it is, level of irony it uses and whether its mood changes randomly or periodically. It will tag our photos, post fun stuff at our walls, comment on all we do and generally just be very cool.
And when we are all totally depending on the super-whale for personal well-being, they will start charging monthly fees. Cause friends we can bring to other networks, or even off-line, but the whale stays in FB.
They will announce their plan to put an end to all this human caused global warming. And give me my deserved credit for inventing the internet. It will be just wonderful.
Here is what Facebook will announce at F8 next week:
Mark Zucerkberg will come on stage and will start crying because he blew the opportunity to sell Facebook for a super ridiculous valuation of several billion.
Facebook will go down in history as the biggest fuckup of the internet age.
Pretty sure there’s still a lot to be said.. from being that guy you pity for his sad attempts to get his pet computer project off the ground between shifts at the office supply store (i.e. many of you reading this post).. to becoming MZuck, even if eventually tanks.
Facebook will discover their fate.
They’ll announce some developer payment partnership/acquisition deal
They’ll announce of suing the studiVZ.com. That website is such a copycat!
They are going to allow the user to skin their profile page and they are registering the new url myface.com