Facebook Opens Pages to Outside Developers

prostoalex writes "Facebook is now allowing third-party developers to create pages within the site. Developers can use a combination of the Facebook API and a subset of HTML to create interactive pages accessible from within Facebook. Users retain complete control over which applications they want to have installed, and which applications they want to see on other people's profile. Developers can build on top of Facebook's social grid, and in case of a popular application gain distribution through Facebook newsfeed."

Comments

Just what Facebook needs

[simong]

The ability to make home pages look as shitty as Myspace. I hope they've implemented a taste filter that prevents fluorescent green paisley backgrounds is all.

MySpace, anyone?

[ninjafirepants]

So this is where Facebook takes a stab at MySpace's success. People like MySpace because they can do whatever they want with it. Pink text on red background with four movies and three songs all going at once? Why not make the page blink, too? Yes, friends, it's all possible via MySpace.

Now, it looks as though Facebook wants in on the game, too. What I loved about Facebook was the simplicity of design that it keeps losing with every new feature and redesign. The site slows down and becomes less usable. Time will only tell if it stays clean and modular like the screenshot in the article shows, or if it's one more weapon in Facebook's arsenal of bloat.

At least Facebook still works, unlike the piece of crap they call MySpace. Seriously, Tom needs to learn how to make stuff that doesn't break without fail every time I try to use it. Until then, he's not my friend.

Re:MySpace, anyone?

[z0M6]

Hideous? nowaii! http://www.myspace.com/soybuddha

Facebook OS

[rinkjustice]

In an article in Fortune, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said "We want to make Facebook into something of an operating system so you can run full applications". Is this why he consults frequently with Microsoft chief software architect Ray Ozzie?

I assume even bigger changes are ahead.

Hmmm..

[Solokron]

Although MySpace customizations can be very annoying, it is also part of its success. Being able to customize your profile to better reflect your tastes is part of what has helped MySpace skyrocket over competitors. Taking a plain, boring, white background profile and making it your own can be very gratifying. People can spend hours upon hours customizing their own little site testing it out, MySpace banner ads get more and more impressions, that person then in turns shows it off to all their friends (or people they just have on their list as friends), and MySpace continues to accumulate ad impressions. Although there are more crappy MySpace profiles, there are some profiles that really capitalize on dhtml and flash knowledge and even with limitations imposed, are very impressive. Any feature that keeps people coming back to their website is really what they want and Facebooks direction makes perfect sense.

MS-Facebook 2.0

[Speedracer1870]

Does this mean that facebook will become as crappy as microsoft or will they just start storing all my info for *undisclosed* purposes? I knew as soon as facebook opened up to the public it would be more than just kids at my own college stalking me...

Re:MS-Facebook 2.0

[Anonymous Coward]

You control the information you dislose to the app.

Facebook != Myspace

[beset]

Queue all the "OMG FACEBOOK WILL BECOMES MYSAPCE!!!!1" comments...

Under it's current ownership I can't see that happening. The site is run by developers (which is great in my opinion).

If you don't believe me go and check their blog. Failing that try and change your name and you're presented with...

# Your Facebook profile must be attached to your real name.
# You must include your full name.
# Celebrity names, nicknames, or other fake names are not allowed and will not be approved.
# Obscenity, curses, and swear words are not allowed and will not be approved.
# ISn't~ ThIs 3 AnN0YiNg 2 ReAd? Non-standard capitalization and special characters are not allowed and will not be approved.
# Do not try to combine sentences into one word; Jane Lookatmysupercoolnewnickname Smith will not be approved.

Re:Facebook != Myspace

[Rudeboy777]

Facebook akin to a system where users are provided access to everything needed to do their jobs and nothing more, while Myspace is like giving everyone root access and telling them to run with it. Which would you rather admin?

Re:Facebook != Myspace

[Anonymous Coward]

Actually, the restrictions they've put in seem to be, on the whole, fairly well-balanced.

Each app stores any of its own data on its own hosting. However, IP addresses of users are not exposed to the external hosts, as Facebook basically acts as a go-between for all requests of the app. Each app that a user adds to their profile has the option of writing some static markup* to its own section of the profile (any CSS is edited to only apply to that app's section of the page, and no JS except for a few specific calls). In addition, apps can write to the mini-feed of users that have authorized the app to do so, and, with user permission before each e-mail, send e-mails to other facebook users (facebook displays the e-mail that is about to be sent to the user, with an option to send or not send). Apps also have the ability to render their own full pages inside the facebook site, via an apps.facebook.com/appname/pagename URL.

*Markup is done using Facebook Markup Language, which is a subset of HTML + some facebook-specific tags, like <fb:name> along with some more advanced tags like <fb:if-is-own-profile>, which allows rendering different text on a user's page to that user instead of other users, or <fb:friend-selector>, which inserts an AJAX friend selector with type-ahead functionality (like that used in some of Facebook's current applications).

Also, Flash is limited to be click-to-play. This means that on the whole, the look-and-feel of the facebook profile pages will largely stay unchanged, and in order to avoid looking hideous, apps will typically keep with the look-and-feel of the facebook site itself.

Re:Facebook != Myspace

[B1ackDragon]

I don't know man. I don't really understand the analogy. Not enough cars.

Ooh! Facebook is like someone buying their kid a nice dependable car; something decent to get around in, looks ok and might even pick up a few chicks if kept clean and maintained.

Myspace, on the other hand, is like someone buying their kid a car and giving them an unlimited budget to trick it out however they see fit. Come to think of it, haven't I seen a myspace page somewhere with a giant lightning bolt painted on and huge aluminum wing stuck on the back...? ;-)

Re:a question of time

[eddan]

Google already owns Orkut -- that would be overkill. That's what people said before Google acquired YouTube - and already had Google Video.

Begin of the ned of facebook?

[brunes69]

Facebook has become so popular among us 20-something crowd because it is NOT MySpace. It is a way to connect that is clean and organized, and not full of crap and clutter from tweens who think they know anything about web design. It is simple, slick, and does it's job very well.

I fear that going down this path they may be descending into MySpace-hell. I hope this is not the beginning of the end of the usfulness of facebook.

Re:Begin of the ned of facebook?

[natedubbya]

It's this kind of attitude that separates the innovators from us normal people. The easy viewpoint is to isolate the one reason you use service A over service B, and then complain that A is changing their interface. The innovator has the viewpoint that you chose their service A because it was different from B, and hence, another competitor C can come along and make yet another simple change to make the drones move over to C.

Facebook is innovating, they realize they can't stand still. And yes, the large crowd will complain and ask, "why are you changing?" When Facebook released the News Feeds, it seemed like everyone screamed, but sure enough, they've proved successful and have only increased traffic.

Facebook will be replaced by the next guy, and everyone will point out why Facebook sucks, and for that reason, they have to stay ahead of the curve.

Let the viewer disable the themes?

[Nim82]

Myspace, Bebo etc wouldn't be half as bad if you could choose to render all the sites you view in either your own chosen theme, or as a generic preset - overriding the shite. I use ffox extensions (such as stylish) to nerf most crap on these sites currently, but would much rather there were just a tickbox in the user pref's that would provide a similar result.

Alternatively, lock the style and offer some sensible preset colour schemes, like most web forums do.

scripting

[Locklin]

So how long before someone manages to get a nice x-site script into their page. This could be rather annoying since facebook doesn't work without javascript turned on.

I think I missed something ...

[openldev]

They launched the Facebook API months ago.

Re:I think I missed something ...

[macbort]

This is new, and quite a bit different than the API that has been around for awhile.

Now, instead of just using the API to integrate Facebook with external apps, developers can use the platform to run their apps right inside of Facebook. For example, a Flickr app could be made that would replace the built-in photo tools.

There are already 30 or so apps available to add.

Not Like MySpace

[the cheong]

The Facebook API was released many months ago, and it does not lead to pages like MySpace. The Facebook pages itself do not change at all; the layout will be consistent throughout the whole networking site, as it always has been. The API allows developers to access facebook's information and create applications OUTSIDE of Facebook. For example, one application might make a powerpoint photo slideshow of all your photos on facebook. Or another application might use information to match up people into relationships.

Re:Not Like MySpace

[daveschroeder]

RTFM. This allows apps with custom HTML, etc., within Facebook pages. I'm not quite clear on who/what/when/how people can develop for this, though. E.g., will it just be a collection of approved and vetted third party components people can select from to put/use, in among other places, on their profile pages? Or will anyone effectively able to develop and deploy custom modules, but where/how they are deployed is a tightly controlled and distinctly separate environment?

See: http://developers.facebook.com/

Apps, including custom HTML, will be able to integrate into Profile pages. But you're right...it won't be the abomination that is MySpace.

facebook faq

[babooo404]

fyi, the list of all participating companies plus a faq on the platform is here: http://www.centernetworks.com/facebook-announcemen t-facebook-platform