Comments on: The life of a software developer 4/4: developing a Facebook application

By: Remy MIRALLES

Remy MIRALLES — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 12:12:10 +0000

I think that this approach is really clever (notably in terms of image, it’s always good for Google to appear as a promoter of openness!) but will essentially benefit big developers like Slide or Rock You. Besides, It has been said a lot on this blog and everywhere else that a unique social platform is not what users expect (they prefer for example to separate their professional social networking platform from their personal one) so I doubt that there would be so many applications that can be used on all social networks. Most of the Facebook ones for example have nothing to do on LinkedIn. Do you imagine biting one of your LinkedIn contact to make him become a vampire? Of course this app would have a role to play on Myspace or Orkut. But as believe in a concentration of platforms having the same target (and therefore the same kind of potential apps) I don’t think that this will be huge, but with Google you never know

Concerning Facebook joining it, I think that Facebook had already managed to create a fertile ecosystem in itself and manage to integrate some interesting features of other social networks (e.g. the bacon project and Facebook music) without needing this initiative. The only risk would be to lose developers, but I think that Facebook has already reached a critical mass preventing that from happening.

By: Jeremy Fain

Jeremy Fain — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 00:23:08 +0000

Rémy, what’s your standpoint on Google’s OpenSocial initiative? Do you think Facebook should join OpenSocial or not? And Netvibes?

By: Remy MIRALLES

Remy MIRALLES — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 05:16:05 +0000

Thanks Louis, I’ll add it immediately, I thought I was going to be able to follow everything with Facebook’s tools but it’s not the case, and Google Analytics is a really good idea.

By: Louis Choquel

Louis Choquel — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 10:32:39 +0000

Hi Remy,

Nice app. It’s fun to see how a single developer can create a social app these days thanks to facebook.

My company created the iKickYou facebook app (http://apps.facebook.com/ikickyou/). So I can give you 1 piece of advice for tracking how your app is spreading over the world: install google-analytics.

It’s pretty straightforward and it works well even off of a Facebook app.

By: Remy MIRALLES

Remy MIRALLES — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 15:55:54 +0000

Thanks guys, it’s really encouraging!

By: Vincent van Wylick

Vincent van Wylick — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 10:33:48 +0000

I agree, it’s great fun. And a great way for me to see how little I really know about my friends

By: Jeremy Fain

Jeremy Fain — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 10:12:05 +0000

I tried Remy’s app and it’s REALLY fun. Go Remy!