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."

Facebook OS

[rinkjustice]

In an article in Fortune [cnn.com], 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 [blogforward.com]?

I assume even bigger changes are ahead.

Re:Just what Facebook needs

[Anonymous Coward]

You cannot change the backgrounds outside of app's own box, i.e. the widget itself.

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.

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.

I think I missed something ...

[openldev]

They launched the Facebook API months ago.

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/ [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.

Re:I think I missed something ...

[macbort]

This is new [facebook.com], 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 [mashable.com] available to add.

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 [centernetworks.com]

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.