

The Facebook Platform is dead - senthil_rajasek
http://www.allfacebook.com/2008/10/scott-rafer-the-facebook-platform-is-dead/

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jfarmer
There were signs of this back in May: [http://20bits.com/2008/05/06/the-state-
of-the-facebook-platf...](http://20bits.com/2008/05/06/the-state-of-the-
facebook-platform/)

It was only a matter of time before Facebook put the final nail in the coffin.
Given how Facebook rolled out the Platform it was the correct strategic
choice, IMO.

They made it too easy for third-parties like Slide and RockYou to come in and
set up shop, effectively ceding control of part of the social graph.

There's a reason Apple is taking the opposite approach to distribution,
starting out by being too restrictive and easing up as the marketplace
matures.

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charlesju
I actually would argue that the new Facebook platform is better for developers
because it takes a strong stand to increase user engagement by forcing
developers to provide actual value, instead of relying on spam. And although
user growth has decreased because the new users and existing users are using
applications with higher value, they are more willing to become paying users.

I go into a lot more detail on my recent blog post:
[http://www.charlesju.com/2008/10/3-reasons-why-new-
facebook-...](http://www.charlesju.com/2008/10/3-reasons-why-new-facebook-is-
better.html)

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jfarmer
"they are more willing to become paying users."

Evidence? I would expect higher engagement and more valuable users to equate
to an increase eCPM, but according to Scott's slides we've seen the opposite.

~~~
charlesju
2 words. Virtual Goods.

[http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/08/25/can-you-guess-which-
fac...](http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/08/25/can-you-guess-which-facebook-app-
is-making-a-million-dollars-a-month-i-can/)

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ivank
My relatively small, non-spammy application took a 20% hit from its perfectly
linear growth, but I'm already back to July's levels. Things never halved and
are certainly not dead.

~~~
fallentimes
_> My relatively small, non-spammy application_

Already sounds like the minority. Glad you're doing well though.

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evdawg
Good! It was turning into myspace...

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thorax
I always wondered whether or not Facebook would have done better to have an
"App Store" instead of nothing but free apps. Perhaps it would have worked out
better in some ways.

~~~
charlesju
I don't think there are many if any applications that I'd pay for to use on
the Facebook network.

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zby
I've tried programming the platform and I found it utterly frustrating. It is
so eclectic and baroque that it is very hard to build a mental model about it
- and deduce what are the real limitations of the messaging model. The
documentation is copious but sometimes contradicting itself, often outdated
and not well organized.

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ComputerGuru
Both as a developer and as a university student, I can testify that this is
certainly true.

Good and spammy apps alike have suffered greatly, and the FB Platform is
deader than ever.

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timcederman
I for one couldn't be happier. I think long-term this is a good thing for
Facebook users and the site's growth. Not so sure about the company's bottom
line though.

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jyothi
_Build connect sites now, Plan for independence_

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geuis
good riddance.

