Mathew's comments - Latest Comments in Facebook: The startup sandbox

Re: Facebook: The startup sandbox

mathewi — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 02:59:01 -0000

I think you're right, David -- and the news about the API including widgets
makes that even easier now, it seems.

Re: Facebook: The startup sandbox

David Gratton — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 02:56:41 -0000

I'm not sold on the actual long term value of facebook as the sole platform for building one's business. Building facebooks apps is predicated on the assumption that the vast majority of your intended users are members of Facebook. Clearly that is not the case today. However, there presently no other platform with the features or user base that developers can test their social apps. If you can build a successful facebook application (that doesn't rely on enhancing facebooks present communication features - Superwall, etc.) then I think you can certainly extend it outside of facebook.

Re: Facebook: The startup sandbox

mathewi — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 19:59:02 -0000

That's an excellent point, Pema -- if you are to build something that takes
advantage of network effects, then you need to find people wherever they
are. Thanks for that.

Re: Facebook: The startup sandbox

Pema Hegan — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 19:42:47 -0000

Your timing is uncanny Mathew - we launched the GigPark facebook application last night... http://www.facebook.com/apps/application.php?id...

For us, Facebook is one of a few important places GigPark should be available. Since GigPark is all about finding services with the help your friends, we need to be where friends communicate - and Facebook is definitely one of those places.

You're dead right that Facebook is a great place to test ideas, but I think for services like ours that get better when your friends are involved, offering your service through Facebook is almost essential.

I believe being platform agnostic is the name of the game. There was a good quote from James Hong of Hot or Not about this in a TechCruch article last year: "I have really stopped thinking of Hot or Not as a destination site and worry about how many people are using our service no matter where they are ... People will go where they will go. The world is evolving."

Re: Facebook: The startup sandbox

mathewi — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 18:56:01 -0000

That's an excellent point, Daniel. Thanks for the comment.

Re: Facebook: The startup sandbox

Daniel Gibbons — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 18:36:45 -0000

I think the key concept is "Facebook economy". It's not like hitching your wagon to Google via AdSense, since the monetization strategy is well defined and proven. Even if there are risks in being so dependent on Google, at least there is real money to be made. And as Markus Frind has demonstrated it can scale to numbers well beyond the "lifestyle business" level. In Facebook's case they've got to create a functional economy of their own before anyone can really determine the implications for app developers of being so closely aligned.