Creating applications in social networks

[Janette Toral]

My column at Sun.Star today is all about Developing Applications in Social Networks. Prior to writing it, I was reviewing Shelly D. Farnham's O’Reilly Radar Report titled, “The Facebook Application Ecosystem” released last March 2008.

Among the questions examined in the report is "what do people use Facebook applications for?" To arrive at an answer, Farnham and team analyzed the primary user goals of 261 of the most-used applications. The top five categories were:

1. Enhanced communication (7.5 million daily active users, 26 percent of total daily activity over 26 applications). Applications in this category let users enrich messages with media (SuperWall), telegraph emotions (SuperPoke!, Emote), and structure or script communications (My Questions).

2. Social comparison (3.4 million daily active users, 12 percent of total over 17 applications). These applications allow users to discover how they're similar or different from others (Likeness), what their rank is on various social dimensions (Hot or Not), or who shares their tastes (Movies).

3. Play social games (3.2 million daily active, 11 percent of total over 38 applications). Games that require social connectedness or social interactions (Zombies, Pirates, Fight Club).

4. Social selection (3.0 million daily active, 10 percent of total over 10 applications). Applications that let users select or filter for most important friends (Top Friends), or to sort contacts into categories (Social Circles).

5. Profile enhancement (2.9 million daily active, 10 percent of total over 38 applications). Help users put their best face forward, allowing them to customize their profile images (Sketch Me), use widgets that proclaim their values (Books iRead, BibleVerses), and feature groups with which they identify (Total Sports Fan, which allows users to place team logos on their profiles).

Farnham noted that applications with notification, invitation and discussion features were the ones that thrive. With developments observed, a successful Facebook application means active daily users, quick adoption, utilizes notification and invitation feature, and meets social communication goals like communication, social comparison, and identity play,

I'm biased to admit - believing in - very rare success can be repeated and sustained for a long period of time without improvement of existing models. That is why I focused more on reviewing thinking process in application design creation and not just be contented of following what others have done.

To expound further, I cited Edward De Bono’s book, “Teach Yourself to Think” where it can be highly useful in coming up and developing new ideas.

I believe that we can harness the power of social networks and take it to greater heights if creators will constantly challenge traditional thinking and delivery.

Related topics:
1. Three Steps to Spark Marketing Creativity and Launch New Offerings
2. Six Principles to Create Project Ideas That Stick

P.S. Mind map created using MindMeister