Facebook Cookbook - Jay Goldman [11]
Chapter 2. Ideation and Strategy
So! Now that you’re ready to write your million-dollar Facebook app and retire to a life of luxury, there’s only one small problem: what to build? You might already have an idea, or you might have come across an existing Facebook app that you think you can one-up. Maybe you have no ideas at all but are overflowing with web development fu and want to flex your coding muscles. Fear not, intrepid developer! This chapter will help you figure out the four Ws of Facebook application development:
Who should I build for?
Some of the most successful software products are born out of a need their developers felt wasn’t satisfied elsewhere. If that’s the case for you, build for yourself and your friends. However, many of you will be reading this book because you hope to make money from your work, in which case you need to consider your audience more carefully. Sometimes you and your friends aren’t the ones who are going to pay for your villa in Maui, so make sure you spend the time to understand who is.
What can I build?
The sky is really the limit: if you can imagine it, you can probably build it. That said, before you start dreaming up the most complex application ever, keep in mind that you’ll start earning users (and money) sooner if your app is released sooner, so consider how to tackle your problem in more manageable chunks. Also, keep in mind that throwaway apps that people install and play with once are much less successful (and profitable!) than apps that get used over and over. If you’re new to this game, take the time (and $19) and read 37signals’s Getting Real book, which you’ll find at http://gettingreal.37signals.com/.
Where can I integrate with the Platform?
The Platform includes a number of “integration points,” which you can use to tie your app into the everyday life of Facebookers. Simple math: the more points you hit, the more people will see your app. The more people who see it, the more who will add it. The more people who add it, the closer you get to mai tais, leis, and Maui.
Why should I build it?
That’s a pretty metaphysical question! Why do anything, really? In this case, there are a few good reasons to build apps and a few less good ones. I can’t promise I’ll be able to satisfy all of your metaphysical needs, but keep on reading and I’ll do my best to answer at least the Facebook-related ones.
More astute readers may be wondering what happened to the fifth W: when? The answer is so easy that we’re not even going to cover it here: now! This really isn’t rocket science, so get out there and build your first app today.
Which Types of Apps Are the Most Popular?
Problem
It’s a big world out there and the sky’s virtually the limit in terms of what I can build. Where do I start?
Solution
If you have no firm idea of which direction to go in, getting a feel for the pulse of Platform can definitely help. Just like doing a quick Google search and checking the number of results can help you get a feel for the amount of activity around a topic, the fastest way to get a sense of the relative popularity of app types is to look in the Facebook Application Directory (http://www.facebook.com/apps/index.php).
Discussion
Facebook’s Application Directory lists all approved apps, organized by category. In early 2008 (and probably out-of-date before I even finished typing this), the Directory breakdown was as follows:
Alerts (817)
Business (746)
Chat (1,051)
Classified (265)
Dating (1,194)
Education (1,237)
Events (796)
Fashion (461)
File Sharing (166)
Food and Drink (429)
Gaming (1,820)
Just for Fun (7,142)
Messaging (1,067)
Mobile (237)
Money (302)
Music (870)
Photo (704)
Politics (543)
Sports (1,667)
Travel (442)
Utility (1,481)
Video (716)
Although there are nearly 10,000 more apps now (mid-2008) than there were then, the overall breakdown percentage-wise hasn’t changed. Categories are determined