Facebook Cookbook - Jay Goldman [17]
0endcoded%20keywords&desc=My%20encoded%20desc"/> Discussion Funding Facebook Development Solution Facebook’s own fbFund fbFund gives grants between $25,000 and $250,000 (grants are awesome because you don’t have to pay them back). There have been about nine grants so far, and the fund has plenty of money left in it. For more information, see http://www.facebook.com/developers/fbfund.php. Bay Partners’ App Factory Bay Partners, a well-respected Valley-based venture capitalist (VC), has set up a fund called App Factory, which is “a fast-track program supporting entrepreneurs dedicated to developing applications for Facebook Platform.” You can find more information at http://www.baypartners.com/appfactory/. Altura Ventures’ Altura 1 Facebook Investment Fund This fund exclusively backs developers of Facebook apps. You can get more info at http://www.altura.com/ or in their Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2392191727. Discussion Facebook Platform Integration Points Solution Facebook Platform offers 10 official integration points that your app can hook into: Application Directory Application Menu Facebook Canvas Pages Profile Box Info Sections News Feed Notifications Attachments and the Publisher Requests Tabs Discussion Application Directory Solution
AdSense still pays out some of the best cost-per-click (CPC) rates around and has bigger reach than anyone else. However, it should be noted that the system isn’t tailored to social networks, so you might get more relevance running ads from something like SocialMedia or Cubics.
Problem
I’ve heard that you can raise money if you’re a developer with a good idea. Is that true?
A number of funds have been set up to back companies building Facebook applications, including:
Investing in Facebook apps is really just like investing in non-Facebook apps, so there’s no reason to limit yourself to the VCs and funds just listed. If you have a solid idea and the right team to pull it off, and especially if you have a monetization strategy in place and have built out some realistic projections, you should get in front of as many potential investors as possible. If you’re unfamiliar with the world of VCs and angels, spend a little time reading their blogs and doing some Google research before you embarrass yourself in a pitch session. Start with http://www.ventureblogs.com/, which lists most of the good VC blogs.
Problem
What are Facebook Platform’s integration points?
It’s tough to wrap your head around a limitless space that stretches on forever in every direction. How would you even start painting it? Limitations can be really helpful to get the creative mojo flowing in the right direction, even when those limitations don’t actually impose many constraints. As a would-be Facebook developer, you need to know exactly where and how you can integrate with Platform so that you can wield your weapons most effectively.
Not all integration points are created equal, as we shall soon see. Facebook has made it easy for you to take advantage of all of them, and the most successful apps definitely do, so whenever you’re designing a new product, keep the handy AAFPINNART acronym in mind (see the previous list). The bulk of this chapter goes through each of these points and gives you the quick rundown, and you can also check out Chapters 6 and 7 for more information about how to implement them.
Problem
What can I put in my Application Directory listing?
Every approved app gets a listing in the Application Directory; this is your place to shine when bored users are looking to spice up their Profiles. It’s pretty rare for people to browse the Directory directly, since almost all application installs come as a result of the other integration points (unless they have