As part of Facebook Week here on Read/WriteWeb, I am going to be taking a look at the top applications on the Facebook platform. With nearly 1800 apps, the platform has been a runaway success for Facebook, and the most popular ten applications reach over 46 million users. I'm going to be breaking those 1800 apps down to the top 50 across 5 categories (10 in each). This is a completely subjective list, so not everyone will agree with our picks and I encourage you to debate them in the comments.
There are a lot of duplicates on the Facebook platform (i.e., there are at least 10 apps for cataloging books!), and some duplicates even share the same name. In that case, as with the rest of this list, I just chose the one that stood out to me as the best. Today's list deals with apps for work.
]]> Simple Stock Quotes
You need to know what's going down on Wall Street and the Simple Stock Quotes app is the nicest way to get that done. It is super easy to set up, blends exceptionally well with the Facebook look and feel, and can fit nicely in either profile column. Simple Stock Quotes also adds a bit of a social aspect by letting you check out the stocks your friends are tracking, as well as the community at large (the most watched stock so far? AAPL, followed closely by GOOG).
To-Do
To-Do is my favorite GTD app on Facebook. Add tasks, categorize, prioritize and add a due date. Due dates with To-Do are smart, so type "tomorrow" or "friday" and the app will know which day your task is due. Tasks can easily be edited or deleted (which is how you mark them as complete).
Not all of your business contacts are on Facebook, so when you need to contact someone on the outside, intrasite messaging just won't work. Enter Email, an app that lets you send email to anyone directly from within Facebook. Emails appear to be sent from your real email address, and if the recipient uses the provided web form link to reply, the replies are kept threaded in the app, which looks and feels basically like the default Facebook messaging app.
Calendar
The Calendar app from 30Boxes is the nicest calendar on Facebook, in my opinion. It is a complete personal calendar solution that includes SMS reminders and a built-in to-do list function. You can also share upcoming events to you Facebook profile.
Zoho - Online Office
The Zoho app loads your Zoho documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and databases into Facebook. It can map to a current Zoho account and migrate your docs over, or you can create a new user. There are still a few bugs, and it isn't as fully integrated into Facebook as it probably could be, but even so, a full office suite that you don't need to leave Facebook to use is great.
Docs
Docs is a document sharing application from Scribd that already has over 50,000 uploaded documents. They tout it as a way to share "problems sets, poetry, lecture notes, and random funny stuff." However, despite their warnings, I can't help but think that some unscrupulous college students see Docs as a good way to plagiarize papers.
BillMonk
BillMonk is a great app that lets you track who owes you money and how much money you owe others. BillMonk is an infinitely useful application for anyone who has to deal with roommates and it follows the Facebook design conventions nicely.
WalkieTalkie
WalkieTalkie adds free group chat to Facebook groups. Sometimes you just need to say it out loud, so WalkieTalkie can be a valuable tool for businesses that want to use Facebook as groupware.
Application Developer Services
Since you're reading Read/WriteWeb, there is a good chance that you're an app developer yourself. If you're looking to break into the Facebook app market, but don't really know where to start, then install the Application Developer Services app. It's sort of a marketplace for Facebook developers. App developers get a profile where they can show off their portfolio of Facebook apps, and businesses can search for the perfect developer for their application.
Lending Club
Well, now you have your programmer, but you need the cash to make your app a reality. Lending Club is a peer lending application that lets users take out loans funded by other users. Lending club opened on Facebook on May 24th, and has already lent out over $250,000 to Facebook users.
Conclusion
Those are the top 10 Facebook applications that can help you get some work done. Which apps did we skip that you think should be in the top 10? Which apps shouldn't be on our list? Please let us know in the comments. And be sure to check back in tomorrow for part 2 of our list. Let the debate begin!
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