How to Make Facebook Useful Again
Oh the heels of some of Facebook's missteps (ahem, Beacon) and the proliferation of a myriad of useless, silly, and time-wasting apps, some former Facebook users decided to quit the site for good this year. However, a handful of early adopter angst doesn't have Facebook worried. Why is that? Because Facebook has a whole generation of users who grew up using their site for everything social back when it was just a way to network with their high school or college friends. So what are the everyday Facebook users doing that keeps them engaged in the service? It's not throwing sheep, apparently. For many Facebook users, there are still useful apps to be found and ways to use the service that the rest of us could learn from.
On Sunday, Fred Wilson wrote on his blog "A VC":
"The other day I saw my oldest daughter get an invite to a party on Facebook, she accepted it, and then went to look at her accepted invite page. It was her social calendar, every party she plans to attend in the next two months is there. She noticed she had another event that night and then switched her acceptance to tentative. She uses Facebook the way I use Outlook."
Although the comment was in the context of a data portability discussion, there was something about this particular excerpt that was striking. Facebook as Outlook. You've heard older corporate execs describing how they "live in Outlook." Well, it's the same with the young digital natives - they just live in Facebook instead. And whether it's a walled garden or not, it doesn't matter to them - all the data they care about is flowing into Facebook. Who cares if it flows back out?
So what makes Facebook so invaluable to them? On a mission to find out, we turned to Twitter of course. But since Twitter's crowd is early adopters, we needed to find what the college kids thought, too. The combined answers gave us our big list (below).
How to Make Facebook Useful: Part I - Use Facebook's Features
Use Facebook Email: Here's an answer that speaks profoundly to the generation gap. For some, Facebook email isn't useful at all, while for others, it's one of the most important features. For even some of the hip early adopters, Facebook messaging (Facebook email) is thought to be this almost inconvenient feature: why should I go to Facebook to read that email? Why can't you just EMAIL me or send me a tweet? The issue is that it's all about what network you live in. For some it's an email inbox, for some it's Twitter, and for others it's Facebook.
For true Facebook'ers, though, real email is for business only. Using Facebook (and MySpace) is how you talk to your friends. (The frightening implications of what this means to an I.T. department that is charged with email archiving for compliance purposes and yet doesn't block Facebook.com is a subject for another article!)
"If I'm talking to any friends it's through a social network," said Asheem Badshah, a teenaged president of Scriptovia.com. "For me even IM died, and was replaced by text messaging. Facebook will replace e-mail for communicating with certain people." (excerpted from CNet)
Use Facebook Events: You don't need an online calendar to plan your schedule - Facebook has an Events app built-in. Here you can manage your events, see your friends' events, and even see when people's birthdays are. Your use of this feature is another telltale sign of which generation of Facebook users you fit into.
Block App Spam: Facebook finally added the "Block Application" option. Whew!
Go Mobile: With this application, you can use Facebook when you're on the go. You can upload photos and notes from your camera phone (mobile@facebook.com) straight to Facebook. You can also receive and reply to Facebook messages, pokes and Wall posts using text messages, or use your phone’s mobile browser at m.facebook.com. To actually use the app, activate your phone here. Don't forget to also add Facebook Video so you can also send in your mobile videos to video@facebook.com, too.
How to Make Facebook Useful: Part II - Get Things Done
If you're really going to take advantage of all Facebook can do for you, then you have to find a way to do everything you need to do right in Facebook. Some of these tools (below) can help:
Check eBay: A great example of how the info you need flows into Facebook, the eBay app lets you check on your eBay auctions...and, in true social spirit, those of your friends as well. You can even just comment on auctions without even needing an eBay account.
Use Paypal: Just bought something on eBay? Might as well add Paypal too.
Upload Your Resume: Use an app like Professional Profile to post your resume on Facebook. It also lets you sync your LinkedIn profile and recommendations. There are also other apps for LinkedIn: LinkedIn Contacts and My Linked Profile, too.
Create a Business Card: The business cards app helps you create a custom business card that can be attached to your Facebook messages. (It's email signatures 2.0!)
Use Zoho: Access all your Zoho Office files in Facebook for free. (An unofficial app exists for Google Docs).
Share Files: Who needs Pownce when you can share files in Facebook? Add an app like Box.net or DivShare to do so.
Use Blackboard: Ugh. We know you don't want to, but you kind of have to, so you may as well add Blackboard Sync to Facebook. (Online assignment system for college students).
Make a To-Do List: Some people just love lists. Task Manager can help you GTD.
Use a Calendar: Need a more traditional calendar app? Try this one from 30Boxes, or one of these unofficial Google Calendar apps. Or you could just sync Facebook with any other calendar, both online and off, with fbCal.
How to Make Facebook Useful: Part III - Bring Web 2.0/Social Tools Into Facebook:
No need to leave the comfort of Facebook's walls to use the social web - you can just pull the social web into Facebook. Some of the most popular Web 2.0 applications are available as Facebook apps.
Use FriendFeed: No need to go without your daily fix of lifestreaming. The early adopter crowd loves this one.
Use Flickr: Take your pick from 100 applications for using flickr on Facebook...or just use this one.
Use Twitter: Post to Twitter and make your latest tweet your Facebook status.
Use Upcoming: Plan your events via Upcoming and see events taking place in your area, too.
Get Movie Recommendations: Get movies reviews via Flixster so you know whether to rent that flick or see it in the theaters...or not.
Get Restaurant Recommendations: Use Bizzlr to get recommendations for where to eat. (our coverage)
Share Books/Book Reviews: Depending on personal preference, you may like Shelfari, Visual Bookshelf, Goodreads, or Bookshare.
Find People: Use Spock's people search app to find anyone, anywhere.
Link to Other Profiles: With As Seen On, you can link your Facebook profile to other social media profiles.
How to Make Facebook Useful: Part IV - Bonus Content!
Here are few other great apps worth an honorable mention, at the very least.Make Firefox Better: You can find great add-ons for Firefox with Rock Your Firefox.
Search the Web & Share: Think Microsoft should put Live Search in Facebook? They just did.
Reading the Daily News Facebook-Style: No need to go off-site to get the latest news - customize your own morning paper with Zine.
And More!: Check out our series from last July to get ideas for other Facebook apps for Work, Utilities, and Media.
(Special thanks to FriendFeed user Susan Beebe who supplied a lot of great suggestions!)
Comments
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This actually makes me pretty sad, it reminds me of the old AOL system. In the worst case scenario people will access everything though facebook and know little about the thing outside of facebook called the internet.
Posted by: Martin | May 20, 2008 5:56 AM
The new AOL generation. Same garden, different place.
Posted by: PXLated | May 20, 2008 5:59 AM
I've been on facebook for ~3 years now. I remember how people revolted with every new feature - newsfeeds, beacon, etc. But people are generally resistant to change so that's understandable. Regardless, I find since I left college, I am using it less and less, and so are my friends. I guess we are the early adopters that are leaving? The two features I do find very useful still- birthday schedule and photo browsing. But in terms of communication - my wall has grown barren and my facebook inbox is stuffed up with useless spam messages.
Posted by: Pavlusha | May 20, 2008 6:35 AM
If you asked me why I logon to Facebook everyday, I couldn't tell you. I spend less than a minute on the site and that minute is spent denying worthless App invites.
If I need to talk with someone, I call them.
Posted by: Nate | May 20, 2008 7:40 AM
sarah
great post. and yes, my kids do live in facebook. it's not as bad as AOL circa late 90s although the demo it serves is similar. there's a lot more functionality in facebook than there ever was in AOL.
fred
Posted by: Fred Wilson
|
May 20, 2008 7:44 AM
I'd say the only part that most college kids (i.e. the core users) would really care about is PART I
Posted by: Boris M. Silver | May 20, 2008 7:44 AM
Who wants a "useful" Facebook?
Sounds good, but, c'mon, let's be honest. Facebook is not a tool. It's an escape. Very few people go there or would want to go there to write a document, plan a meeting, collaborate, etc.
It's mind porn. A total escape of mindless clicking to see what your friends are doing and leave inane comments on their walls.
Posted by: Cody | May 20, 2008 8:03 AM
How about reading books on Facebook with portablereading application?
Posted by: Duke | May 20, 2008 8:17 AM
After reading that same Cnet article, I was heartened to see that the fluff apps are losing in popularity and that more useful apps are gaining some steam.
You covered almost every segment except for shopping however, I've been using the app "I Want" to get recommendations for stuff I want to buy. http://apps.facebook.com/wantitnow/wants and there's a great custom html box application as well.. http://apps.facebook.com/htmlbox. There are a lot of non-sheep poking apps that dont have a lot of people on them, but are surprisingly useful.
Posted by: John | May 20, 2008 8:27 AM
Liked your post. You are combining two generations needs together.
I think Facebook's main audience are :
1. teenagers
2. college kids
3. tech bloggers & web 2.0 geeks to promote their interests.
First two types of people takes about 70% of the Facebook user share.
And these first two types care most about fun and not about managing their day to day life, education, profession etc.
For other types of people there should be a different flavor of social network (with zoho like features).
It will be very confusing and frustating if we club two different needs together....
I confess that I go to Facebook just to manage my applications like sending musical phone greetings : http://apps.facebook.com/callgreetings/
Regards,
Vijay
Posted by: Vijay | May 20, 2008 9:03 AM
another great app is the Blippr app, its movies, books, and music reviews.
http://apps.facebook.com/myblippr/
Posted by: bperry | May 20, 2008 9:22 AM
I use the my documents application to upload my resume to my profile.
http://apps.facebook.com/my-documents/
Posted by: Jay | May 20, 2008 9:42 AM
Even after all this it's still too late. Facebook doesn't care about me or my privacy, despite Zuck's claims as to why they banned Google's Friend Connect (we all really know why). They are evil. We need a new network that puts users' needs and desires first and isn't just interested in using us for our information so they can rake in the ad loot. Who's next?
Posted by: Zack | May 20, 2008 10:59 AM
I like Fred Wilson's comment a lot, but I would say as fast as people jumped onto Facebook, they will just as likely jump off. Facebook, is a lot like one of the major TV networks. It appeals to everyone, from me to my mom. As more moms and dads get on Facebook, it will be less and less cool.
Google's proposed friend connect, could offer the event-like capabilities outside the gates. Indeed, if there aren't any gates, you lessen the potential of being in the same 'network' as the uncool people.
That's my take. And I like your list. I'm one of the people that is slowly bailing.
Posted by: Matt Hames | May 20, 2008 11:05 AM
Here's another app for the getting things done section:
MyOffice
which was written about by RWW here:
MyOffice: Full Featured Groupware Tool on Facebook
Posted by: Dave | May 20, 2008 11:07 AM
Go mobile. Go mobile. Go mobile.
Facebook should become a Mobile OS. It should out-Android Google and license itself to cell phone makers as the default address book and PIM for your phone. As much as I love my iPhone, the iPhone facebook interface has all I really need. plus they've already got the developer platform....
obviously they'd have to find a way for you to manage non-facebook contacts, too, but that hardly seems difficult.
Posted by: Frank | May 20, 2008 11:25 AM
Thanks for an interesting collection of Facebook Apps.
You make a lot of suggestions for us the users to do make Facebook more useful or fun, but you leave out any suggestions for Facebook to add or modify features. Case-in-point: Facebook Email. I would actually talk to people on Facebook if they would let me POP my messages out. And then reply to those messages right from my email.
Posted by: Rex Pechler | May 20, 2008 12:57 PM
This just sounds like shoehorning lots of useful services into a website that has little use of its own. This aggregation of services can be done with services like netvibes, pageflakes, and similar personal portals. I can take care of all my communication needs via IM and email. I'm not convinced.
Posted by: VC | May 20, 2008 3:15 PM
Frankly when I see comments saying, "Look what my teen does now, imagine what will happen when they grow up!" are pretty invalid. Learning to use Facebook doesn't necessarily mean that in twenty years these people will be using Facebook v12.0.
I think FB as it stands now is a finite endeavor. Maybe they'll evolve into something bigger and better like a Web OS of sorts, who knows, but frankly I think the whole idea of any kind of OS, web or local, will be obsolete one day. But I digress...
Tracking eBay auctions from my FB profile page sounds like a lot more trouble than simply typing in 'ebay.com' into my browser window. Same with most of these other aggregation type apps. These aren't ways to make FB useful, they just add more 'stuff' to your page.
These apps are examples of, "Just because you can, doesn't mean you should."
Posted by: Sean Mulholland | May 20, 2008 4:51 PM
Great list of goodies, but I can't help but agree that it's quite similar to the old AOL days, and I too check in on it, but don't really know why. I use real email, my blogs, linkedin, and twitter, for my online communication, and the other stuff is simply to be there just in case I guess.
Posted by: Ryan H | May 20, 2008 5:55 PM
You can connect with other Nintendo fans too :)
http://apps.facebook.com/nintendonetwork
Posted by: James Rohal | May 20, 2008 8:30 PM
Great points!!!
I was in the mood to assume that facebook has acquired early saturation. and eventually a painful death!
:)
Posted by: dai | May 20, 2008 9:08 PM
The main problems with Facebook, in my opinion, stem from it being a completely closed environment. Facebook allows information in, but it won't let it out. It is not open. And those that try to take *their own information out* in any automated fashion are locked out of Facebook with no right to appeal. They can make arbitrary decisions on their own and remove someone's access to their Facebook presence at any time.
So investing time in developing a large Facebook presence in terms of connections, etc, is only useful as long as Facebook decides you are allowed to do it. If they decide to remove you from their closed system then your access to your data is gone. They own you writing, they own your movies, your pictures, your friends.
That's one reason many are moving to more open environments. FriendFeed is just one example of an open aggregator that has more and more features all the time. Even Myspace is developing openness. And Google continues to launch useful social networking tools and APIs.
Consider the difference with Seesmic, a video conversation site, that has a totally open API, connects with twitter and other social networking services and does not, as far as I know, arbitrarily remove anyone's access.
The office tools are all available outside of Facebook. The connections management and networking is all available outside of Facebook. I'd be wary of Facebook, particularly since they appear to be about to be purchased by Microsoft in order to capture those captive users.
Posted by: Jack | May 20, 2008 10:45 PM
Was pointed to this article by Ed Dale and have now subscribed to your feed. I found this really useful in giving an overview of what FB can do in terms of the applications, which I tend to avoid. I agree with the post above that FB is a valuable tool for internet marketeers (not just students). Thanks for all the info in one article, really useful, particularly for people like me who are in jobs working from home and trying to keep up with all the latest on im.
Posted by: nudgeme | May 21, 2008 1:07 AM
I aggree with most of the part but even then facebook has its life for some more years to go and eventually it has to die. Most of the people are sick of applications and advertisment and they leave it like nothing. Orkut's growth rate is not that steape but consistent.
Posted by: Faisal Riaz | May 21, 2008 5:20 AM
How about streaming Video and Audio directly into your FaceBook Profile enabling your friends to see you live and chat with you? Can You SeeMeNow? http://apps.facebook.com/seemenow
Posted by: Jamie Ginsberg | May 21, 2008 7:42 AM
I'm pretty sure that Flickr doesn't have an "official" Facebook app.
Posted by: Brad Dougherty | May 21, 2008 2:12 PM
I use twitter, facebook, yahoo finance, google search and a dozen other tools. I am 37 years old. I try new things.
I do not think facebook or any site will be everything to everyone. Look at the success of 37 signals. I like the little boxes that each of my favorite sites come in, I do not need a go-between.
Facebook has become "passthison.com" on steroids.
Posted by: Mike O'brien | May 22, 2008 10:38 PM
@brad - you are correct - updated
Hey some of us Old Fogies still Live on Flickr! Still thee Shining Light of the Web2.0 Universe*
I have to give FacePOOP credit I wasn't gonna get involved in yet another Huge Time Waster Social Network but I've run into some Great Old Friendz I ain't seen in Yearz + I'm meeting some c0ol New Peeps as swell*
Plus opening up their thingy to a lot of Amazing 3rd Party Apps ala Flickr was a Homerun for them + it let's us Find Out about a Ton of c0ol Stuff*
Who doesn't like getting SuperPOKED Everyday!! I've never Enjoyed so much Awesome SEX in my Life********
;PPP
Posted by: Billy Warhol | May 25, 2008 7:48 PM
Found another great Tech editor who closed his Facebook account several months ago... http://www.atelier-us.com/internet-usage/facebook,crunch-318-32.html
Posted by: Chris A. | May 25, 2008 10:44 PM
I quit facebook after i started getting a million requests to install applications, i have myspace which i use about 5 times per year, and now I have my new blog, where I am not asked to install anything!
Posted by: Midnightzak | June 2, 2008 2:49 PM