You Have 1 Invite to Delete All Your Invites on Facebook
By now, it isn’t a big surprise that the number of application invites that are being released out into the ether have almost put most if not all its users off. I just ignored 370 invites for time-wasting random applications that do nothing more than illicit clicks that don’t actually coerce you into responding to a call-to-action worth defending. That and removing most of the applications that I’ve added in the past because it somehow appealed to my ego at the time.
Total time wasted to clean my account? One hour and counting.
Money earned or relationships made or severed as a result of adding or ignoring those applications? Zero.
Guys, this is an example of when an open platform means a cesspool of dung which creates more work for its users. One can disable all invites of course, but then one would also lose the chance of getting an invite to use an application of real interest. In addition, the total blockage of app invites on a massive scale would immediately put into question Facebook’s value if application developers are not getting traction out of their efforts, thus rendering Facebook useless as a revenue channel.
But of course, there are a few select applications that are actually pretty useful, for instance the virtual Bookshelf. It allows you to tap into a database full of books that you have read or may read and share thoughts and reviews with your friends. Saying that, besides the few applications that I find useful, I will continue to skim over and purge the majority of it.
Facebook is still in its early days and its revenue model have yet to prove its efficacy. Either the quality of the apps have to improve or behavioral targeting algorithms need to be introduced where app invites are concerned. This means moderation of some sort need to be applied to control what shows up. It is messing about, and spoon-feeding at its best, although, Amazon.com have benefited greatly from behavioral targeting.
Can Facebook really remain open, keep its user base and be profitable at the same time? That is something for you to think about before you spend some serious dollars to develop Facebook applications.
Product Development Process: SCRUM
Here is a “Google Tech Talks” video recording of Ken Schwaber discussing the basic framework of Scrum and its implementation issues. Ken co-developed the Agile process Scrum, so this is an especially valuable 60-minute seminar recording for traditional project managers looking to get certified as a ScrumMaster, or for those needing a primer to understand just what Scrum means.
Who?
JACQUELINE MIAO
Web Strategist
PRINCE2 Project Manager
Location: London, U.K.-
