Boomerang

Will everyone who hates social networks please raise your hand? Do you (like me) believe that the overwhelming lameness of these networks overshadows their usefulness? Granted, they can be an excellent way to connect with people you never would have connected to offline. They can also be great for companies that want to connect with their customers to get real, instant feedback — which is invaluable. For my personal life however, I haven’t found social networks to be essential, since they are completely separate from my normal Web experience.

The good news is that social networks are finally getting the picture. Two weeks ago, Facebook launched its latest feature, positioning itself as an operating system by allowing outside developers to build programs to live on its site. Basically, the social network is allowing anyone with the right knowledge to create a program for Facebookers to add to their site and spread virally. I care, because now a ton of really cool mini apps will be created that focus on the things I’m interested in, making my social networking experience more in line with my regular Internet experience.

Another great benefit is that the cost of entry for creating and spreading a tool has virtually diminished. You no longer need an entire web company to produce a cool application and distribute it to a wide user base. Any single person on Earth who has a unique idea and the right knowledge can create a tool that is used by many thousands, if not millions of people within a short period of time. Take iLike, an application that makes music recommendations based on preferences, and allows users to know what types of music their friends are listening to. This company created an application for Facebook immediately after the feature launched. After only a week, around a million users have added iLike to their page.

I have to admit, I didn’t think Facebook had the guts to step up to the plate and hand the reins over to the masses. There are a number of risks it is taking on by allowing others to add to its site. Because anyone can create a program and spread it instantly, Facebook risks associating its brand with content it has no control over. Also, many users blame programs they don’t like on Facebook, rather than the developers. It will be interesting to see how other large companies deal with relinquishing control as this trend expands. Will their next step be massive regulation of this type of content? Will they try to disassociate themselves from content that appears undesirable?

I believe that the benefits of opening up these resources far outweigh the cost.  Facebook’s evolution represents a large shift in the Internet experience. If it’s successful, it will make the social network a much more useful and integral part of the Web experience. We will be able to connect to our friends in more ways and take all our favorite parts of the Web and collect them in one place. My question to you is what type of application do you want to see created on the site?