beautiful bytes: when one Facebook announcement isn’t enough
In this week’s beautiful bytes, Facebook hits us with not one, but two new announcements and leaves me questioning whether they’re trying to be Foogle.
Facebook launches app store
Earlier this week, Facebook announced that it would be launching its own app store, the key criteria being that all developers must use the Facebook Login in their apps. With over 900 million Facebook users, that’s a massive leveraging tool for new developers.
This development is certainly one way of addressing the problems presented to marketers by increasingly growing online mobile usage.
While the traditional model of reaching Facebook audiences has been via Facebook Ads, these are usually hidden if you access Facebook using a mobile app – which applies conservatively to 40% of users. So this reduces the number of opportunities that users have to see your ads, and therefore engage with your brand.
Although Facebook Apps have been around for a while, they remain optimised for desktop users. An app store geared to mobile users is another opportunity for brands to engage with their audiences in a richer, more compelling way.
As platforms like JustGiving continue to improve their mobile apps, I’m keen to see how new online giving apps take advantage of this new development to advance charity digital fundraising efforts.
Because one Facebook announcement wasn’t enough…
Already a feature for Facebook Groups for schools, Facebook announced earlier today that file sharing for all Facebook Groups is coming soon. Users will be able to share documents, images and books, but not music or executable files (the latter to mitigate it from becoming the next Pirate Bay, no doubt; the former probably to promote music sharing apps).
Hot on the heels of Google Drive, I think this is one step too far into the realm of Google Apps territory. On one hand, it seems like a natural step, reflecting the increasing influence of Facebook in our non-social lives. On the other, what’s next: Facebook Docs?
I think the success of both Facebook and Google Apps has been that, for the moment, largely speaking, most people can make the distinction of Google being for work and Facebook being for play – even (or maybe, especially) online/social/digital marketers. I don’t know if I would recommend a band/tv show/weekend event to my friends if I knew that colleagues in my work Facebook Group could see… and isn’t that one of the biggest challenges of social marketing?
Cookies, cookies, cookies
Following last week’s cookie law coverage, I’ve been receiving DMs about how to implement cookie notifications on charity websites. What is your charity doing to make your website compliant with the new cookie law?
Around the internet, our favourite sites are testing various methods, including the Guardian’s website.
Technology4Good Awards – your last week call!
If you have yet to enter this year’s Technology4Good Awards, this is your last week call to get your nominations in by 18 May. Read AbilityNet’s Mark Walker’s introduction to the awards on the NFPtweetup blog.
Until next week
Rochelle
