By jason on 01/11/2016
Facebook application development isn't that difficult.
Sure, there's a learning curve, familiarity, and a comfort level, but the application of social technologies is a greater conceptual challenge than a technological one.
We've built several sites that integrate Facebook, with varying degrees of success:
Facebook Connect:
Allows users to login to your website / mobile app using their Facebook credentials--easy, nice, has some drawbacks.
Facebook widgets:
Like box, Like button, Stream, Faces - easy, pre-built widgets available from Facebook--very nice.
Graph API:
Integrate your website or mobile app with the open graph--unlock an immense wealth of capabilities for providing your visitors/users with an optimized social experience, customized for them.
FQL:
Facebook Query Language--Access Facebook data like a database, find out all sorts of things (this is true power).
Share:
Sharing is powerful--get your brand in front of a lot of people, and have an opportunity to engage!
From these, you can build great applications. We recently added several features to the www.createcommongood.org website. Facebook connect allows people to sign-in using their facebook account, from there, badges are issued to reward user behaviors. When a donation is made, a badge is offered to the user, which will post to their wall with a simple click.
People can be recognized for the good they do, and encourage others to get involved.
Badges are just one piece. To build engagement and awareness, it takes a strategy based around the business and the nature of the relationship with the users. Some instances, for example, like game mechanics (points, levels, badges) are a great way to go, and in other cases a simple Facebook stream will do.
We love to brainstorm, conceptualize, and collaborate on the integration of social strategies! Whether it is creative support or production programming, contact us and we would love to discuss.
-Jason
