Ten Killer Facebook Applications
Facebook apps are available, many of these are either little used or
have little practical usefulness. Still, many of them take advantage of the
Facebook environment and provide an added value to a person’s Facebook
experience. In this chapter, I select ten that I would argue are “killer” apps
and help demonstrate the power of the Facebook Platform.
The criteria I generally followed were as follows:
interact with it in a meaningful way. A killer Facebook app leverages the
Facebook social network and integrates it into the core of its functionality.
packed with features that they offer too much, providing functionality
that most people don’t have use for. The best Facebook apps have a limited
scope, clear purpose, and intuitive interface. They also work well
within the real estate constraints of the Facebook environment.
keeps people coming back to Facebook to use.
the capabilities of an existing Web application by making it even more
useful by integrating it with Facebook’s social network. However, the
smart apps do not force Facebook users to create an account on a thirdparty
site, but merely integrate with an existing account if a user has one.
Developed by the popular travel review site Tripadvisor.com, Local Picks
allows you to write and get personalized recommendations
for restaurants — in your area or around the world. Tripadvisor.com offers
restaurant reviews on its home site, but what makes Local Picks a killer
Facebook app is that it combines that functionality with the networking
strengths of Facebook. As a result, you can share reviews with your Facebook
friends as well as get reviews from other Facebook members or Tripadvisor
contributors.
2. Attack!
http://apps.facebook.com/attackgame
Attack! is a Facebook app that I just had to include on this list. Not only is it
a good representation of a Facebook-based game, but I am also personally
addicted to it! Attack! is an online version of the classic board game Risk. But
what makes it special is that your opponents can either be friends or other
Facebook members with actual names, rather than anonymous nicknames
like Spiraljoe3100 that you usually find with other online games. With a live
chat box, Attack! lends itself to a strong community element, playing with
friends and getting to know other Facebook members you normally would
never interact with. I’ve made friends with several people
through a good Attack! game.
If you are not a Risk player, I also recommend Scrabulous (http://apps.
facebook.com/scrabulous). Scrabulous is an online Scrabble game inside
Facebook that you can play with your friends.
3. iRead
http://apps.facebook.com/ireadit
iRead is the most popular book-focused app available on Facebook. Using
iRead you can share reading lists, recommendations, and reviews with your
friends. But you can go beyond the circles of your friends as well by finding
and interacting with other iRead users who have similar reading interests
as you do and get their recommendations.
4. Quizzes
http://apps.facebook.com/quizzes
Quizzes could be described as a “social mixer app” — it exists purely as a
vehicle for friends and others to interact with each other online. You can set
up an online quiz that your friends can take about you or whatever topic you
want. Here’s a random sampling: How well do you know Sachin Tendulkar? What type of
cheese are you? Do you know India?
5. Where I’ve Been
http://apps.facebook.com/whereivebeen
Where I’ve Been is a travel app that allows you to display a map of the world,
showing where you have lived (red), visited (blue), or would like to visit
(green). You can share your world map and travel diary entries with your
friends. The interactive world map is enjoyable to work with and can be displayed
in a profile box
6. Flixster
http://apps.facebook.com/flixster
Flixster is the movie equivalent of iLike. The heart of Flixster is the ability to
interact with your friends on movies. You can share movie lists, recommendations,
and reviews with your friends. You can also take movie quizzes and
share results with your friends. However, Flixster borders on trying too hard
by offering movie trailers, show times, and other general movie info that has
little to do with Facebook’s social network.
7. Top Friends
http://apps.facebook.com/topeight/?whoson=1&ref=sidenav
Top Friends is one of the most popular of all Facebook apps. Its purpose is
very simple — display your favorite friends in a profile box on your profile
page. In this way, you can make your best friends happy and your lesser
friends quite unhappy. Although that functionality hardly qualifies it as a
“killer app,” Top Friends also provides a practical benefit: You can quickly
poke or write a message to a friend through a single click.
8.& 9. Introplay’s Workout Olympiad
and Runlicious
http://apps.facebook.com/introplay
http://apps.facebook.com/runlicious
Introplay’s Workout Olympiad and Runlicious are two Facebook
apps that enable you to track your athletic workouts on Facebook, compare
your progress with others, and monitor the progress of your friends. Although
Introplay allows you to track workouts in dozens of activities, Runlicious is
geared only toward runners.
10. Appsaholic
http://apps.facebook.com/appsaholic
For Facebook developers, Appsaholic is a “killer app” simply because it
tracks how users are using applications. You can use it to monitor the usage
of your own app or track other third-party apps of interest. You can also buy
Facebook advertising directly from within Appsaholic.