With Facebook Platform as a Developer Friend, Who Needs Enemies?
When Esther Dyson declared to Web 2.0 startups in New York City last June, “Throw out your development, go use Facebook,” I asked if it would really be prudent for the Web to capitulate to Mark Zuckerberg, as the self-described Internet “court-jester” advised.
Dyson’s entrepreneurial rationale: It doesn’t matter if you are “better,” what matters is that you are “standard,” Facebook standard, of course.
What matters for Facebook, however, is not necessarily what matters for third-party developers staking their business future on “free” and “open” F8 love.
Two weeks ago, I underscored that Facebook development is risky business because while F8 may look like a free-ride, it is not risk-free and is designed to support the long-term business plan of Mark Zuckerberg alone.
Three weeks ago, I warned startups of how Facebook is a wolf in sheeps clothing, citing F8’s own Terms of Service.
Dyson served as an “expert” for TechCrunch40. Michael Arrington now says “building Facebook applications is a big dice roll,” in light of news of impending Facebook “friend grouping.”
New Facebook functionality, however, does not signal a new, self-centered Facebook, just as it does not imply a new, LinkedIn death wish.
From Web stewardship, to user privacy, to developer relations, Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook mission always has been and always will be crystal clear, as he declared while bestowing F8 upon the world:
We recently passed eBay in traffic and we’re working on passing Google, too.
Will F8 developers continue to help Zuckerberg reach his own Web domination goals, even at their own risk?
SEE: Startups: Why Facebook Platform is a Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing and Why Facebook Platform is Risky Business and Facebook: The Web’s Golden Handcuffs and Mark Zuckerberg: Use Facebook at Your Own Risk!