Facebook apps

There are two set of Facebook apps -- first-party apps and third-party apps. Let's take a look at each of these in turns.

First-party application

These applications are developed by Facebook and available to all members.It include photos, videos, groups, events, marketplace, posted items, notes and gifts. Here's a quick breakdown on what each application does:

• The photos application allows you to upload as many images as you like. If you have a picture of another Facebook member, you can tag the photo with that member's name. After tagging the photo, it'll appear both in your photo album and on your friend's profile.
• Facebook's video application is similar in many ways to YouTube. Members can upload videos in almost every format, but Facebook requests that all files remain below 100 megabytes and that videos be shorter than two minutes. Facebook converts videos into the flash (.flv) format.
• With the groups application, you can join other members' interest groups or you can create one of your own.
• The events application allows you to invite other Facebook members to a real-life gathering.
• Facebook's marketplace is a lot like craigslist -- it lets members connect with other people who want to buy or sell stuff. All transactions occur directly between members -- Facebook only hosts the exchange; it doesn't get involved in sales.
• The posted items application can be used to post videos, songs or anything else on a Web page to your profile. All you have to do is enter the Web page's URL into the post field on Facebook. The application generates a thumbnail of the target page that acts as a hyperlink. Your friends can click on the thumbnail to visit Web sites that you think are cool and interesting.
• With the gifts application, you can send another member a virtual gift in the form of a small icon. There are dozens of gifts to choose from, all designed by Susan Kare, who created the icons for the original Macintosh computer system. The first gift is free, but all subsequent gifts cost $1 and require a credit card -- Facebook doesn't accept PayPal. Facebook donates proceeds from gift giving to charitable organizations. Gifts can be private or public, and you can include a message with your gift.

Third-party application

Third-party Facebook applications can dramatically change your experience on the site, including a massive overhaul to your profile page. Your simple profile can transform into an exciting page that includes videos, product reviews, games and virtual pets.These applications is developed by facebook members themselves which is hundreds of it available on the site.

• To create applications in Facebook, you first must add the Facebook developer application to your profile.
• You also must have access to a Web server where you can store your application -- Facebook does not host third-party programs.
• Applications can be Web-based, desktop-based or mobile-device-based.
• Facebook's application programming interface (API) is based on a Representational State Transfer (REST) interface.
• REST network was an idealized version of the World Wide Web that had independent components that worked together to maximize the efficiency of data transfers
• a REST-interface means that applications interfacing with Facebook send method calls using Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) -- GET or POST requests. HTTP is the communications protocol used by the World Wide Web -- the GET request retrieves information and the POST request adds information to an existing Web page. This means that Facebook applications can retrieve information from member profiles, post messages to profiles or do both.
• Developers can also use the Facebook Query Language (FQL), which is similar to Structured Query Language (SQL). These programming languages designed to retrieve information from databases. With FQL, a developer can obtain information about any user who downloads his or her application.
• For those developers who want to create applications that deeply integrate themselves into Facebook's platform, there's the Facebook Markup Language (FBML). Facebook derived the language from HTML and added some site-specific tags. Using this language, developers can create applications that become a more integral part of the user's Facebook experience, affecting profile appearance and function.
• Every application has a space on Facebook called a canvas page, which developers can use however they wish. When a user clicks on an application icon, his or her web browser goes to that application's canvas page. Developers can include Web advertising on canvas pages, sell products using a Facebook-designed interface or simply share information with the user.

I think, using Facebook apps is quite interesting for my project execution. I'll develop more idea on this apps for this project.