Classifieds for Facebook
The facebook web api is starting to see legitimate use, as FBListings.com demonstrates. The site is restricted only to Facebook users, for posting and viewing classified ads. They claim 1000 unique facebook visitors, so check ‘em out. The postings are still sparse, but that is because you haven’t gone over there yet.
The site still needs work, because it is just the kind of informal student created site FB was expecting to encourage. For example, it doesn’t support double byte characters, and the site navigation could be improved. But classifieds are so clearly a necessary service, so perfect for the facebook community. Go use ‘em.
In fact, I think I should go create a better classifieds site, right now! Just kidding. But why don’t you? There are already 3 different competing google map mashups on the FB API products page. The barrier for entry is so low, fblistings better develop mass quickly!
On the other hand, if fblistings started becoming huge, facebook.com would immediately know, and why wouldn’t facebook just create it’s own included service? After all, the uncorrectable lack of integration with flyers is just odd and the main barrier to success for fblistings is that it is not a core feature of the facebook, and therefore has trouble getting critical mass. Would facebook buy the site, when it could probably replace it with a few weeks of development, and when integration would be even more work?
Classifieds are such an obvious core product that sales executives wondered aloud, even a year ago, why facebook doesn’t already have one. Right around that time, building one was one of my responsponsibilies, as one of the projects I discuss in my book.
I hope facebook values its API community enough to not diss, discard and disregard their work. Perhaps facebook should let community members know what products are in their own pipeline to avoid encouraging redundant, wasted work.
