It’s been a few months since Facebook unveiled it’s new features and changes at the F8 Conference (read about it here). These are not the simple changes we are all used to, like choosing recent or popular stories, and privacy settings. NO! Far from it, these are changes that will affect the entire internet and how we interact with it.
Much more than Listening
Open Graph – wave of the future.
The first two stages of Open Graph are in place, and the third (and biggest) building block is being implemented as quickly as the techs can get it all sorted out.
You are, by now, familiar with the Ticker and the basics of Timeline (here are some setting tips for you). You have probably begun to see things like, “Bob is listening to …. on …” or maybe “Rachel, read two articles on…). Just as in linguistics, these bold verbs are called “verbs” or “actions”, and they are the next big thing for Facebook and third parties. Yahoo, Google, Spotify and and slew of others are the first to align with the book for Open Graph sharing, and many more are lined up.
Apps and verbs and Dis-like Buttons
Your favorite web-sites and apps will soon be integrated in major new ways, and they revolve around words. Sites and app developers can now change the ubiquitous “Like” button to say anything at all – including “Dis-Like“. That’s not the neat bit. The really neat bit is this:
In the near future, you will be able to use an app to put your favorite news service, music page, or just about anything right on your Facebook profile. That includes cool apps such as a “Running app” that will allow you to measure and post about your daily runs, keep track of goals, weight loss, and much more. As a matter of fact, with the click of a few buttons, you can create an app to do this (or a host of other things) yourself . It’s not hard, but it is a subject for another post.
What the Facebook guys say…
Jennifer Van Grove got to talk with the Facebook folks, and gave a great description on Social Beat (be sure to give it a read).
“You can think of them as the new “Like” button, but Actions are instead used to document the behaviors you take elsewhere on the web. Actions are created and defined by third-party developers, and soon you’ll start to see them everywhere: in Ticker, News Feed and Timeline on Facebook, and in the applications or on the sites you’ve already come to love.
A cooking site, for instance, could create the “Cooked” action and associate that action with its collection of recipes. You’d then be able to click a button to indicate that you’ve cooked something and automatically share that update to Ticker. You’d also be able to add that same cooking application as a box to your Timeline, and in so doing show off all the recipes you’ve made in a small container on your Timeline.” Jennifer Van Grove – Venture Beat
Are you using Open Graph?
We would like to know how you are using Open Graph. Do you click to listen, also, when you see a friend listening to a cool new band, or do you read the articles your friends read? Have you developed your own app – what does it do? What kinds of actions would you like to see implemented? What are your thoughts on possible privacy issues? Let us know in the comments, please.
About Jedi Bret
