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Facebook Wish List: Five Apps I’d Actually Like to See

Sorry, but I think there is a serious disconnect between what Mark “Rizzn” Hopkins wants and what most Facebook users would want.

A podcast client? How many people know what a podcast is?

A Top 40 list? We know now that most adds are from the Profile box. So again, most users won’t care what’s in the app directory.

A PR Connection Tool? Right, because everyone needs to initiate a little PR.

IRC and FTP clients? How many people still use those? Way back when, Facebook launched a P2P media sharing client named Wirehog, which was a total disaster. I’m not convinced an FTP client would do better.

I admit I actually have no understand of his 5th wish list idea, so I won’t comment. I think he’s trying to describe Ning.

My top 5 wish list

1. A personalized version of Google News, taken from the shared items posted from your Friends.

2. Tagging of friends. This is something suspected is in the works. I want to be able to send messages or invites only to certain friends.

3. OpenID for all facebook users. Every facebook user should be able to easily link their Facebook account with their Amazon or eBay or Paypal or Skype accounts. E-Commerce has a large role to play in Facebook, and lining up who you are in facebook to who are you in Skype is crucial.

4. Stronger integration with local Neighborhoods. So yes, there are a few Neighborhood apps, but Facebook would be well served by growing the connectedness of a geographic community. Want to throw a party for the neighborhood? Find playmates for your kids? Tell your neighbors to look for your lost cat? The internet can help counteract what Robert Putnam describes in Bowling Alone.

5. A real email client. Sure, there is Facebook messaging, but what Facebook really should do is build Gmail right into Facebook. They could easily tack on features found in Xobni and Twine, and you’d get a heck of an email application.

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Tags: facebook

Senators Threatening Telcos With Probe Over Net Neutrality

Net Neutrality is important, so tell your friends. I’m not one for pushing agendas, but the internet is the gateway to the world’s knowledge. The ISPs cannot be allowed to control access.

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Yahoo Internet Cafes Launch in Vietnam

I can’t say enough about this – I think one of the most valuable ways to invest in the future is giving people access to the Internet. Yes, even in the poorest areas. I rank it up there with giving people access to clean water.

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Tags: Yahoo, education, internet

After another long layoff, it’s time to get back into blogging. I’ve just installed Flock 1.0 RC, and it’s great. I love the People sidebar, where I can track my Facebook friends’ status updates as well as my Twitter friends’ updates. Now if only they could also integrate the Meebo FF sidebar, then we’d be in business. I didn’t like the earlier beta version of flock, but this one is going to stick, I think.

So what’s been going on in my life? I’ve moved from being a Software Developer to a TPPM (Technical Product/Program Manager, but who’s checking?). My new group – Personalized Recommendations, still at Amazon.com. It’s… fantastic. Exactly the job I want. We’re doing some great, great work, and I’ll be posting when we have some updates worth talking about.

Some new developments – Amazon launches a Digital Music store thats (1) cheaper than iTunes, (2) better quality than iTunes, (3) DRM-free, and (4) we’ll pay Associates 4x for referrals compared to iTunes. Plus, more selection, thanks to a general disgust for Steve Jobs from the record labels.

Facebook – Mark Zuckerberg grabs Ballmer by the balls and laughs all the way to the bank. Nice one. Microsoft’s bright earnings report notwithstanding, I don’t see how Microsoft benefits from this. It’s really going to come down to what special perks MS gets from Facebook, because cornering the Facebook in Europe market doesn’t get me excited.

FriendFeed is pretty cool – as long as you read it in your RSS reader. It’s not a destination site by any means, so I’m not sure where the money is going to come from, but that’s not my problem. Besides, Paul Buchheit can afford it – he did, after all, create Gmail.

More tomorrow.

Dave

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Tags: blogging, Flock, Facebook, Amazon