61–70 of 92 posts
Bummer, during election season Social Fixer made facebook usable by blocking any comment with the strings 'republican/democratic/romney/obama.' I am going to miss having the ability to filter crap from my news feed.
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This did not use the Facebook API. It completely circumvents it.
Yes. What they said. Social Fixer is not bound by any API TOS, because I do not use their API or any official mechanism they offer. I am not a Facebook Developer, and this isn't a Facebook App. This is, of course, intentional, because I don't want to be bound by the Developer TOS.
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Agreed. But also note - this isn't a point of failure. It's an annoyance, and it's Facebook being arbitrary and inconsistent. But it doesn't affect my ability to deliver the product. It just makes it a little harder, because the most logical communication medium between myself and my users has been taken away.
Of all the companies out there, Facebook is the least arbitrary and inconsistent I know! Just imagine they're a perfectly rational, self-interested actor who plays realpolitik all the time and plan accordingly. For example, how does FB benefit from your product? Does it hamper them in any way? Even the name (Social "Fixer") does not align with FB's interests. The rational thing to do would be to shut you down. If you…
Which is fine - they have a right to do that. But everyone should be aware of this, because at some point when Facebook decides they don't like your politics, or hobby, or sexual choices, they'll arbitrarily shut you down, too. So, don't give them any more than you can afford to lose. But I see many companies investing a ton of time and money into their Facebook strategy. My point is to beware, because it may not be a good choice.
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I did not violate their TOS. This is not a Facebook App that uses their API, therefore I am not bound by their developer TOS.
You are bound by their whims, however. I feel for you-- it's unfortunate to have something you put your heart and soul into shut down without notice. This is why I would hesitate before developing a facebook or iOS app. Being subject to the whims of some tech bureaucrat's interpretation is a little too discomforting.
One of the most important lessons I've learned during the growing-up phase of my being an entrepreneur -- and one of the first things I'm doing with my next startup -- is putting together a list of "doomsday scenarios" right off the bat. What are the _single_ actions / events / scenarios that could kill your business overnight? I emphasize single because every business is going to have the potential for a series of u…
One of the most important lessons I've learned during the growing-up phase of my being an entrepreneur -- and one of the first things I'm doing with my next startup -- is putting together a list of "doomsday scenarios" right off the bat. What are the _single_ actions / events / scenarios that could kill your business overnight? I emphasize single because every business is going to have the potential for a series of u…
Agreed. But also note - this isn't a point of failure. It's an annoyance, and it's Facebook being arbitrary and inconsistent. But it doesn't affect my ability to deliver the product. It just makes it a little harder, because the most logical communication medium between myself and my users has been taken away.
Were you paying Facebook to provide your business [edit: I see from another post of yours that it's actually a side project--so this might not be strictly applicable to you, but I still think it's worth bringing up] with a communication medium between you and your users? I'm going to take a wild guess and say that the answer is no.
And that brings up what I see as the real issue here; actually two of them:
(1) Business owners still seem to see Facebook as a free platform that they can build on as they please, without realizing that you get what you pay for. If you're not paying Facebook, you're not their customer and your business has no leverage over them, particularly if your business is built on something they're known to dislike.
(2) Why doesn't Facebook allow businesses to pay for some kind of premium business account that lets them communicate with their users, or even alter the user interface their users see? That would solve both problems--your problem of needing a communication platform that everybody knows about, and FB's problem of not getting any benefit from third parties piggybacking off their popularity.
One of the most important lessons I've learned during the growing-up phase of my being an entrepreneur -- and one of the first things I'm doing with my next startup -- is putting together a list of "doomsday scenarios" right off the bat. What are the _single_ actions / events / scenarios that could kill your business overnight? I emphasize single because every business is going to have the potential for a series of u…
It comes down to this: if you are serious about your business, build redundancy throughout ALL layers, not just technology but also personnel. You gave the example of CTO, but I would go one step further: there should always be someone who can act as interim CEO if something happens to you.
One of the most important lessons I've learned during the growing-up phase of my being an entrepreneur -- and one of the first things I'm doing with my next startup -- is putting together a list of "doomsday scenarios" right off the bat. What are the _single_ actions / events / scenarios that could kill your business overnight? I emphasize single because every business is going to have the potential for a series of u…
This is called "bus factor". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bus_factor
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Of all the companies out there, Facebook is the least arbitrary and inconsistent I know! Just imagine they're a perfectly rational, self-interested actor who plays realpolitik all the time and plan accordingly. For example, how does FB benefit from your product? Does it hamper them in any way? Even the name (Social "Fixer") does not align with FB's interests. The rational thing to do would be to shut you down. If you…
Agreed. Unfortunately, this is a personal side project. If it were my business, I would certainly approach it differently. The only benefit they get is that lots of people continue using Facebook who otherwise may have given up on it. Oh, and they sometimes seem to add features that I come up with first. But in general, yes - I am someone they would like to just make go away. Which is fine - they have a right to do t…
The only possible chance you have around this is growing so fast and becoming so essential that the platform provider can't punish you without punishing themselves. See, e.g., Facebook and Zynga.
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Yes. What they said. Social Fixer is not bound by any API TOS, because I do not use their API or any official mechanism they offer. I am not a Facebook Developer, and this isn't a Facebook App. This is, of course, intentional, because I don't want to be bound by the Developer TOS.
Unfortunately altering the FB experience, api or not is against their TOS.