In checking on my Fire-EMS application today I stumbled over something new residing on the bottom frame of every Facebook page. Confused, I started clicking wildly, of course. Come to find out that Facebook has instituted a new chat feature, akin to Gmail’s, where now you know what friends are actively on Facebook at all times if you so choose to know such information, and you can speak with them straight through Facebook, instantly. It’s like having a private wall with instantaneous updates, which is great assuming you have no cell phone, no AIM, no MSN Messenger, no Gmail, and no life, really.

I understand the boardroom conversation that would have spawned something like this. “What do other services that link people do that we don’t do, that’ll get someone to come back to our website and generate more ad revenue?” While this is a sound question in internet business principle, it’s just another example of services being provided that erode what is left of our humanity. That’s right, even I, who loves me my technology, must admit that there needs to be some restraint shown occassionally in what we developers unleash upon the world. Every step we take to being that much more compelled to not even call someone is a little scary to me. To not even hear a voice? If we should learn anything from our parents’ technology frustrations, let it be that there needs to be some human in the process somewhere. And while, as an introvert, I am often compelled to stay in and not speak to anyone, the least thing I really need is for Facebook to be my enabler.

It’s beautiful outside, so honestly, rather than worry about this, I hope you all don’t mind if I just cut it here and go out to play some football. You have, at least, been informed, so my job is complete.

I think I’m following the development of the new Facebook profile system way closer than I really need to be, but I have been all for a redesign of Facebook profiles for a really long time, and it’s nice to have a look into the thoughts and minds of the Facebook development team. Developing an application is more about the process than it is about the actual writing of the code, and every person or team has their own way of doing things. For my own part, most of my projects do not require the massive public feedback that Facebook is seeking throughout the profile redesign process. So it’s interesting for me to see what they put out each week, since it reflects their design process.

This week they didn’t really have much of anything to say, specifically, and no new screen shots to show. This was a nonupdate, but important for public relations. They basically let all of us developers and users know that they have monitored the comments we’ve made and reacted accordingly, but reminded people that though they may provide a glimpse into their designs and thoughts from time to time, that the glimpses may not represent the ultimate reality, but, and this really what’s important, the core concepts will survive. While it would be nice to have some new images to show you, and more information, I’m afriad I don’t have much. I will filter out some the extra verbage and present some of the key points from their most recent update in their own words:

“We posted a few screen shots last week of filters on your ‘Feed’ tab. We want to give you an easy way to only see Wall posts, or only see Mini-Feed stories if you want. Overall we received really positive comments, and definitely plan on providing an option similar to this. However, this design isn’t perfect, and we are currently working on making the whole thing more seamless and intuitive. We also received valuable feedback that the icons didn’t make sense or correctly represent the action they were supposed to describe.

“Something else we heard when we posted these same screen shots, is that people didn’t care for the speech bubbles.

“Something else that people have been asking for is someplace on the profile for the majority of your application boxes. A few weeks ago, we asked if people would like an extra tab just for all of their third party applications and we received very supportive responses…We’re working on some design iterations to accommodate this, and we look forward to sharing our ideas with you soon.”

So there you have it, Facebook is listening.

I noticed that Facebook posted some clarification of their new profile system, so here it is, reposted, verbatim:

1. Will Facebook applications appear in the narrow column?
   Facebook applications won’t appear in the narrow column by default, but users can add them there if they so choose.
2. How many applications will appear in the narrow column?
   By default, three applications will appear in the narrow column. The rest will appear in the extended profile, like they can today.
3. What are the width and height of the profile box in the narrow column?
   Profile boxes in the narrow column will continue to have the same width and padding as today, with a maximum height of 400 pixels.
4. On which tabs will the narrow column appear?
   The narrow column will definitely appear on the “Wall” tab. It will possibly appear on the About tab.
5. Will the narrow column appear on the application tabs?
   At this time, the narrow column will not appear on an application tab. This is to keep user focused on the selected application.
6. Will the About tab have profile boxes?
   Yes, up to five profile boxes can appear on the About tab. We’ll provide two templates for formatting the boxes, one for lists and one for thumbnails with captions.
7. What is the width of About tab box?
   The About tab box is going to be 500 pixels wide. We’re adding an additional 10 pixels of padding on the left side and 20 pixels of padding on the right.
8. Can applications go in the wide column?
   There are no profile boxes in the wide column of the “Wall” tab. However, there will be sections for applications in the wide column on the About tab. See the screen shot of the About tab. Note the section for the “My Best Friends” application (bear in mind that the design might change).
9. Will there be a general tab for all applications?
   While we aren’t providing a tab for all applications, we are considering a tab on the user’s Facebook Home page for application boxes.
10. What do I need to do to create an application tab?
    Application tabs will work like regular canvas pages. We’ll release more information on integrating into application tabs soon.
11. How many application tabs can exist before they appear in the “more” section?
    We are currently deciding between two and four.
12. What is the width for the new application tabs?
    Application tabs will run the width of the page — 903 pixels. We’re adding an additional 20 pixels of padding on each side. The screen shot of the Photos tab should give you an idea of the dimensions of an application tab. (Note that the design of the Photos tab and of application tabs overall might change.)
13. How many application profile action links can appear?
    By default, three application profile action links will appear on the profile, but that can change depending on user behavior. There won’t be a link to display more profile action links.
14. Are there going to be new API calls or FBML tags?
    Yes, we are changing the Platform API and creating new FBML tags. We will release more information about them very soon on this blog.
15. Why are you combining Wall and Mini-Feed on the “Wall” tab?
    The profile is a place where a user might catch up with a friend by reading a new Wall post, or by seeing a Mini-Feed story with pictures from a trip they just took. While the Wall and Mini-Feed may seem like two totally separate things, both can contribute towards telling a more complete story. The idea behind combining the Wall and Mini-Feed is to put all of the most important information in the same place, so users don’t have to constantly search around to keep up with their friends. We’ve posted a screenshot detailing this on the Facebook Profiles Previews Page (become a fan of this Page so you can stay up to date on the improved profile). The new “Wall” now consists of Wall posts as we currently know them, but also stories users once saw in their Mini-Feeds. This allows friends to write on a user’s wall, directly after other content they might find interesting. The goal is to make a cleaner, more relevant Wall that compiles the most relevant information about the people a user cares about. And given the Wall’s popularity with users, we are working out a way to easily filter down to just Wall posts from a friend’s profile.
16. What is the timeframe for us to make these changes?
    We plan to release the updated profile to our users in early April, 2008.

For those who don’t already know, Facebook has decided to revamp the look and feel of their profiles. This is essentially a return to the beginning because at the outset Facebook was about profiles and making connections, and then everything else was slowly built on top of that. Now it’s time to go back and rework the profiles so they’re more up to speed with all the new systems.

Before I throw in my two cents, here’s some images, linked to their larger source image for your reference:

Now I’m personally a fan of the new profile system. What it basically comes down to is reorganizing and prioritizing the form and function of the profiles to make them less cluttered and more useful. The highlights include three main tabs at the top (wall, about, and photos), a wider right side column, and the removal of applications from the right side column. Now, as a developer of a Facebook application, I should hate that they’ve removed my ability to place my application’s profile info in the wide column, but as a developer in general, I am delighted that Facebook is taking a stand against developers, essentially saying, “we are removing you from this priviledged space because you failed to excercise adequate design and functional judgements.” Honestly, few developers have any interest in trying to maintain Facebook’s aesthetic within their applications, instead branching out into their own boisterous styles. While this is certainly an acceptable choice, since it is your application after all, it shows a lack of conceptual understanding, or, an inability to show you understand that your application is just a part of a much larger totality and you’re aware of how it fits into that totality.

Before you developers out there throw a fit, know that if a user treasures your application enough, they can create a whole new custom tab, just for application. So yes, I lied a little when I said you’ll be completely barred from the right side column, but the ability to appear there is completely dependant on a user being so enamored by your application that they bother to create a new tab just for it. This means your application has to either have a lot of value, or appeal to an audience that’ll add just about anything (and honestly, the fact is there’s plenty of those people on Facebook). For me, I’m not in Facebook development for the money; I don’t force ads down the throats of my users, and I don’t at any point even ask them to invite people (I have a tab at the top they click if they so choose of their own free will). So, creating an application that has value to the user is more important to me, and I’m glad that Facebook is taking another little step to maybe forcing other developers to reevaluate their applications’ end value to the user.

Just my two cents.

Before I get started on this quasi-tragic tale/diatribe, let me first welcome you to Nerds and Co., your one-stop-shop for things that probably shouldn’t matter.

That being said, I have a confession to make: I’m a developer of a Facebook application. More importantly, I’m the Lead Developer for Solvo Media, working on our Solvation software. So it’s with interest and perhaps even some envy that I first took interest in the Facebook Platform. The idea of placing massive amounts of security around so many millions or people’s private information, with the intent of opening that platform to third-party Internet developers to manipulate that data…well, it had horror-film written all of it.

Now, don’t get me wrong, the platform has been a massive success. Given that it’s goal was to get people to keep coming back, visiting lots of pages, and maybe clicking on lots of ads (or at least generating lots of ad-views), no one can deny that the opening of Facebook to applications certainly paid off. Hell, I just paid Facebook $20 to advertise on their site, my application, which is on their site. It’s a bit confounding, to say the least.

Nonetheless, developers, like all anonymous individuals on the Internet, are a seedy group of characters. Since Facebook first launched the platform in I believe May or June of ‘07, developers have found ways to frustrate users and generate, one assumes, at least a fair amount of revenue. I’m sure that Facebook wasn’t so naive that they thought there wouldn’t be problems, but developers certainly have thrown the Facebook team some interesting curve-balls.

From a practical business standpoint, the platform was designed to keep people coming back and active on the site. If all you did was have a profile and upload a few pictures and write on walls, the incentive to keep coming back regularly would be fairly slim. But, open up the system for a plethora of third party developers to create fun applications that keep people coming back at no cost to yourself? Genius!

That is, until your mailbox looks like this:

Hey! Join Top Friends!
Hey! Someone loves you! Add Spark!
Hey! Why not add another wall, with Fun Wall!
Hey! Why not add a third wall, with Super Wall!
Hey! Add iLike! We have an almost Apple-copyright-infringing name!
Hey! Add Compare People! You can compare people!
Hey! I need love, so add Hug Me and Hug Me!
Etc.
Etc.
Etc.

As if the massive amounts of invites wasn’t enough, applications were promising rich experiences and hiding them behind the invitation applet. These are your more insidious applications, where the user experience is forfeit to the potential for slight additional revenue. I’m looking at you Chainn, Inc., although you’re not alone.

For those who aren’t developers, the millions who merely use Facebook because, well, it’s Facebook, I want to make something very clear. Facebook understands you’re upset. Facebook understands that developers have taken advantage of the system. And while you, the viewer, generate the revenue that makes Zuckerberg rich, Facebook also understands that the developers are a crucial asset. Call it a catch-22. See, they want you to come back, again, and again, and again. They need the developers to create the applications that make the site interesting enough to garner repeat visits. So, they can’t very well piss off the developers for the sake of the average user.

As a Lead Developer and Project Manager, I’m delighted to follow this struggle. When your business model is to be the middle-man between users and the developers who don’t always care about the user, well, you have an exhaustive job ahead of you to strike that precious middle ground. So far I’d postulate that Facebook has done a fairly decent job, especially recently, in wrangling developers into being better team players, first by plea, then by direct platform restrictions.

For example, users don’t know this I’m sure, but how they react to invitations and emails will now affect how often applications can interact with users. This is, in my opinion, a great leap forward. Now, the user has the ability to determine for Facebook which developers deserve to have the right to spam their mailboxes.

For us developers who actually care about the user experience, we can’t wait to sit down with a big tub of popcorn and watch the unscrupulous developers go down, but the truth is, that day will likely never come.

Figures.