Top 10 Facebook Apps (from two perspectives)
OK, the TechCrunch interns tell us about their top 10 favorite Facebook applications. Now, since the interns are 20-somethings I expected that I’d have a different take on what we needed and so I talked through it on my Kyte.tv channel.
Here’s the TechCrunch Intern’s apps:
1. iLike (music app).
2. Graffiti (way to draw little lame cartoons on your Facebook profile).
3. Where I’ve Been (a way to brag to your friends that you’ve been to more countries than they have).
4. Zoho Online Office (a way to share Zoho’s apps with your friends).
5. Fantasy Stock Exchange (fun game, I wonder which stocks they are picking).
6. Flickr Photos.
7. Honesty Box. (A way to send anonymous messages. I already have comments on my blog for that reason.)
8. Box.net files. Useful way to share files.
9. Superpoke. A serious 40 something wouldn’t be caught dead pinching, hugging, tickling his friends.
10. Friend match. 40 somethings don’t need more friends.
11. Bonus: TechCrunch.
My favorite Facebook apps:
1. Google Reader Shared Items. This is way more useful for those who read a lot of feeds. Plus it shows you who has the most popular blog posts in the past few hours.
2. Twitter/Pownce/Jaiku apps. Pick the one you’re on. That lets your Facebook readers keep up with you, no matter where you post.
3. The video application. Lets you send video messages to all your friends from your computer’s webcam.
4. Kyte.tv. You see it here on this post (if you’re reading on my blog — lots of feed readers strip it out). But you also see the same thing on Facebook. You can chat with people live there on that app too.
5. BlogTips. If you’re looking to blog better, use this app.
6. Upcoming Calendar app. Come on, don’t 20-somethings have to keep track of all the events that are coming their way?
7. Blog Friends. Don’t the interns have any friends with blogs? This is how you track them.
8. WordPress. If you blog on WordPress or WordPress.com, this is the app for you. Shows your posts AND your comments. I thought every 20-something had a WordPress blog?
9. Ustream.tv. This isn’t important to everyone (who here other than Chris Pirillo has a streaming video show). But I included it here cause I have to wonder about a 20 something who isn’t into streaming video. Don’t you guys watch Justin.tv?
10. SkypeMe. Lets you use Skype to call me.
11. FaceReviews. It’s a Website that reviews Facebook applications.
12. iLike. Hey, at least we matched up on that one and the Zoho one (although I don’t have any Zoho stuff I want to share publicly yet).
What do you think? Which Facebook apps are you using, if you’re on Facebook?
I don’t add any of the silly ones, so don’t tell me about the Ninja app or anything like that.
Powered By 
August 1st, 2007 at 4:04 am
“Upcoming Calendar app. Come on, don’t 20-somethings have to keep track of all the events that are coming their way?”
Speaking as a 20-something, almost all the social stuff I’m invited to originates as a Facebook event these days. I use Upcoming for conferences and geek meetups, though.
August 1st, 2007 at 4:05 am
Well, how surprising: I am using kyte.tv on my profile!
August 1st, 2007 at 4:08 am
Oh i didn’t know face book can do so much things… seldom use that even though I have signed up for an account with them. thanks for the tip! Gotta go for a re-visit again.
August 1st, 2007 at 4:09 am
btw, i forgot to mention: my age: 27 ;-)
August 1st, 2007 at 4:09 am
We, at WatZatSong, have just launched a music quiz application. Here is the link if you fancy having a look:
http://apps.facebook.com/watzatsong/
Cheers,
Raphael / WatZatSong
August 1st, 2007 at 4:21 am
This is the difference between the list of a 20-something who wants to use Facebook to connect with friends and be entertained, and a not-so-20-something who wants to use Facebook to push out content and build a media brand.
Neither is the wrong answer, but the TechCrunch list goes back to heart of Facebook where every profile is equal and applications are as much about what you take from another profile as what you broadcast out through your own. For you, it’s the Scoble channel and that’s fine, since those of us connected to you through Facebook know that’s why we’re there. No illusions (and I’m much closer to your age than the TC intern’s).
You use the majority of your “friends” purely to get content that you can then push out through your own profile, and to collect an audience, and your application list reflects that. And that’s just fine. Anyone who doesn’t like it can simply not have you in their friends list.
August 1st, 2007 at 4:22 am
That kyte.tv thing crashes my browser, every time I try to load the page.
August 1st, 2007 at 4:34 am
Tom: what browser?
Judi: One problem with your theory. Facebook itself is two way. It brings me TONS of stuff that YOU DO.
Google Reader app, for instance, shows me what my friends are sharing. That’s INVALUABLE for me.
Video app brings me tons of videos FROM MY FRIENDS.
BlogTips? Tips FROM my friends!
Kyte.tv? Did you know you can upload video to my channel? Go ahead and try. Everyone will see it.
WordPress? Displays YOUR comments (in fact your comment is already displayed on my Facebook page).
BlogFriends? Displays OTHER PEOPLE’s blogs.
SkypeMe? Let’s YOU call me.
Etc. Etc. If you think you aren’t equal in this game you’re wrong. You should see my feed when I sign onto Facebook. It doesn’t show me what I did. It shows me what YOU do.
August 1st, 2007 at 4:34 am
I like Photos, Bill Monk (this was done for me:-), Yahoo Videos, Google Reader&iLike&Twitter of course.
And I like Radar because I travel so much and I cand instantly send pictures from my mobile phone to my friends! For free!
And I use MyTv just when I am bored and want to see what everyone else is watching.
August 1st, 2007 at 4:46 am
Last.fm’s new app.
I’ll also put a vote in for iLike and box.net. (I’m 28 and three quarters, for the record!)
August 1st, 2007 at 5:05 am
And the best thing is I found this post through Blog Friends’ new “friend of a friend” function! It must be working well ;)
BTW, big thanks again for your input in the early stages - without which we’d certainly have had another fun time dealing with Guy Kawasaki’s almost-as-gargantuan friends list when he joined yesterday! I wonder if Facebook will name that bug after you…
Jof - i-together.com
August 1st, 2007 at 5:35 am
[...] we are wondering what the world is upto whilst facebooking it was Robert Scoble vs Techcrunch interns in a battle for popularity as they went facebook app vs facebook app. Robert [...]
August 1st, 2007 at 5:41 am
I;m a huge fan of the “Where I’ve Been” map. Much nicer looking than “Where I’ve been” but after trying to enter 38 countries and 40+ states I gave up. An “add by list” option would be much better.
Also try CafePress.com’s app if your a blogger!
August 1st, 2007 at 5:43 am
But that’s my point, Robert. Not everything is about DOING.
The majority of my Facebook friends may post a few pictures at best. Maybe a Twitter or two. Many are not blogging, microblogging, vblogging or thinking about broadcasting feeds as they’re reading them. They’re just reading, and thinking, and communicating purely for conversation…and playing.
When you have friends over for dinner, do you sit and talk and laugh and exchanges stories and ideas based on your shared interests and experiences…or do you drag out your projector and do a presentation on what interests *you* and then watch as they make a presentation about what interests them?
To you it may be two-way, but if those 4,220 friends of yours aren’t creating content they’re mostly invisible to you. Creating The ME Channel is not the entire Facebook story.
August 1st, 2007 at 6:21 am
[...] Razzell after a little while. Luke has just started Blog Friends which I see Scoble just said is in his top 10 Facebook apps, pretty [...]
August 1st, 2007 at 6:45 am
Hey Robert - I think you might dig our new Newshound app; it allows you to use a bookmarklet to save any website/news article (and comment on it) for instantaneous display on your FB profile.
You can also display your friends’ top picks if you want, and subscribe via RSS.
It’s similar to the Google Reader Shared Items (which I am sure you wouldn’t give up!), except it doesn’t require you or your friends to be using the Google Reader, and, it allows you to be more spontaneous: I’m sure you run across plenty of cool stuff online that you discovered outside the bounds of your Google Reader?
Here’s the link to check it out: http://apps.facebook.com/wmnewshound/
Thanks… Now I’m off to check out all YOUR faves (since I am closer to 40 than 20, unfortunately).
August 1st, 2007 at 7:29 am
Jeeez Robert…3:00am…do you ever sleep?
;-)
August 1st, 2007 at 7:38 am
What, you have something against being able to throw sheep at someone?
I’d have to vote for the Last.fm app too. Even though I find it a bit cumbersome, it really is an amazing thing.
August 1st, 2007 at 7:53 am
Unfortunately, the WordPress app only works on the WordPress.com blogs — not the stand-alones (yet). They say they *may* work on one but that the plugin will take some time. Bummer — because I’d love to do that with my WordPress blog.
The other apps you list are good (and I’m a 40-something) except, again, the blog friends can’t find my WordPress feed (even when I put it in manually) so it won’t work. Another bummer.
I really enjoy your vidoe shares. The Google Reader app is probably my favorite of all of them.
August 1st, 2007 at 7:56 am
If anyone wants to weigh in on their own favorites, check out our site, http://www.apprate.com, which allows the community to vote on FB Apps.
August 1st, 2007 at 8:03 am
This PlayMyGame app lets you create your own games from your pics right in facebook and then post that game to your profile, pretty sweet:
http://apps.facebook.com/apps/application.php?id=3252160566&b
August 1st, 2007 at 8:05 am
@ Tom: It should work on popular browsers with the latest flash player installed. Please send an email to feedback (at) kyte.tv, I am sure we can solve this issue!
August 1st, 2007 at 8:13 am
Many other social type sites (digg, del.icio.us, last.fm) have many applications for facebook. Especially the digg and del.icio.us apps, as there look and feel is very facebook without any of that junk UI.
August 1st, 2007 at 8:19 am
I havent found the Pownce application - the pownce api isnt out yet i think.
August 1st, 2007 at 8:35 am
http://apps.facebook.com/webtechnewsapp/
shameless plug
August 1st, 2007 at 9:10 am
ok so not all that tech related, but the Canadian Politics (and US version) app I think is an great example of the diversity of uses for facebook.
August 1st, 2007 at 10:32 am
I’m a twenty-something, and my app list, and that of my mostly twenty-something friends, is much closer to the Techcrunch interns’ than yours. Perhaps it is generational. My friends and I like having the ’silly’ apps, like zombies, graffiti, and superpokes. We’re on Facebook for fun.
Like Paul (comment #1), many of the social events I’ve been invited to lately have had Facebook invitations. Upcoming.org has no traction at all where I’m from (Winnipeg, Manitoba). Also, yes we 20-somethings sure are into streaming video, but I have never watched Justin.tv (sounds like JenniCam from a decade ago; boring). YouTube, with all its copyrighted content, is king in my group of friends.
August 1st, 2007 at 10:51 am
30 Boxes Calendar.
August 1st, 2007 at 11:59 am
I’m almost 40 and I would love for someone to explain the allure of Facebook. I have a Myspace and it sucks of mediocrity, but why would i spend time on another site? I strted one and it makes me yawn every time. nice blog here tho . . .
August 1st, 2007 at 12:31 pm
[...] the TechCrunch interns, including me, posted our Top 10 Facebook apps. In kind gesture, Scoble responds in the comments, “It’s war. The 40 somethings vs. the 20 [...]
August 1st, 2007 at 12:38 pm
Thanks for the heads up on the Facebook apps.
I have been using the WordPress app. I am a fan also.
I installed the BlogTips app, I am looking forward to putting some of these tips into action.
August 1st, 2007 at 2:07 pm
My top pick - a simple app that lets people ask to meet for coffee (or whatever): http://apps.facebook.com/coffeelink/
August 1st, 2007 at 2:09 pm
http://apps.facebook.com/my-resume
Sync your LinkedIn profile and recommendations to Facebook
August 1st, 2007 at 2:28 pm
[...] Robert Scoble’s list is here. Orli Yakuel’s is [...]
August 1st, 2007 at 4:13 pm
shameless plug :)
http://apps.facebook.com/cribot_facebook
craigslist apartment hunting tool!
August 1st, 2007 at 6:05 pm
Hey Robert ,, Ive added some of the apps you mentioned
great list ,,
thanks for sharing
jp from canada
August 1st, 2007 at 6:08 pm
Forgot to mention ,,Im kinda pissed they removed the AUDIO app , all I wanted to do was listen to Music while cruising Facebook , is that so bad ,,
Wonder what the 50 sumthin facebook app list looks like
im gonna have a peek :)
jp
August 1st, 2007 at 6:22 pm
Ok, so, not silly ones:
·Google Reader Shared Items, added it since I thought it was *my* shared items.
·Twitter and
·Jaiku, both because I have accounts, and I haven’t found the Pownce app, could you be nice and give us the web address for that one?.
·Catbook, maybe silly, maybe not, but I love my cat. And she doesn’t have any place where I have mentioned her besides an entry on my blog.
·ClaimID, just to show up. Sometimes I hurt someone.
·My Personality, you have to complete some tests and you’ll know a bit about yourself. Plus, it’s fun to see what personality disorder you might have (App creator says it’s just for fun, but I belive him)
·Visual Bookshelf/DVD rack/CD rack: maybe someone could become a friend just because we love to death “Three Colors”, or U2, or enjoyed reading “Pedro Páramo”.
·Art: It’s wonderful to “believe” that you can have your own Art Gallery with all the paintings you adore and worship. Even if you’re a little presumptuous, you can add one you really own. I enjoy watching paintings, but don’t have enough time or money to go see them live.
So, I’ll see you around there.
Good luck on all that!!
August 1st, 2007 at 8:31 pm
just found the Mac Lovers app
http://www.facebook.com/apps/application.php?api_key=daf3f1477507987ada16ae517bb9d00c
August 2nd, 2007 at 12:51 am
@Damien Riley: Facebook is MySpace for a slightly older crowd. They both seem to have a following among some of the techies, but they sound like personal ads mixed with classmates.com.
August 2nd, 2007 at 4:35 am
Here’s a late twenty-something’s perspective… http://kronicles.blogspot.com/2007/08/my-top-10-facebook-apps.html
August 2nd, 2007 at 8:20 am
two words - dramatic chipmunk
August 2nd, 2007 at 1:46 pm
Well I guess I have to admit I like graffiti, and my first drawing was a cat pooping. Aside from that and the Flickr app I find your list more useful.
I also will not be “superpoking” any of my friends.
I’m 28
August 2nd, 2007 at 6:57 pm
some more facebook apps
http://mashable.com/2007/07/31/facebook-powertools-1
August 2nd, 2007 at 10:59 pm
[...] Robert Scoble’s list is here. Orli Yakuel’s is [...]
August 4th, 2007 at 8:25 am
Just throwing this one in the mix…http://apps.facebook.com/thenewsroom
August 6th, 2007 at 4:43 pm
[...] are a few reviews of various Facebook [...]
August 12th, 2007 at 2:24 am
[...] theme of social networking, I spoke recently with Jof Arnold of UK start up BrainBakery, just after BrainBakery had been Scobleized - Robert Scoble had posted his top ten Facebook applications, and Brain Bakery’s latest [...]
August 17th, 2007 at 1:19 pm
Your assumptions and language toward 20-somethings is really, really annoying. No, not all 20-somethings are trend whores. That should answer every one of your questions.
September 4th, 2007 at 1:15 am
[...] theme of social networking, I spoke recently with Jof Arnold of UK start up BrainBakery, just after BrainBakery had been Scobleized - Robert Scoble had posted his top ten Facebook applications, and BrainBakery’s latest [...]
November 13th, 2007 at 1:20 pm
Hi there,
Anyone looking for apps that drive commercial opportunities for Facebook members should check out Zubka’s application, launching this week.
Facebook Friends + Zubka Jobs = Great Rewards!
Love to hear your thoughts. You can find it at:
http://apps.facebook.com/zubka-jobs/
Happy hunting,
Zubka
June 15th, 2008 at 5:03 pm
[...] several applications used by me and my friends. I’m sure the list of applications crosses other Facebook users in the global network like six degrees of separation [...]