Facebook Platform Best Practices

Lalit Patel, BitRhymes.www.bitrhymes.com

Facebook Developer Garage, Bangalore. 10/10/10

About BitRhymes

• Who are we?

• Started in 2007, based out of Bangalore and Silicon Valley

• 26 people team at Bangalore.

• What we do?

• Social Games on popular networks Facebook andMySpace

– 6 Titles on Facebook, 9 Titles on MySpace

• Market Position

– 20 million users and growing fast.

– #3 Developer on MySpace (4 apps in top 20)

Facebook Apps: Best Practices

1. FBML vs iFrame

2. Virality

3. Retention

4. Metrics

5. Monetization

6. Tips / Common Pitfalls

7. Q & A

1. FBML vs iFrame: Comparision

• iFrame: Flexibility, Javascript independence.

• Facebook JS library gives excellent features to implement almost all FBML features.

• FB recommends iFrame apps.

– No new FBML apps from late 2010http://developers.facebook.com/roadmap

• Few FBML tags are not available in iFrame (but not a show stopper)

• FBML is faster to implement.

1. FBML vs iFrame: How it works

• App: http://apps.facebook.com/your_app/

• Callback: http://www.example.com/canvas/

• You type:http://apps.facebook.com/your_app/foo/bar

• iFrame loads (FBML App fetches code from):http://www.example.com/canvas/foo/bar

2. Virality: Requests

• Until few weeks back was supposed to be retired. Now the ONLY viral channel

• Can be sent to friends not playing the app

• Most efficient way to get users to the game.

• Quota/Bucket

– Number of requests your users can sent to their friends is calculated based on accept/ignore/block ratios.

– Anywhere > 50% accepts is very good. Ignore 75% accepts Facebook shows as Avg of all apps. That number is wrong and impractical.

– If your request quota goes down your virality goes down

2. Virality: Requests

• Tip: You can add tracking code to request to check with requests works best.

<fb:req-choice

url=“http://example.com/accept_req.php?ref=request

_type=1" />

• Tip: There are two type of requests:

– Invitation & Request

– Quota is shared between both of them

2. Virality: Requests

• Recent change to the way requests are shown on user’s home page.

3. Retention: Feeds

• Recent Changes in the FB Privacy Policy:

– Feeds wont be shown on friends not playing the app -> The most efficient way to attract new users disappeared overnight with no pre announcement!

– Now you do not need to ask for users permission to show him feed dialog box . Ensure that as every click reduces by 20%

– http://developers.facebook.com/blog/post/409

• Tip: Add tracking info to feeds to judge performance.

• Tip: Comments / Likes on the feed promote it to the top in the user’s news feed. (API also available.)

3. Retention: Bookmarks + Counter

• New Bookmarks menu on LHS

• Automatically added for your application when user starts using it

• Once a user has your bookmark, you can set a counter which will appear next to it.

• Counters remind users of actions they need to take within your application.

$facebook_api->dashboard_incrementCount($uid);

3. Retention: Like

• Make users like your application.

• Helps you post Application Updates to your Fans (people who Like the app)

• Updates appear on your Fan’s news feed.

3. Retention: Like

• Facebook has made it real easy to add `Like` button on your app.

• You should prompt users to like the app and reward them with some bonus in the game.

• XFBML:<script src="http://connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js

#xfbml=1"></script> <fb:like></fb:like>

3. Retention: Email

• Applications can ask for users Email address at the time of adding the app (or later)

<?php

$user_id = $facebook->require_login($perm_string);

?>

• Applications can then email users directly about updates and notifications in the app.

• Facebook Insights (http://facebook.com/insights)

– Excellent data driven insights on your applications performance

• Users

– Daily Active Users

– Daily New Users

– Demographics

• Gender and Age / Countries / Language

– Visitors Sources

– Daily New Bookmarks Add/Remove

4. Metrics: Facebook Insights

4. Metrics: Facebook Insights

• Daily Permissions

– Stream/Email/ Grant/Revoke

– Daily Blocks

• Daily Request Feedback

– Accept/Ignore/Blocks

• Feeds Performance

– Posted / Comments+Like / Hides

4. Metrics: Google Analytics

• Google Analytics works for both iFrame / FBML apps.

• Provides tracking of complex user behavior.

• Provides Goals tracking

• Best Practice: use Google Analytics + Insights

5. Monetization

• You can *also* make $$$ out of your applications

• Ways to monitize

– fb Credits (FB API)

– OfferPal / Super Rewards (Vender specific API)

– Implement your own payment gateway (Paypal / CC)

• Submit your application to FB Directory

– Appears in search results inside Facebook.

– Get FB compliance

– Free QA ;)

• Put Privacy Policy on each of your application pages and Application Profile Page.

– Facebook blocks your apps without notice.

• Developer accounts need to be verified by mobile number or credit card

• Be prepared to adapt to FB mood swings

6. Tips / Common Pitfalls

Questions?

We are hiring!

www.bitrhymes.com/jobs