Lessons Learned from Facebook Start-Up Widget Makers

cio.com

3 pointscglynch1 comment

As businesses with eyes on Facebook, MySpace and the like look to take advantage of the social networking economy, they should be sure to heed the advice of widget makers who have already succeeded.

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"Initially, it was easy to dismiss this widget economy as a microcosm for another Web bubble. ... But in reality, analysts say widget makers are not only creating innovative, user-friendly products, they're also making a bunch of money--real money--from ads."

Let's see, 7000 applications for FaceBook, and over 100 are added each day? I'll just pull a number out of the air and say that only the top 100 or so are profitable to some interesting degree (and if I remember correctly, that's being generous.) Assuming all applications are equal, that's like a 1-in-70 chance of making money. And even if you do kick-off a hugely successful application inside of FaceBook, the goal is what? That you've got a great solution to users and can now spread to other solution areas? Or that you're just another reason for users to use FaceBook?

I must be missing it.

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