# Facebook's Platform Works Better Through External Applications Than Through the Website

DevFeed: [Facebook's Platform Works Better Through External Applications Than Through the Website](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/the-problem-with-facebook-s-platform-is-the-problem-isn-t-the-platform-41048.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://www.craigkerstiens.com/2008/07/08/The-problem-with-facebooks-platform-is-the-problem-isnt-the-platform/>)

Author: Map

Published: 2008-07-08T22:42:46Z

Content type: opinion

Language: en

Sources: [Craig Kerstiens](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/craig-kerstiens.md>)

Topics: [Development](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/development.md>), [Messaging](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/messaging.md>), [browser](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/browser.md>), [Users](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/users.md>), [Image](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/image.md>), [email](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/email.md>)

Tags: [browser](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/browser.md>), [development](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/development.md>), [email](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/email.md>), [export](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/export.md>), [interface](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/interface.md>), [messaging](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/messaging.md>), [photos](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/photos.md>), [platform](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/platform.md>), [windows](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/windows.md>)

## AI overview

The article argues that Facebook's main problem is not its development platform but the website as the primary interface for activities such as chat and photo uploading. The author prefers external applications such as Adium, Digsby, and iPhoto for interacting with Facebook.

## Source excerpt

Facebook's development platform just over a year ago seemed like a genius idea, with an almost infinite amount of potential. While it's still a very hot topic, and most sites these days when they lauch attempt to have a facebook version of their site or service available at almost at the same time. However, I believe we are already over the peak of this, as more controls are being put in place to slow viral growth, and users are spending less time on the site and engaged in the applications. My problem though is not with the slowing rate of engagement in applications developed on the facebook platform, but rather on what are the primary applications. Facebook seems to have done a very good job of keeping users to stay within the confines of the site, rather than simply using it as a utility. For most facebook is their personal planner for events, their personal datebook for friends/contacts, their online photo album, their email/messaging system, and more for some. And while it's fine and dandy for some of these things, facebook is not the best endpoint to interact with when getting things to and from facebook. Take for example the facebook chat. This is a great utility to be able to talk with friends that I may not have spoken with in years, my AIM list has around 200 users, meanwhile my facebook has over 500. No I do not wish to speak to all of these all the time, but in the rare occasion that I do it's convenient. However IM chat within a browser just doesn't do it for me, not on facebook, or meebo for that matter. The nice fact is that there is a solution and more being developed. Personally if I'm at home I use adium (Mac only) for my instant messaging which supports facebook. If I'm on a windows machine I use digsby to chat with my facebook friends and monitor what friends are doing. While digsby isn't a perfect solution, I strongly prefer it to the other option of chatting within the browser. What about pictures, that's probably the single busiest activity ou