Facebook to finally launch “Verified Apps” program (and more)

May 14, 2009 | Eric Eldon | Comments |

What makes a Facebook application good? The social network is going to try to make that clearer to users in the next few weeks, when it introduces a program it’s been talking about since last year, called Verified Apps. It will also shortly launch a revised application directory, a new application profile page and a new homepage stream of activity about any app you use.

The program, to review, involves an application process where Facebook reviews various criteria it has set, such as how the app takes advantage of viral channels like invites and notifications. Facebook gives verified apps a badge and special treatment on the site. The intention is two-fold: to show users what apps are most worth their time, in Facebook’s opinion, and to encourage developers to build apps that fit Facebook’s definition of quality.

Facebook first announced the program last July. Then it revealed more details and began taking submissions last November, as we covered:

Apps apply to be in the program, and are judged based on the company’s trustworthiness criteria, which include being “Secure,” “Respectful,” and “Transparent.” Verified developers will get a series of benefits, the company tells me. On the product side, these include the ability for an app to let users send more invites and notification to friends, and greater prominence of app activity in news feeds. Developers will also be able to put a “Verified App” badge on their apps, and in the site-wide app directory. On the business end, they’ll get a discount on tickets to Facebook’s annual developer conference, and a $100 credit for purchasing ads on Facebook.

Judging by what the company is saying today, the new directory will explicitly make Verified Apps more prominent. Here’s more about this and other changes, from the company today:

Improved Categories: We designed the existing categories before Platform launched in 2007.  It’s time for a refreshed list that more accurately represents the diversity of social applications.

Updated application Profile Pages: We are updating application About Pages to look like public Profile Pages.  This includes the tabbed structure of the profile that will enable you to communicate to fans of your Profile Page in their News Feed, making it easier for you to send out updates on the latest application and community news, such as events, videos, and photos.

Visibility for Verified Apps: With the new Application Directory, you’ll also see the first of Facebook Platform’s Verified Apps. These apps will be prioritized higher in the directory and will appear alongside a green checkmark in the directory and a verified badge on the application’s new Profile Page.

Stream of Application Stories: On the homepage of the new directory, users will see a stream of stories that their friends are generating from applications.  This stream will expose applications in a socially-relevant way and help the millions of users who visit the Application Directory each month stay updated with their friends’ activity on Facebook. The stream serves as another channel for application discovery, allowing — for the first time — users to see what applications their friends use alongside editorial picks.

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About the Author, Eric Eldon

Eric currently covers digital media technology and business news, especially what's happening on social networks and their platforms. He also writes and edits stories about venture capital, and lots of other stuff, too. He started at VentureBeat in the spring of 2007, half a year or so after Matt Marshall left his reporting job at the San Jose Mercury News to found the site. Eric previously cofounded a startup called Writewith, that was building editorial software for newspapers and other groups of writers. The startup didn't work out, but he learned a lot.

  • Hmm...
    Now I say this with a complete understanding that there are an inundation of Facebook apps. And that it is basically impossible (outside of establishing your own system) to determine which app to use over the others.... but....

    I just can't help but feel like allowing Facebook to determine which apps are verified is a very slippery slope. I have friends who work at and have worked at Facebook -- what if they decide to pick a market that is saturated (say SMS messaging), develop a similar technology and then miraculously their app is verified. I know this sounds very "but there really are UFOs!!" but lets not be naive.

    Why not just filter apps by amount of users and let the cream rise?
  • because if you watch the 'most users' applications you will notice that, at least once a week, an application gets to the top by spamming, tricking and cheating its users in order to spread virally. The verification program will not suggest 'best apps' to people, it will merely certify that these apps are not spammy.

    now, in order to compensate these well-behaving apps for the loss of virality that they have to endure to pass the criteria of the verification program, facebook gives them prominent placement in the directory. I think it is a good move and i can only hope it does well
  • Well, I certainly hope it does well also.

    Your points are not bad, just short-sighted. Specifically, if you track the development of the social web you will find loads of instances in which security breaches, spam or worms develop when critical mass reaches an audience and dilutes the user pool which was previously made up of early adopters. This is obviously due to the fact that these practices are financially beneficial once a certain user threshold number is met.

    The good news is that, just as "spammy" technology develops, so does technology that deals with this technology. Interestingly enough this development also hinges upon an early adopter group, in this case early spamming/worming groups.

    Point being, instead of Facebook controlling apps and altering the landscape for success, they should allow their developers in the marketplace to deal with this issue -- and reap the profits of this development.

    That's just how the market works.

    |digitalzaar|
  • I'm confused here, am I posting this using Twitter Connect, Facebook Connect (or both)?