Darrell Silver!

I have generally stopped installing Facebook apps, mostly because it’s not worth the clutter and trouble if I end up not using them. Aside from the various clicks necessary to do an installation, I also have no idea what the privacy settings should be before using an app, and am loathe to let apps have sandboxed reign over my profile, email and feed.

As users’ standards go up, it’s going to become increasingly difficult to get them to use apps, and I think we’ll see user adoption of new apps continue to drop.

Why must users ‘install’ apps before using them in The FB Platform in the first place? The Facebook ecosystem would benefit if users could ‘try before they buy’ any app, much like one can visit any website before logging in. I’d like to allow apps access to my profile, left nav bar, and private information after I understand how they’ll use it, not before.

Distribution of apps through the word-of-mouth minifeed is the best thing we’ve got, but soon it will prevent new apps with better featuresets from emerging. When users can interact with a piece of software before committing to it, they’re much more likely to try more software. It’s not just the barrier to entry, it’s the hassle of exit.