Comments on: I want my news on Facebook

By: ALE

ALE — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 19:51:07 +0000

Challenges, I like those

Click my name, I have feeds from the majority of the local media outlets in Spokane in a facebook app.

By: Don Day

Don Day — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 02:11:19 +0000

Oh, OK. Two people said news on Facebook was dumb. I’ll just give up. Golly gosh.

By: Sanam

Sanam — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 08:37:28 +0000

I want my news on facebook too, so that makes at least 2 of us.

By: Scott Wyffels

Scott Wyffels — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 21:13:33 +0000

No one wants news on facebook.

Facebook is basically glorified email.

By: Dave

Dave — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 14:53:24 +0000

Some friends of mine were going to start developing an open-source version of this app but decided to focus on something that people in that demo would actually want. Sorry to sound pessimistic.

Granted, it surely doesn’t hurt to test it, and the Facebook demo is broadening, but yea… I don’t think you’ll have much local news success on Facebook when your typical headlines are “Eight Arrested in Drug Bust”, and “Podunk Yokel Charged in Wife’s Death”. With this demo, it’s not the delivery that’s hurting us, it’s the content.

Maybe if we redefined “breaking news” as something that only happens a couple times a year (IE - BIG STORIES), then a breaking news app would be good for Facebook. Think of the VTech shootings or the Minneapolis Bridge Collapse, that’s local breaking news that affects this demo. Not your average cops are on the scene of a shooting we know nothing about, breaking news.

Now, local sports, that might do well if you’re able to cover it well. Also, local nightlife and entertainment.

By: Cory

Cory — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 05:52:15 +0000

I’ll take it one further. I want my Facebook friends to be able to “Digg” their favorite stories (which would be different than “posting” a story), of which would appear in some app on my Facebook news feed as well as on a widget I could embed anywhere.

By: Steve

Steve — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 05:29:35 +0000

Don - just use Widgetbox - it can take an RSS feed from your site, and turn it into a facebook app in a few easy steps. You’ve got to add the facebook developer app to your FB account and generate a key, but other than that, it’s way way easy. No real coding experience necessary. Give it a shot and post the results.