Utah Facebook Developers Garage was a lot of fun

Thanks to all those who came last night, it was a lot of fun! Our presenters: Richard Miller (here are his link notes from his presentation), Jesse Stay and Joseph Scott did a great job of showing us different aspects of Facebook. There was a lot of discussion and it was a very interactive, informal meeting. I think that everyone walked away with new knowledge, understanding and ideas – which was the whole point! It was a small group, about 15 people, but that’s to be expected in an emerging niche like programming Facebook apps.

I’m already thinking about our next meeting – I think we’ll do it towards the end of September. Forthe next meeting, we’ll be going over more advanced topics (last night we went over the basics) and really dig into how to do some cool things with the Facebook API.

One of the discussion points last night that was brought up by Scott Lemon was “When does Facebook jump the shark, and how does doing this now fit in to that?”. His main point was that Facebook isn’t the “end all” to social networking and that there will definately be something else in the next year or two.

Here’s my thoughts on that: I certainly don’t think that Facebook is the final solution – I don’t even really like it that much. I don’t like their walled garden approach – i hate that you can’t get data out of it – and there are a lot of limitations that I don’t like. However, it is the one in the spotlight right now and it is the social network that currently has the leading features. I think it’s important from a business perspective to get in on Facebook NOW and gain an audience. There is a very strong viral aspect to Facebook apps, they’ve really created a great opportunity for viral activity. I think it’s important as a business is getting into Facebook to keep their eyes open for the next move – because it WILL come. From a developers perspective, I think it’s important to immerse yourself in the Facebook API because the limitations forced on you will do two things: 1) It will force you to get creative to achieve your goals and 2) It will make clear to you what opportunities to look for in the next ‘volution of social networking. I think that when the next thing comes out, those who have been dealing with the shortcomings and inefficiencies of Facebook will be the ones who are able to recognize and take advantage of the true opportunity.

That pretty much sums up why I wanted to put this group together in the first place – it’s not because I love Facebook, it’s because I believe that staying on the edge opens you up to huge new opportunities.

Huge thanks to 12 Horses, our sponsors for the night. The room they paid for at Noah’s was perfect!

If you’re interested in meeting with other Utah people interested in exploring programming and business opportunities in Facebook, please join our group on Facebook.