Platform to Host Different Applications

¶ … platform to host different applications is an appropriate and a viable way for contemporary businesses to capitalize on social networking. Statistics indicate that a quarter of a million software developers' applications have been used to play games, share movie preferences, and do other things (McCuddy & Morgal, 2012). Companies interested in knowing how their brands are received in the market niche can collaborate with Facebook that can use available applications to get to know the popularity of their brands among the Facebook users. The feedback received can help such companies to stop the production of such product line, engage in re-branding, carry out aggressive marketing campaign, or increasing their production and distribution all together. However, contemporary businesses must take cognizance of the fact that the Facebook platform cannot transform something that is less important into something important. Entrepreneurs must therefore be aware of the problem they are trying to solve and the needs they want to address.

Facebook's resolve to host different applications can create myriad opportunities for entrepreneurs to develop businesses that use Facebook platform. Group buying can utilize this platform where online shoppers hunt for the same items to consolidate their orders in hopes of obtaining reasonable discounts. The group buying initiative offers enormous opportunities for online services that act as intermediaries. One of the likely opportunities that entrepreneurs stand to benefit from in the Facebook applications is the merging of information from Facebook with various group buying activities. Businesses using text analytic software to probe the content of member profiles and posted messages with a view to identifying their interests in specific products and services can approach Facebook members with services and products specially designed for their preferences (McCuddy & Morgal, 2012). Businesses can also analyze Facebook profiles and posting of the Facebook users to identify people who are opinion leaders that are capable of influencing others. Such businesses can therefore approach the opinion leaders with incentives to recruit new members to the buying service.

I would personally not participate in group buying experience on Facebook this is because it can lead to protracted legal battle with those Facebook users whose profiles and postings were studied without their consent. Using such information to track members' activities and purchases on the Web for marketing purposes is a violation of someone's privacy. This is especially tragic if personal information that members had not intended to share is gleaned to third parties.