Chapter 3

Creating Your Own Apps

In This Chapter

arrow Understanding the types of Facebook core apps

arrow Creating a Facebook app

arrow Installing a Facebook app

arrow Authenticating a Facebook app

You can develop apps for all kinds of reasons. Some apps conduct surveys, other apps sell things. Some are marketing tools. Some collect charitable contributions. You’re limited only by your ambition and imagination.

Facebook apps are, in effect, web applications that run inside the Facebook interface, and they can do most things non-Facebook web applications can do. The difference between standard web apps that don’t use Facebook API and Facebook apps that do is that the latter also integrate with Facebook, allowing users to interface with their close friends and family in the app experience. A Facebook app can duplicate just about any piece of functionality you see on Facebook.

When developing Facebook apps, in many instances you’re limited by your programming skills. Before getting deeply into this discussion of creating Facebook apps, realize that highly sophisticated games, marketing, and revenue-generating ...

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