For almost a decade now, Facebook has always been active in exploring ways in which developers can interact with the social media network giant. Now, it continues to provide more options for developers by allowing them to interact more freely with Facebook's apps as well.
And Facebook is doing it through the Messenger, the mobile chat program and mobile app that users can download and install into their Android or iOS devices. Beginning today, the social media giant is allowing developers of apps to send stuff like photos, videos, and even music by utilizing what Facebook is calling its Messenger Platform. Essentially, Facebook is expanding its chat program's capabilities, allowing it, and basically over 600 million users, to have access to a wider range of services and products.
During its F8 developers conference held in San Francisco, California, Facebook revealed that it has already collaborated with app developers like JibJab, which specializes in generating humorous videos, and Giphy, which specializes in searching and sending GIFs. When users install any of these apps via Messenger, they will be able to send videos or GIFs to their contacts with just a tap on their smartphones. Messenger Platform will feature more than 40 apps, including popular ones like ESPN and the Weather Channel.
It may appear that Messenger Platform is just an enhancement designed to infuse more fun into the Facebook experience (and in turn, encourage more online engagement from users), but the social media giant is actually also envisioning it as a means for business entities to provide information about transaction-related items, like ordering information or shipping/tracking information. This could be potentially huge for Facebook, especially now that people are much, much more comfortable purchasing anything using their mobile devices.
If Messenger Platform proves to be a success, Facebook will undoubtedly cement its status as the biggest social media network in the planet. During the last few months, the company has certainly put itself in a good position to succeed. A year ago, it acquired WhatsApp, a text messaging service that has gone popular especially for users who want to avoid pricey international charges when sending text messages to other countries.
As for its Messenger, Facebook has always had a penchant for coming up with really cool enhancements for its chat messaging tool. A couple of years ago, the company decided to incorporate stickers into Messenger, which has proven to be a hit among users. And just last week, Facebook announced that users of the Messenger app can now send money to their contacts completely free of charge using the messaging tool.
And now with Messenger Platform, the company is poised again to do something that should put it miles ahead of its social media competitors. For Facebook, the sky truly is the limit.
