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60 days Hack: Facebook Messenger is out Open for Third Party Apps

The hack spirited Facebook as depicted in the movie the social network has given worldwide Facebook Messenger App partner developers two months to develop their own apps.

40 developers that first signed on to make apps for facebook messenger have been given only 60 days, only two months before the F8 event.

Among the partner developers are the big ones, Zendesk and Bitmoji. Zendesk is currently popular in the marketing circle as the most popular platform for customer support. In Uganda it is being pioneered by the big startups such as Brighter Monday owned by One Africa Media.

In preparation for the launch, Facebook gave all developers the chance to work together with the team at Facebook responsible for Messenger. Everyone happened to be at Menlo Park Campus to work closely with the Facebook.

What it means

It means you’ll be able to do more than just sending messages within the app, you can embed media GIF, Video clips, and so much more without having to exit the app.

Facebook F8

The most announced annual event held by Facebook is intended for developers and entrepreneurs who build services and products around the Facebook platform. As a culture it take place is San Francisco, California. The Big man Mark Zuckerberg the Founder of Facebook and one the youngest billionaires in the Wolrd has always been giving the Keynote speech. Facebook has always introduced new announcements and new features at these conferences. The name F8 originates for the culture that Facebook has a big 8 hour Hackathon just after the event. This year F8 Conference took place on March 25, 2015, the time of this article.

News

Facebook has announced that it is opening its Messenger service to third party developers. For the past four years the app has been functioning as part of the main Facebook page. This marks the spun off form the main Facebook site into an independent and fully fledged platform.

Already, all the 40 partner developers have developed apps.

To give you a sample what some apps can do now in Facebook messenger are;

  1. Ways how to loop animated images known as GIFs sourced from the sports TV service ESPN and elsewhere.
  2. Still images from the picture hosting site Imgur
  3. Jibjab will be able to give use their humor E-cards
  4. Sound clip is on board to give us their audio files
  5. The weather channel service with their forecasts

Facebook is going big on this app; it is suggesting ways for sending money, confirmation delivered goods when they are delivered. A user can receive delivery status, or organize return of an order and as questions about the delivery.

Of course the company is far from turning the app into something widely accepted, but it is proving the capability what the app can do

Examples

China’s we Chat has gone a step further to allow users to book taxis, book cinemas seats, and find restaurants they want to party in.

Experts

Experts are worried at the rate which Facebook is adding features on its original platform. Experts are worried that Facebook will overload the messeger app with many functions and the users may never decide which is the main function of Messenger.

Messenger for Business

A few apps have tried to encouraged to bring business on instant messengers. Facebook is giving it a shot. Business on Messenger will enhance communications, interactions between consumers and businesses. Facebook says this will give business owners the opportunity to personalize communications to specific consumers. An example is when I have purchased an item from a site such as Jumia or Kaymu and I wish to continue a conversation about the product. Facebook is giving us an opportunity to interact with the business.

Messenger for Business will give consumers and businesses to share messages including; order confirmation, shipping status updates, and even returning order. Consumers will also have the opportunity to ask questions, make requests and get quick responses from businesses.

Messenger is going to be useful tool for e-commerce businesses. Now Brands can offer an option for consumers to sign up for updates via Facebook messenger. This could mean that when you purchase some thing online, your receipt could be sent via Messenger and other information. You are likely to cancel your order also via Messenger.

 History

The Facebook Messenger app has existed as an app since 2011. Mark Zuckerberg says that the app is being used by over 600 million people month. The new app offers faster and more engaging and offers more features than then one in 2011.

Some users believe that Facebook is forcing to a new app to chat with their contacts to separate them for the main Facebook platform. And they do not appear pleased.

Criticism

The app takes some liberties compared to other apps. The app will ask you for access to your contacts, location, text messages, camera, microphone and more. Actually the first step in installing it will ask to sync your contacts. I should mention the app is no different from Snapchat.

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Nelson Mugarura

Nelson is a marketer, a conspiracy theorist and agnostic. Interested in world politics, culture, technology, conspiracy theories and marketing. Dan Brown is his favorite author. Nelson is currently a CIM-UK student.

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