Facebook is fashioning itself as a family of apps and not just a social network site on the web and aiming to expand its family fast and furious by giving app makers an easier way to develop and build off the Messenger app via a new Messenger platform for developers.
The company is also hoping to keep its family on the homestead and prevent them from wandering off to neighbors—in this case rivals that may also be building new apps and services.
As the parent figure Facebook has 1.4 billion members, but some of its ‘children’ are getting closer to that impressive stat: Messenger boasts more than 600 million users, Instragram boasts 300 million and WhatsApp has 700 million. In the near future Facebook is hoping new software services for the Facebook user community will drive even greater membership to Messenger.
“We’re building this family so we can offer unique, world-class experiences for every way that people want to share,” said Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook chief executive officer. Facebook intends to expand those experiences to those on the mobile Facebook app, he adds.
Much of the growth will be spurred by members’ interest in expanded context and at some point virtual and augmented reality technologies, claims Facebook.
“It’s exciting, big new area and opportunity for Facebook,” Zuckerberg shared with 2,000 developers attending the social network’s annual developer conference F8.
As part of its kickoff the new developer-oriented Messenger platform will provide Facebook family members with 40 new apps, many of which are focused on interacting on Messenger.
Facebook also announced Businesses on Messenger. This service lets users have personal conversations with businesses, which will have the ability to display store receipts and shipping information.
The Messenger developer offering illustrates Facebook’s growing interest on the mobile front. Studies have indicated consumers and users are tapping mobile ecosystems and apps in an increasing fashion. The Facebook strategy is to keep and grow its family (members) by providing mobile services.
"Facebook is trying to become a platform that touches all parts of the mobile ecosystem," said Debra Aho Williamson, eMarketer principal analyst.
But by Facebook’s own admission, the push for mobile apps is in response to user's feedback and demand for more mobile services.
During his opening event remarks, Zuckerberg also stated messaging apps will be incorporating augmented and virtual-reality technology. Last year, to get skin in the messaging and mobile evolution, Facebook bought virtual reality handset maker Oculus, which it acquired for $2 billion.
