Facebook, like the rest of the Net-connected world, presumably recognizes spam as the bane of the messaging world. After all, the company’s ranks use the Web as much as anybody. It’s their job. So the network’s policy wonks seem to be doing right by their users by making some changes to developer guidelines to make sure things don’t get out of hand. Or any more so then they might normally be through regular human-to-human interaction.
The new specifications added to the Platform wiki, to be enacted June 17, will require developers to tread more carefully in the area of invitations and notifications, according to Justin Smith of Inside Facebook. Two of those requirements are fairly straightforward:
#2 - To ensure users only take actions they intend, an application must avoid one-click triggers of actions that apply to multiple people, except in special circumstances.
#3 - To ensure users only take actions they intend, multiple recipients must be selected by the user, rather than pre-selected by the application.
The first revision to the list, however, is rather peculiar:
#1 - Users must not be surprised by the outcome of an action they take.
As Facebook presents details along with this stipulation, it’s clear that the network is to require developers (with threat of punitive action in the event of the discovery of transgressions) to clearly show users what is being asked of them and, when interacting with those developers’ applications, which buttons will complete which actions. (Sensible enough, yes?)
Still, amendments #2 and #3 seem to provide ample notice to developers of what shall be and what shall not be allowed. Why list #1, too? Very odd. Safety first, I suppose.
Of course, no matter the changes, some third parties will not be happy with Facebook for its policy revisions. But if the network is to keep its users’ interests above all others, the resulting slowdown in messages arguably considered “spam” might be seen more as a relief than a disruptive hurdle for application makers.
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