What will FaceBook 2.0 bring?

If given a chance, I'd like to whisper three little words into the ears of a few website developers: Open Site Governance. It's a concept Facebook sticks to religiously, or has for little over a year now. It makes a fair amount of speculation redundant.



It's also what makes it easy for us, the non-tech junta, to figure out what the behemoth intends to do in future.

And yes, we do need to know.

Earlier this year, Facebook pulled in 7.7 per cent of the US Internet market for a week. Google, in comparison, pulled 7.03. Any website with that kind of potential ufffd to take on the mighty G ufffd can no longer afford to be ignored.

For those who can spare a few minutes from tending to virtual carrots on FarmVille, here's an update on what Facebook decided at its annual f8 conference on April 21.

The emphasis has shifted to user location. It's an attempt to answer the big question on the minds of developers: 'Where Are You?' The good people at FB are prepared to bring in third-party websites to help them find out.

There are massive privacy issues involved, obviously, but you probably know that already. The other big update involves Facebook Credits, the site's virtual currency platform.

Currently used for the vacuous exchange of virtual gifts, this could make a huge difference to how social networking platforms look at monetisation a couple of years from now. The long-term goal is to make this the currency of choice for users to buy virtual goods ufffd involving games like FarmVille, for instance ufffd across 5 0 0 , 0 0 0 applications.

So, not too many months from now, imagine 'liking' a T-shirt your friend sports in a photograph and having the option of ordering one almost instantly.

Worrying, isn't it? Maybe knowing what the future holds isn't as exciting a possibility as it once used to be.

Lindsay Pereira is Editor,MiD Day Online Imagine 'liking'