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Startups create spectacular Facebook apps for work and fun

This summer, around 20 startups toiled away in Facebook's old offices in Palo Alto, tinkering with their products and trying to differentiate themselves from an already crowded marketplace of companies looking to build a business on the social network.
9/8/2009 6:00:00 AM By: C.G. Lynch

Startups create spectacular Facebook apps for work an...

Although it got its start by enabling people to throw virtual pies at each other and turn themselves into vampires and werewolves, the Facebook ecosystem is growing up before our very eyes.

On Tuesday, at Facebook's old offices in downtown Palo Alto, investors, media and bloggers saw what innovative startups have been building this summer on top of the Facebook platform.

These apps, sites and services signal a departure from the things that have typified the Facebook platform's early iteration.

These are a lot more than just games.

This summer, around 20 startups toiled away in Facebook's old offices in Palo Alto, tinkering with their products and trying to differentiate themselves from an already crowded marketplace of companies looking to build a business on the social network.

*Sociable

The program is part of Facebook's fbFund Rev, a $10 million incubator program fueled by the social network and two venture capital firms. The goal is to breathe life into small startups to get up and going until they can obtain more seed funding from investors.

Unlike the first iteration of the Facebook platform, these next wave of apps are less reliant on running just on Facebook; they run as standalone sites or services. Many design their products to work with other social networks, too, such as Twitter.

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Page Navigation 1) New wave Facebook apps are no longer tied to the social site. - Page 1
2) Wilfire helps businesses launch marketing campaigns on Facebook. - Page 2
3) Sociable lets you know what your friend thinks about a product you're eyeing. - Page 3
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