I’m just going to get this out and see what occurs after.
So Facebook newsfeeds have been intermittently interrupted today and it looks like the story runs like this.
Today Facebook allegedly tried to shut down the ad-serving operations of Social Cash, an ad network that operates inside Facebook applications.
However, it appears that in shutting down SocialCash, it’s also shut out all applications running SocialCash adverts.
This has affected at least four of the top 50 applications, thus making many people’s news feeds fall pretty silent. Two affected are We’re Related, the No. 4 application and the biggest non-game app, along with Mafia Wars Family Builder.
But app makers are keeping quiet about it so as not to piss off Facebook. How do I know? A well-placed VC just rung me because they are annoyed the companies they invested in are being affected.
I guess we’ll see how this plays out. But it’s an indication that Facebook now does more or less what it likes, without consultation with, well, anyone really.