With social media fast becoming one of our main forms of communication, programmers have capitalized by creating an array of Facebook applications, all designed to make our lives easier, and more fun.

So what are applications and how do they work?

An application is essentially a feature that doesn’t not come as standard with a device or website, but can be used in addition to serve a practical, educational, or entertainment purpose. There are now literally thousands of different Facebook applications that are being created and downloaded as we speak, and they range from games and bar code readers, right the way through to weight loss and home design applications.

Whilst some of these Facebook applications are actually very useful, and can be used in our daily lives, some are little more than a good way to pass a few minutes whilst surfing the net.

Here is a look at 10 Facebook applications that don’t just look good, but that truly add some value to the users experience.

1. Feedburner- (Feedburner App) This application is particularly useful for people that use Facebook for business networking and marketing. It will display to your profile anything that is posted to your RSS feed, meaning that any articles, blog posts, or videos from your feed will be made available to your Facebook friends or fans automatically. This can be an amazingly powerful way to reach people, and to get your content in front of a much wider range of eyeballs. Very useful for those trying to generate traffic to their websites and offers.

2. Forbes- (Forbes) Stocks and shares have been making people rich, (and poor) for many years, and now you can share all the latest company news and shares information with your friends using this clever application. It let’s you view up to the second prices of up to 10 different companies, as well as giving you all the latest news, likely to tip prices in one direction or the other. Could you hit lucky whilst socializing with your friends?

3. Veoh- (Veoh App) Something that has made social media incredibly successful is the ability it gives us to share content with other people so quickly. Now you can take a picture or video, and upload it for your friends to see in almost seconds. Television company Veoh has taken advantage of this by launching it’s Facebook app. It let’s users share their favourites player through the social media site, giving users an even better way to share content, as well as increasing the traffic to the Veoh site itself.

4. Magnolia-  (Magnolia) Another application that is popular, especially with those who use Facebook for business and promotion. This application taps into the power of social bookmarking and posts to your profile any links you bookmark through their site. This helps increase the popularity of the site, and also gives you more of a chance to get your links seen. Now your links will be made available to the millions of Facebook users who have the facility to download this application.

5. Box- (My Box) This is one of our favourite applications and is gradually growing in popularity.  This great little app is a file sharing product which let’s you share files directly with people in your network. In other words if you have a word file, or photo you want to make available for your friends to download they no longer have to sign up at a separate file sharing site. They simply download this app, and all will be done directly from their public profile.

6. Side Step- (Sidestep) The Travelers Search Engine. This application is going to come in very useful for people that travel. It works in two ways. Firstly offering you a range of travel planning tools to make sure you get that dream trip arranged just right,  but it also connects you with people with similar travel interests, or who have already been to where you are going. It will help you get the low down on all the bargain places to stay, as well as the places to steer clear of.

7. Viagogo- (Viagogo) Not many people don’t like music, and most music fans love going to see their favourite acts and bands live. Now the Viagogo application from one of the biggest ticket exchanges on the web gives you the chance to manage all of your ticket sales, or purchases direct from your Facebook profile. If you are selling tickets this is a great way to spread the word, and if you are desperate to see someone play then you can be front of the queue when tickets become available.

8.  MOG- (MOG) This is another favourite among music lovers, and really is quite genius.  It syncs to your iPod and other music devices so it can display whatever you last listened to on your profile. It can also show your friends what you have listened to most this week. It’s a great way for songs to gain more coverage, and adds an even more personal aspect to an already amazingly social experience.

9. The Lending Club- (The Lending Club) This application brings the very popular peer to peer lending site to the social media platform. With the banks making it harder to borrow money these websites are getting a ton more traffic than they used to and the new Facebook application makes it even easier to borrow and lend money to your peers. Being able to target users by exact demographics makes this application even more attractive.

10.  Jobster- (Jobster) Job hunting and business networking has taken particularly well to the social media platform since it’s invent, and now you can find your dream job whilst you chat to friends. The application will let you search the database for all available opportunities, and likewise gives companies the chance to search for the perfect employee.  With unemployment on the up and people struggling to find work, using Facebook could now be the quickest route into a new career if this application is anything to go by.

A Whole New World

These 10 applications are just a tiny drop in an ocean of useful tools and services. As you can see these applications will help you save time, and effort in a wide range of different areas.  Regardless of whether you are looking for a new career, or waiting for the perfect moment to buy those shares, there will be an application you can use.

The important thing to note is that applications are not simply games used to pass the time. Many big companies are developing apps as a way to tap into the huge Facebook community, and once again rubber stamps how much of an important role that social media plays in our daily lives.

So next time you are lost on your way to a job interview, or wondering what to cook your date for dinner why not log onto Facebook. There is a better than average chance you will find the perfect application to solve your problem. If it’s not already there you can bet your bottom dollar someone is probably developing it.

This really is the decade of the social media application revolution!

—————-

This post was written and sent to us  by Lior Levin who is a marketing consultant for a psd to html 5 company and also advises to a neon signs company called 123 neon signs