Facebook F8 conference sets high expectations

Facebook has set high expectations for their F8 conference which is scheduled to begin tomorrow. The company led by Mark Zuckerberg always sets up a major reveal for their developer conference, and this year will undoubtedly be no different. Many believe though that the major areas for improvement, or areas where the company will strive to deliver something that really hasn’t been competed with to this point – is with the Facebook Messenger platform.

There have been countless rumors over the course of the last several weeks, regarding what might be for the social network, or what might not be for the social network. But, the ultimate test is going to be when the company unveils whatever plans it might have for it’s Messenger application tomorrow. Some though, tend to believe that the leaks or rumors that have been swirling around – are not only intentional, but a part of the design that Facebook likes to have heading into their conference.

Ultimately, it gives them the chance to really see what people are thinking, and it gives them a chance to get a pulse on their community as a whole. Given the sheer size of Facebook’s community of users, that impression is actually vital to the running of the social network as a whole. Facebook has already introduced payments to their Messenger application, so we will likely see more integration from third-party developers – giving the users themselves the first opportunity – ever – to actually have an impact on what Facebook Messenger offers.

The goal is to incorporate more tools, like travel, mapping, or services – without actually leaving the Facebook Messenger app. This isn’t anything unusual, since companies like Facebook often work tirelessly to keep users within their network. However, the company also is expected to roll out some impressive virtual reality features that work well with News Feed, as well as a potential ad service that would rival MoPub, which was purchased by Twitter last September.

All of these though pale in comparison to what could be the most significant move that Facebook has made in its entire existence. That is to say that if this move works, and they do announce some sort of partnership tomorrow with Buzzfeed, the New York Times, or National Geographic on a publishing platform to bring exclusive content to the Facebook community – it would be one of the strongest moves into a new market that the company has ever taken. That said though, Facebook would be poised to make a lot of money from advertising on a platform that would really be unique for the media world as a whole, or even social networking.