Well, I decided it was time to follow in Facebook’s steps and give FBReview.com a facelift as well.  I hope everyone likes the new design; it took a while to set it up so I hope it was worth all the hard work.  The new changes should improve navigation as well as make room for new sections on the site.  I will be adding a dedicated section specifically geared towards developers with various tools, tips and articles.   If you have any comments or suggestions on how to improve things on FBReview.com please let me know.

Social networks are all about making connections with people from all over the world, but they can also be good for bragging rights.  It seems all the rage these days is showing off how smart you are (what with Who’s Got The Biggest Brain and all). One of the fun things when it comes to Facebook is that all your cerebral glory is documented for all your friends to see. 

If you are like quizzes in general or you like IQ Quiz type of games then you will find Qizr an enjoyable way to spend your time on Facebook. The main idea of this application is for people to upload various images and create a quiz around those images.  You can also offer more and more tips and hits on what the answer would be. Users can add hints based on other people’s guesses in real time.  This is a really cool concept which I have not seen used this way.  I like the fact that people can create their own questions to try and stump their friends.

Another interesting aspect of the Qizr application is regarding the competition between its visitors. Each person can post three guesses until one finally gives the right answer to the question. This way, you can see the answers that the other people gave and compare their answers to yours.

When it comes to posting the quizzes you create on Qizr, you can either allow the access to answer only to some specific groups of friends on Facebook or you can allow anyone to see your question and try to give the correct answer. The answers people provide are posted in real time and so is the correct one so you will have a nice feeling when you will be the first to give the correct answer to a question that you found on Qizr. The diversity of the domains for the questions is unlimited and since questions are constantly uploaded so you will keep on getting an endless stream of questions.

That’s a question every one of us always asks.  After Einstein that title has been floating around out there with many people owning claim.  However, until your last name becomes synonymous with the word genius you can’t really say you have the biggest brain.   That is unless you try one of my favorite applications in recent memory is called Who Has the Biggest Brain, from Playfish Studios.  Then you may able to call yourself a genius…on Facebook at least.

The application is simply fantastic it is extremely well built and provides for a highly stimulating visual and auditory experience.  This is what we have come to expect from Playfish, but in essence this is the game the put them on the map.    The goal of the game is to get the most points for solving four types of puzzles, each puzzle type is supposed to test different areas of your cognitive and analytic abilities.  I don’t how scientifically accurate that claim is but needless to say the puzzles are still very entertaining, and I know that Quizzes and Puzzles are all the rage these days. 

Of course it wouldn’t be much of challenge if you weren’t timed for each puzzle (1 minute per section).  As you do better the questions become harder and harder.  Once all four puzzles are completed, the scores are totaled and you get your final score.  Playfish always does a good job on the rankings and of course they made no exception here.  You can see how you fare up to your friends as well as the rest of world.  In addition there are different avatars for various scores.  You can also challenge your friends to see if you can brag about how smarter you are.

You can also unlock additional features of the application by ‘going pro’.  This enables such options as performance graphs, exclusive taunts and no adverts, of course you have to pay $9.99 to do it.  But if you are really into this application it would be well worth it.  In another bid to monetize the application Playfish have launched an iPhone/iTouch version which can be downloaded from iTunes. Surprisingly enough Playfish’s business model seems to work much better than others such as Zynga.  If you still haven’t added it to your profile, now is the time to do it. Who knows, maybe you have the biggest brain.

I feel that some applications should come with warnings such as ‘Highly Addictive’, one such application is Wordy from 6Q.  If you like competition and think your lexicon is up to par then you’ll want to give Wordy a try but be careful, once you try it once, you’ll want to try it again.  This application is actually composed of several mini-games that are in some way related to word play.  The application itself is very built with an easy to navigate Flash interface.  It includes a single player option or multiplayer (against your friends). You have three choices of games when it comes to playing against others and four different games if you go for single player. All of them can be categorized in two types of games. There are some vocabulary games where you have to link the letters to create as many words as possible and others where you have to arrange the given letters to produce many words before the time runs out.

All the Wordy games have a time pressure that you will have to deal with. This will only increase the challenge, especially when you go for the multiplayer mode. Even if at first you may find it hard to keep up with the games’ speed you will eventually improve your skills and discover the hidden words faster.

There is also a high scores section for multiplayer. Wordy includes some statistics where you can see how many points you scored. You will also get to see the top players with the best scores. The scores also take into account the single player options and the multiplayer options, rating you according to the games you played.

Wordy has 50k monthly active users so far and the number is continuously increasing. One of the reasons for that is that you have to invite your friends in order to have access to some of this application’s features. The other reason is that these word games are simply too addictive to be able to resist them. Plus, the competition is very important as users get to play with other people in real time. Check your skills when it comes to your vocabulary and play Wordy with your friends.

It appears that sharing page content is quickly becoming centered around the new Stream (for more information on the stream see the previous post about the new Facebook layout).  Facebook has also rolled out a new way for people to share pages with friends. You can now “suggest” links to your friends much in the same way you would invite friends to an application.  Here is what the invite friends feature looks like on our page.

This should help administrators encourage page users to share the page with their friends.  While applications are usually limited to around 10-20 invitations per user per day, there are no restrictions on page invitations.  This opens the door to quite of unwelcomed spam like invitations, which will hurt the application developers.   I am concerned that sooner or later Facebook is going to have to restrict this feature otherwise users will be inundated with invitations.

If you haven’t already noticed, Facebook has changed their layout…again.  As if the first change was not fraught with strong opposition and negative feedback Facebook has made another change a year later.  As you may remember the last update caused quite a stir amongst users but has since been accepted by the general Facebook population.  The new update rolled out quietly over the last couple of weeks includes several interesting features. 

Amongst these new feature is called “The Stream”.  The stream is manifested in the new layout of each users home page.  Essentially you will receive streaming notifications of everything that’s being shared by your friends and connections as it happens. The new layout will also provide you with more control by letting you choose exactly what you see in the stream and amongst the people and things you are connected to.

In addition the streaming information you are now getting, profiles for public figures and organizations once looked like pages, will now look more like user profiles. In the same way you can connect with individuals on Facebook, you can now connect with celebrities, musicians, politicians and various organizations.  Granted, Facebook is a little behind on both these new features (Twitter has been doing this for ages now), it appears that Facebook is now the one playing catch up.

No one really knows how these new features will be accepted by the general Facebook community (there are several groups which have already sprung up calling for the old homepage to be reinstated).  This can be expected, judging by the response during the last facelift.  Although some of these groups are already 600k member strong – and the update was rolled out only last week.

We at FBReview.com decided to launch a poll to see what you think about the new changes.  Do you like them or dislike them.

Update: April 7, 2009

After running the poll for the last few weeks, we have some preliminary results.  As it stands now it appears DO NOT like the new layout one bit! Only 10 users voted for the new layout while a whopping 116 users say the hate it, and 3 users don’t seem to care either way.  So for now it looks like 90% of you don’t like the new layout, however we’ll keep the poll running a bit longer, maybe some of you will grow to love the new design.  So keep voting and at the end of April we will tally up the final results.

We all love the entertaining world of Facebook that allows us to share out interests and preoccupations with the ones around us. I always felt I looked like Brad Pitt, it’s about time an application confirms my suspicions. And this application that is used by a growing number of members lately is called Likeness.  Basically it allows you to make comparisons between your friends or between you and movie stars.

The way this application works is through tests which are aimed at your personality or on what your views on things like relationships or interests. Once you take a test you will receive results depending on the answers that you gave. When this step is complete you can compare yourself with the friends you have on Facebook who also took the tests. This way, you will be able to find more or less compatible friends and see what your matches are. You will also find out what exactly you have in common with your friends that also played with the Likeness application.

When it comes to famous people, you can find out what celebrity looks like you in a way or another as the application can compare the pictures you upload with those of movie stars, singers and so on. Have fun and upload more different pictures of yourself in various positions and you will find the celebrities that have similar looks with yours.

The only disadvantage that you may find is that if you use the Likeness feature your friends may also receive invitations to do so, a feature which I found a bit intrusive (I don’t know if I’m that popular but my inbox is filled with messages from friends I have on Facebook. However, this is easily preventable if you check the preferences options not to send these messages (trust me your friends will love for it).

By joining Likeness you will find an easy to use application that will allow you to have fun and maybe discover a few things about yourself and your friends. Discover if you match with your contacts from Facebook and if so, how much, as you will surely find Likeness an enjoyable way to do so. Also find out what celebrities you resemble with and let your friends know.

Thank god for the fresh powder we got this winter, because if there’s anything good that comes out of a cold snowy winter is Skiing and Hockey.  Unfortunately for me the Maple Leafs stink, so that pretty much leaves me skiing.   I was glad to find an application called MySnowBuddy, which is designed to cater to people who love the mountains and practice winter sports.

MySnowBuddy is the easiest way for those who love skiing or snowboarding to connect with one each other and share their experiences, their likes and dislikes. Once you join this application you will have to complete a short questionnaire related to what types of sports you like and other characteristics that will help you and others to connect. This is a great way to coordinate meetings in specific locations with new people who love the slopes as much as we do.

An interesting thing is that the application offers you information about the local mountains in Western Canada, such as where to go and info related to the weather conditions. For the moment, it includes information related to Hemlock, Whistler, Cypress, Grouse and Seymour.  This application should really come in handy come the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.  You’ll be able to easily find people who are going to the same events as you.

Another great feature is that you will be able to participate at ride share. The advantages are that you can either organize yourself a ride or invite others to join or you can take part at a ride share that someone else planned. You will be able to post or read information regarding the costs and the location and choose the suggestion that fits you best. Not only that you will find many options to choose from and meet new people but you will also get the chance to promote the reduction of emissions and a healthy lifestyle.

Furthermore the application offers a sort of equipment marketplace where you can buy or sell winter gear.  Users can post their own gear for sale so if you want to upgrade your current equipment this application is a great place to start.

One of the newer applications that can be found and used on Facebook is Sam’s Fish Bowl, a game that allows you to create a virtual pet fish and take care of it. Let’s take a deeper look inside this game and see what it has to offer. My 8 year old nephew simply loves this game so I decided it warranted a review on the site.

Sam’s Fish Bowl was created by the producers of Sam’s Interactive Reader software, Storybook Anytime. While this is software meant for children between three and nine years, Sam’s Fish Bowl has a wider audience on Facebook. Once you make your account, you will be able to create your own fish in any unique way, from its color to its personality. By using the customizing function, you will be able to search through a variety of options when it comes to the bowl décor as well as to the fish itself. It can have diverse fun colors and its own temperament as well as favorite types of food and an unique abilities. From aspect, you can enjoy choosing between an expert ninja fish, a sumo wrestler, as well as a fish with telekinetic abilities or one that has x-ray vision.

Sams Fish Bowl

Regarding feeding the fish, you will only get to give him food once a day. However, the game allows you to involve your friends in raising the fish as well as they can help you feeding yours. You only have to invite your friends and they will also feed your fish daily. Your fish’s health is reduced by five percent everyday unless you feed it but each of your friends that feed it too will provide the fish with an extra two percent growth of health.

In what concerns the points or Super Feeder Points, as the creators call them, you can check the leader board. Here you will be able to see who the top players in the game are and how many points they have. You will also be able to see your own ranking. Plus, if you have an account for your child on the Sam’s Interactive Reader, then you will share your feeder points with his or her Super Reader Points and you will both have fun and help each other in earning more points.

From January to February the number of the active users that Sam’s Fish Bowl application has increased from around 2000 to approximately 4000. Use this game together with your children and friends as well and enjoy a nice time by taking care of your unique fish.

MALICIOUS FACEBOOK APPLICATION – Take Notice
I just wanted to let everyone know that there is a nasty malicious Facebook Application going around out there.   For the second time in less than a week, Facebook users have to deal with a widespread attack due to malicious third-party applications. The latest attack is sending out notifications that users are in violation of Facebook’s Terms of Service.

For the second time in less than a week, Facebook has been forced to squelch a rogue application targeting users of the site.In the most recent attack, users have been receiving notices stating they have been reported for violating Facebook’s terms of service by someone in their friends’ list. A link in the notification leads to an application called “”f a c e b o o k - - closing down!!!” being installed.

According to TrendMicro Security Experts, the application, once installed begins to churn out spam messages out to the victim’s friends that are similar to this one:  “[Friend's name] has just reported you to Facebook for violating our Terms of Service. - This is your official warning! - Click here to find out why you were reported! - Request Facebook look at what has happened and rule immediately.”

It appears that Facebook has since removed the application. However, the challenge of what to do about  securing third party developed applications lingers. Roughly a week ago, users were hit by a similar application called “Error Check System,” which posted fake error notifications in a Facebook user’s profile in its attempt to spread.

While security experts offered no concrete numbers to indicate how many users had been affected by the attacks.  “One of the problems is that Facebook allows anybody to write an application, and third-party applications are not vetted before they are made available to the public,” blogged Sophos Senior Technology Consultant Graham Cluley. “So, even as Facebook stamps out one malignant application, it can pop up in another place like a poisoned mushroom with a different name.”

Facebook has repeatedly said that the responsibility for securing third-party applications lies with the developers themselves. Third-party developers are the cornerstone of Facebook application growth and it would be nearly impossible for Facebook to review the code of every single application submitted.

So if you receive a notice like the one shown – PLEASE DO NOT INSTALL THE APPLICATION.  We as a community can fight these spammers together!

Just a follow up on this article, It appears that the Koobface worm has managed to wiggle its way back into Facebook.  This worm enters via a link that’s sent to users from “a friend”, leading to a video on a fake version of YouTube. According to Rik Ferguson of the Trend Micro blog, “On the face of it, it is a very familiar looking spoofed version of YouTube, complete with bogus comments from ‘viewers.’ Once the user clicks on the Install button, it redirects to a download site for the file setup.exe, which is the new Koobface variant detected as WORM_KOOBFACE.AZ.”  However, not only Facebook has been effected but numerous other social wesbites such as:  myspace.com, bebo.com,  friendster.com, tagged.com and myyearbook.com