At Facebook's core is the social graph; people and the connections they have to everything they care about. Historically, Facebook has managed this graph and has expanded it over time as we launch new products (photos, places, etc.). In 2010, we introduced an early version of Open Graph, an extension of the social graph, via the Open Graph protocol, to include 3rd party web sites and pages that people liked throughout the web. We are now extending the Open Graph to include arbitrary actions and objects created by 3rd party apps and enabling these apps to integrate deeply into the Facebook experience.

After a user adds your app to their Timeline, app specific actions are shared on Facebook via the Open Graph. As your app becomes an important part of how users express themselves, these actions are more prominently displayed throughout the Facebook Timeline, News Feed, and Ticker. This enables your app to become a key part of the user's and their friend's experience on Facebook.

The Open Graph allows apps to model user activities based on actions and objects. A running app may define the ability to “run” (action) a “route” (object). A reading app may define the ability to “read” (action) a “book” (object). A recipe app may define the ability to “cook” (action) to a “recipe” (object). Actions are verbs that users perform in your app. Objects define nouns that the actions apply to. We created sets of actions and objects for common use cases and a tool for you to create your own custom actions and objects. As users engage with your app, social activities are published to Facebook which connects the user with your objects, via the action.

With the Open Graph, your app becomes a part of the user’s identity and social graph. Through a single API, you’re able to deeply integrate into the key points of distribution on Facebook: Timeline, App Views, News Feed, and Ticker. As users interact with your app, actions are displayed on the users’ Timeline and their friends’ News Feeds and Tickers. With the Open Graph, you’ll be able to create a deep, persistent connection between you and your users, and drive new users to your app.

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Next Steps

• Understand Open Graph Key Concepts
• Follow a step by step Tutorial
• Get started now and define your Objects and Actions in the App Dashboard