I think the general environment of the user community rightfully should take precedence over ruffling a few developer feathers. Sorry, that’s my opinion.

More power to Facebook for cleaning up some of the online garbage. Perhaps it would be more politically correct to issue a warning at first, but I applaud the move.

I’m an app developer, and they did this to us, without warning, just after 6pm on a Friday evening. We’ve immediately taken out the bad ad providers - we don’t want crap ads either - but they’ll probably take days to get back to us.

This is lame on so many levels. We have annoyed users, and our business is dead in the water late on a Friday evening with no-one to get us back up.

If they’d sent us the email and given us even 1 hour to comply, we’d have done so. Taking us out without warning is pretty un-professional.

Working with ads provided by a third party is quite a hard thing to do. They get their ads from other providers, and some of them do bad things that cause the rest to get a bad name - hey, even Google sometimes lets through ads they shouldn’t - its a hard problem to solve.

Anyone can suggest a “safe” network then?

I think there are too many applications out there, really hate when I receive plenty of invitations to join causes, games, stupid questionnaires etc., this is a good initiative.

Maybe if Facebook offered developers a cut of their ad revenue, they wouldn’t have to rely on seedy ad networks. I would gladly stop showing any ads of my own for half of the take on those $0.30 CPC ads that are in the sidebar.

The point is that Facebook developers offer a service that millions of users love, and they only run advertising as a way to keep that service available (we have to cover our food, shelter and taxes too). They don’t ask these major ad networks to run seedy ads, and considering that these are supposed to be the most respectable ad networks available, it really isn’t the developers’ fault.

The problem here is that FB is going after the developers when we didn’t do anything wrong!

When FB took a hard stance on banners containing user’s data a couple months ago all the networks turned them off. However, Social Cash and Lifestreet never asked me to remove their javascript code I placed so they could show these types of ads. They both told me this code is compliant and within the guidelines so I left it up. Now I get shut off for passing data to the networks…aaaargh. How can I be held responsible; these networks could very well have been using the code to user’s age/gender to target but I don’t get how that’s my fault.

The other problem is that it doesn’t seem like Facebook even knows what they consider compliant anymore. The notes they sent are so vague and don’t say what’s wrong with the ads. The ad above has nothing wrong with it in my opinion. These ads are way less aggressive than the ones I see regularly on other major sites. Facebook really needs to decide what they want to do or launch their own ad network and make it the only solution so that we can just focus on coding and building viable online businesses without worrying about this mess anymore.

As a Facebook user, I’m really glad that they care so much about their user experience — it’s no wonder that so many users are flocking to them.

My guess is that moves like this, though, are going to make devs think twice before trying to build a business on top of the platform. Given the huge negative feedback Apple got for similar draconian measures, I’m surprised everyone is so firmly in Facebook’s camp on this one.

As a dev as well as a user, I, and all devs I’ve talked to, want to play by the rules and be partnered with Facebook to improve the user experience. The vague, changing guidelines and stylistic lack of communication makes that difficult. Rule of law in the US has given us a thriving economy safe for business. Just a thought.

Looks like Facebook went after developers who are the funding source in this case instead of the Ad Network! Its not right to shit down the applications totally w/o much notice.

I saw the Forum thread on this and noticed a moderator, anatolyl who is not a facebook person. Wonder who are the moderators and how they got there.

If these are fellow developers active in the forum, facebook should utilize them better to engage with the dev community.

Well, I for one would like my game back. Not a developer but it sure doesn’t seem right to take down apps without proper notice or warning.
I have been inundated with spam apps lately and nothing seems to be done about this. To take down the best game on facebook for something that minor seems pretty heavy handed!

I say it sucks… and Totally agree with them giving some sort of Notice prior to shutting them down…

The problem is the lack of warning. As an app owner, it is really easy to make an ad switch if asked. However, when they give you no warning and send out the email after close of business on a Friday, it is difficult to contact facebook (no phone number, just “reply to this email…”) to let them know you’ve fixed the problem. It is also hard to patrol millions of impressions that happen each month. I can’t view every ad shown on every page. It’s impossible.

also, i want to serve compelling ads that benefit the consumer and myself. I don’t want to display false and misleading ads.

I want my favorite app back… if not then I just might leave facebook!

Ok- I’ve seen thouse IQ adds EVERYWHERE! on aps that are still running - And including mini ones on just straight fb pages. There are plenty of other ads that are similar. In fact, this is why I finally broke down and got adblocker.

I only joined FB for farmtown - which I’ve seen thouse IQ adds on… but Farmtown is still running.

I joined other aps too and it’s disappointing to me that some aps would be taken down and others not.

Not saying all should be taken down… But I THOUGHT the ads were controlled by FB not the apps! If not then then SHOULD BE. Let FB screen the adds that appear as a banner on the top and the adds that run down the sides!

There is no reason why Facebook should shut these apps down. The developers need ads in order to have enough money, and yea, ads are annoying, and if they’re offensive (which I don’t think these are, I think it’s obvious what it’s advertising), but Facebook should give them a notice. Let them find new ads, and if they don’t, then act appropriately. Yet, as usual, Facebook doesn’t care. It’ll shut these apps down.

To what Garner said: The problem is that the developers may not know or understand the reasons. A lot of honest developers don’t know what happened. I use Facebook purely for the applications, and my favorite app just got shut down. They didn’t know what happened, or why. Facebook is punishing the developers unfairly. If Facebook threatened to shut them down, and they didn’t, that’d be a different story.

What apps were shut down?

egg breaker is down by DJ Arts

this sux we want our games back or we will elave facebook but maybethats what they want….those ads are offensive I have seen worse on tv…..the diet pills will really work huh and alcohol makes you happier…yeah right ….

To Facebook: Shutting down apps. seems pretty backward thinking. If shutting down an app is your way of controling ads, how are you going to keep devs. when people no longer come back to view new ads, where as in my case I play 1 application that is shutdown. Why would I need to use facebook. That’s what a telephone is for.

it’s amazing the number of “developers” that are complaining about not being warned. Apparently nobody can read thier warnings that were issued back in June

Good for Facebook for finally doing something right

facebook needs to pay attnetion to myspace and where its at today ,its yesterdays fad and facebook will prob join it soon as someone is going to see how little facebook cares about the people who use it and they will step up and create a more user FRIENDLY site , that at least pretends to care and in 6 months facebook will have tumble weeds and we will all be playing elsewhere , just a thought , maybe they should turn Eggbreakers back on and avoid a mutiny
CHristine

ok using the applications, we all know there are going to be ads. Those of us that use Firefox browser have nice little feature called AdBlock Plus that can block these ads. (not sure about other browsers) Regardless, some warning to the developers….a “you have 24 hours to comply” notice would have been more than sufficient.

Many of us on Facebook have seen similar things on the “other” social networking site *cough*myspace*cough*. IF they continue this way another social site will spring up and it wouldn’t surprise me if the masses flock there just as they came to Facebook from Myspace…..

Simply put…some clear cut rules about what is and is not allowed…and/or some warning to the developers and all the problems -should- be solved (key word should)

The issue isn’t taking down apps, it’s the utter lack of warning and taking the apps down on a Friday evening after normal working hours. If they’d given 24-hours of notice on a Monday, I would be totally supportive of their move. But no warning? C’mon, Facebook. That’s just unprofessional.

The only reason I joined FB was to keep in touch with family/friends and play apps; keeping in touch with family/friends can easily be done by telephone…apps can’t! There are so many app users who are so angry about this and threatening to leave FB and I am one of them. So what about ads…don’t click them…that’s the users choice! Its also the users choice as to whether they spend spare change..to each their own. I always have ads on my pages and just ignore them. If I do offers…again, my choice. I refuse to do anything that asks for more than my name and email address which is no different than submitting this comment as I had to leave that for this! I’ve been reading so many different links and I sure don’t understand why this was done on a Friday night; its not fair to the devs or the users. Please FB…bring back our apps. Jo

Worse then misleading ads is those games on facebook that demand that you get friends to play. This only encourages getting strangers on your facebook. If I don’t know someone, regardless of how remotely, I don’t want them on my facebook! And I ain’t about to s…end invites to games to friends that will probably not play them. When a person clicks on a misleading ad they usually close the window, yet when they play a game for a few weeks to suddenly find out they need more friends playing the game to continue, they get frustrated and some leave facebook to never return.

I have stopped playing a few games due to ‘the need to increase friends’ and two of my remaining games got shut down for being bad with those ads listed above. What is the point of me continuing?

To those of you that think this was a good idea: are you a proponent of getting rid of basic rights as well?

I find it very funny that Facebook has the time to find misleading ads, yet doesn’t have the time to address thousands of complaints regarding their servers not working properly and affecting the apps within it. You don’t send an email warning to developers after close of business on a Friday and then not be around to respond when they (promptly) correct the problem. They’re not cleaning up the online garbage OR caring about the user experience, or else they would fix the problems within their own system. Please don’t be naive, people. This is poor business practice at its best and a perfect example of hypocrisy. Tired of seeing the ads? Don’t play.

I find this whole situation rather funny. Here Facebook has just demonstrated it’s continued disregard for those who use their site, whether it be a User or an App Developer. I think this may just be the final nail in their coffin and I, for one, am interested to see what will come of it. Now don’t get me wrong, I understand what Facebook is trying to do for its Users, but when they shut down Apps with little to no warning, when they don’t answer questions from Users, when they use sneaky methods to get their point across, and when they continuously have problems keeping their site running smoothly, they can’t possibly expect people to stay.

MyFarm is down, Brimmies is down and Peel a meal is down as well that I know of!

might as well go out and get hit by lightning now . all the apps you shut down i had years playing and no problems until now.

Is there anywhere, we, as users can email in order to give facebook our two cents worth? Two more good apps, Peel a Meal and Brimmies are now down for the same reason but so far no others that I log into daily

I’m a ticked off user!

I agree with less advertisements but to just shut down the apps without any notice isnt right either its not very respectful to all that play them.

Grrrrr @ FB

This is just plain stupidity, maybe Facebook should provide developers with a list of “safe” ads.

As for them comming down on developers for this, in my opinion FB should be shut down for the simple reason that they are misleading, they claim that they are a social networking site, but yet you get pink slipped for posting on boards to much or getting to many e-mails.

Sorry but as a Facebook user, I feel like I am being punished, I support the apps I use with occassional sc purchases, I in general come to facebook for the apps that I do use, and usually enjoy my time on facebook, I feel they should have warned the Devs first given them 1 day say to comply and then Taken the drastic Action rather than leaving us the USERS High and dry, I do understand this is said to be done in our best interest but surely it is not the best interest to make us want to leave fb in droves?

This is the most ignorant thing i have seen happen yet. So when the AD companys were warned in June to smarten up, i guess it was unwritten law that the dev’s had to now babysit those ads ontop of everything else they have to do.

I hope ALL the Face Book Dev’s Create there apps OFF facebook, and say screw it to fb. I would love to see a group of people start an actual social networking site WE CAN SOCIALIZE ON !!!!

People get disabled all the time and for NO reason, Apps get taken down because the Ad Companys dont give a rats Butt !!!

GIVE ME A SOCIAL NETWORK THAT WORKS

Response from Facebook:

Hello,

On July 28th we announced new advertising policies and said “[w]e’d like to remind you that you are responsible for all content within your application, and will be held accountable for any policy violations in ads appearing in your application, regardless of whether you have served them or they come from a third-party ad network. Facebook will enforce against developers and applications that include policy-violating ads — such as by imposing a temporary restriction on functionality or permanently disabling the application — as we do for other instances of policy violation.”

Since then we have been taking action when necessary. In addition to prior enforcements, recently some applications were temporarily suspended for running a high percentage of violating ads. These poor ads — even from a small number of applications — can diminish user confidence in all advertising, adversely impacting the entire Platform ecosystem. However, these apps were not permanently disabled, and assuming there are no other policy violations, will be restored in several days at the end of the scheduled suspensions. We do want to note that in some cases apps may be permanently disabled for ad violations.

As we’ve mentioned, if you run ads from third-party networks, we encourage you to monitor those ads, and work with your providers to ensure compliance and high quality. Don’t run ads from networks you don’t trust or you catch violating the guidelines. You may wish to ask your network to explain how they protect you and users, whether they have a process for receiving ad complaints, whether they offer you transparency into the variety of ads they run in different locations, and whatever other assurances you as a publisher would like to demand in exchange for allowing access to space you are accountable for.

We’re excited about all the value you create for users and your dedication to building on Platform, and want to encourage monetization and your success. We’ll keep looking for ways to help. But remember that you are clients of the ad networks; they should be serving your needs. For the percentage of developers that are outsourcing your monetization and user experience to them, are they doing what you require for them to earn your trust and access to your users?

Paul C. Jeffries
Platform Policy Team

I am extremely frustrated with this! This is NOT fair

It’s amazing to me that Facebook is still pulling stunts like this. Sure, they provide a free service (for which they make PLENTY of money) but really, blocking an entire application or group of applications simply for an ad violation? I am more offended by the constant FB provided ad’s that ask me if I am getting married (yes I am, no I don’t need your picture packages, free honeymoons, dress fittings, catering, band or flowers!) than I am by an ad that ask me what my IQ is.

Personally it’s stuff like this that makes me wonder what idiot is making these decisions. Between the recent discussion board notification changes, notifications just not appearing after a set limit, banning REAL people for being “bots” but keeping people like “looney tunezzZZzz” and now this? Facebook, people are paying real money for brimmies and egg-breaker…and some of these apps you have shut down also regularly donate to charities. I trust brimmies and egg breakers with my personal info 1000% more than I trust Facebook.

I really only use Facebook to play the apps! What else is there to do, really? Browse through your friends list all day? How exciting!

Anyways, the one’s I know of that are down are Egg Breaker, Peel a Meal, Brimmie’s, and there might be more, but those are some of the apps I play, and they are quite popular with the FB community to boot.

omg, they have the Nerve to suggest that their “only goal” is ………. “Improving the USER EXPERIENCE?!?”
That’s the biggest LAUGH i’ve Had in days! Are you kidding? Those of us that try to remain in contact with people via discussion boards? Who thought the most amazing User Experience would be to remove the REPLY BUTTON! Give that Person a RAISE! I’d be willing to bet that nobody at the available contact email address gives a d*** about the “user experience!”…..
HAHAHAHAAAAA Taking down our favorite applications over a weekend? Another brilliant idea for those of us who work during the week, But…..omg, we have to help, “what about the User Experience” Funny, I bet before this “FIX” that you had LESS COMPLAINTS than you do RIGHT THIS MINUTE, and Over the past 48-96 hours? I’ll bet you’ll now be told where to put your “users experience” after this!

Wow isn’t it incredible to not be available to those people when you’ve shut down the Developers so that they TOO get to be forced to hear about the “users experience” for weeks to COME, those people who are rewarded for coming onto a game daily who will then get to start from scratch w/in the rules of their games, another GREAT way to keep friends there Mr./Mrs. Facebook Users Experience!

WOW! Another Sign of the Times that Facebook cannot be around to “comment” or to provide answers over the weekend on a Sunday Night to help the “users experience!” the only thing you’ve done today/this weekend is to ENSURE the Users will have a BAD EXPERIENCE!!!

Peel a meal is back up.

If Egg Breakers leave and go to myspace so will I and many other users or is that what you want to send them else where and make thn easier for you

I got disabled today without warning and they have even blocked my ISP so I cant even get to the login screen. Good luck getting anyone to help

The whole thing was sneaky and underhanded. Target the ad networks or at least give the devs a CHANCE to address identified issues before shutting down the apps. What they did resulted in a ton of pissed off users and a huge headache for the devs, not to mention unnecessary loss of revenue for the owners.

I just think the entire situation could have been managed better.

why don’t the dev’s get a copy of complaints made about ads on their apps. This would make it so much easier for dev’s and fb to control the content these 3rd party ad companies bombard users with.

FB if you can’t get the ad companies to co-operate then give the developers the means to comply with your rules. rather than a blanket punishment for all. upsetting most of your users.

Can you please let me know; Is Egg Breaker going back online or should I just give up!
Heart Broken……:-(

Is Egg Breaker going to restart some time? When Approx?
Jody

If Paul C. Jeffries was an employee of mine he’d have been fired five minutes after he sent that email. An apology was nowhere to be found, nor was a credible explanation for their behavior…and that last paragraph would have been hilarious if it wasn’t so hypocritical.

“We’re excited about all the value you create for users.” Yes, I can see that. You were so excited that you rewarded them with suspension and stopping them from creating value. Please try to contain your excitement next time because you clearly cannot handle it.

“[We] want to encourage monetization and your success.” You have a REALLY great way of showing that.

“We’ll keep looking for ways to help.” If what they’ve done this weekend was supposed to be one of their ways to help I can’t wait to find out what else they come up with.

“But remember that you are clients of the ad networks; they should be serving your needs.” Of course. That’s what really matters and not that application developers are clients of Facebook and Facebook should be serving their needs.

Enough said. The incompetence at Facebook is overwhelming.

I am extremely frustrated with this! This is NOT fair

cough…I cant see any ads anyhow. I use an ad blocker. I use apps to play games…not to shop around. I think all the ads should be banned anyhow. If you have a decent app you can bring in money without them.

I agree with facebook on this issue and I’m not really clear why the rest of the devs think that it’s unfair.

We were **clearly** warned that they would hold us accountable for all content our our canvas pages (including the ads) and that it was up to us to police our own ad content. This went out back in July sometime.

How do you feel that you had no warning?

Facebook is just ridiculous. They took down my friend’s profile a few months ago because he used a picture of his dog for his profile picture and used the dog’s name for his user name.

They said that he wasn’t a real person.

His dog is quite smart, but I don’t think that he has mastered the laptop….yet, lol.

How can give someone a warning, after hours, then shut them down immediately over a weekend? Where do they find these people? Does Facebook have a policy of hiring only stupid people? I didn’t think that anyone could be that stupid.

Cindy: You can bring money in w/o ads? You must be mentally retarded or extremely niave.

Try investing your money into yourself to build a facebook app and not use ads.

Heres a hint: Not every player (and i’m assuming you don’t do this either) donates to the developers, or uses the super rewards or peanut labs that are built in.

So yes, developers ARE forced to live off $0.05-$0.10 a day.