On July 16th, 2007, Justin Smith published on InsideFacebook the industry’s first truly insightful analysis. He talked about “News Feed Optimization“- a concept that proposed optimizing the newsfeed for Facebook apps was the equivalent of optimizing web pages for search engines like Google.

Since then, a lot has changed about Facebook Platform. Application numbers have exploded, development and consulting firms have sprung up, and an industry has begun to get traction with big brands. Other changes have happened too- some of them negative. The practice of forcing users to “invite friends”- forced invites- became rampant enough that many Facebook users expressed fatigue with abusive applications. The power of the invite was so strong that NFO faded into the background.

Now, however, new measures have made NFO as relevant as ever. It’s a testimony to Smith’s foresight and the strong foundation of Platform that NFO remains an exciting and dynamic concept in helping to grow Apps. Platform couldn’t be killed by invites, and neither could NFO. That’s good for Facebook, good for users, and good for the brands trying to reach them.