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So far so go good then, but any drastic change can generate a backlash and Facebook's bevy of new applications are little different. Most worrying are the claims that in unleashing third party applications on Facebook the site is beginning to resemble MySpace, with profile pages crowded by pointless distractions and email accounts being inundated with invites to use them. Do these complaints have any credence, or are they the just the kill joy grumbles of a minority?

Probably the most frustrating thing about the new applications is that they distract from the core functions of the site. At its heart Facebook has been successful because it does the 'social' part of social networking better than most. Features such as the Mini-Feed and News Feed are invaluable for keeping track of you're friends activities, as is the ability to co-ordinate events and parties among your friends. It's these features that have helped get Facebook to where it is now, and many resent the extra clutter created by the new third party applications.

Ultimately, the value of the new applications is best judged on what they do, and looking at the most popular new applications reveals a real menagerie of odds and sods. Some are genuinely useful; iLike for example gives Facebook a distinctly MySpace edge enabling users to add music but also telling people what concerts they are attending. Other applications such as the Flixter movie app and plug-ins for other services such as last.fm also add some value, but the large majority of the most popular applications don't fare as well. Fortune Cookie, Horoscopes, Super Poke, Food Fight, (fluff)Friends – all among the most popular applications out there and all of them, to be frank, are a complete waste of time and space.

Even given this, however, the comparisons to MySpace seem a little alarmist. To be sure, many of the applications are frivolous and annoying, but the problem has yet to reach the sort of levels reached by MySpace. That none of them can change the overall appearance of your profile is still a defining factor, and in this Facebook remains consistent.

But at this point I feel compelled to make a plea, not to Facebook the company but to the users themselves. Be responsible! If used properly third party applications have the power to enhance Facebook greatly, to improve the experience and help expand its appeal and usefulness. Right now, though, only a select few applications can genuinely claim to do this, and those that don't need to be purged and forgotten. This can only come from the users themselves, and if users show that they want more than useless gimmickry then developers will respond. If this doesn't happen the growing sense of unrest can only increase, and with that will come cynicism and negativity – two things can only harm Facebook as a whole.

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