Facebook and Facebook’s app ecosystem does not need any introduction.

Companies and brands whose target market falls in the typical Facebook user demographic have stuck gold with well designed Facebook apps. Beyond likes and shares, Facebook apps can help you get more engaged users, increased traffic to your own website and spikes in revenue.

But designing Facebook apps is not the same as designing a mobile app or a site. There are a number of factors in play here. You have to

• Be sure you are not violating Facebook’s ever changing legal and policy positions
• Adopt to Facebook’s unpredictable changes in user interface
• Figure out a business model that does not run afoul of Facebook’s goals

• Adjust to the continuous tweaks to EdgeRank, Facebook’s algorithm which determines which posts and apps are seen on the News Feed
• Take advantage of new features like Open Graph.