Facebook Developer Explains Company’s "1% Finished" Motto
A Facebook developer said Friday that the company’s journey is only “1% finished” and is on the path to put a greater emphasis its mobile presence.
Facebook’s developer support manager Charles Dowd based in Dublin revealed during the 2012 Reykjavik Internet Marketing Conference in Iceland that Facebook users are increasingly more engaged on mobile devices than ever before. This means that mobile Facebook users are clicking, posting and interacting on handheld devices.
There are 425 million users currently using Facebook mobile apps, according to Dowd.
“Mobile is an extremely important part of our strategy,” Dowd told attendees. “People are really engaged on mobile today than on desktop web. It’s definitely top of mind for us.”
Dowd also shed light on Facebook’s corporate culture, from its six-week mandatory boot camp for new engineers to how its corporate offices are designed to encourage innovation and creativity.
“Everyone that joins Facebook as an engineer spends six weeks at an intensive boot camp,” Dowd said. “In the first two weeks of their time at Facebook, they get to ship one change to the site. That one change will be seen by half of a billion people, so it’s a great way to establish an instant connection for new hires regarding what they are doing and who they are reaching.”
Facebook ships a new set of code each week, which can affect anything from the news feeds to profile pages. Developers are required to hand in their work by Sunday, and the new code is shipped on Tuesday.
“There is a cadence at the company that is about always moving forward,” Dowd said. “Everyone at the company understands that this is how we work.”
Dowd attributed Facebook’s ongoing success to its internal motto: “This journey is 1% finished.”
“We may have over 100 billion connections on Facebook, but we still consider ourselves 1% done,” Dowd said. “It’s just the beginning for Facebook and there’s more work to be done. We apply this concept to how we approach things each day.”
Facebook takes its motto so seriously than it even infiltrates into the design of its Menlo Park, Calif. headquarters.
“The office looks unfinished on purpose,” Dowd said. “It’s a reminder that everyone is on a journey and we haven’t even arrived yet. It gives people so much energy and freedom to take risks.”
Dowd noted that while a U.K. partner — which is currently integrated with the social networking site — was working out of Facebook’s offices for one week, it accomplished four new site features at a rapid pace, from conception to going live on the site.
“When you are in an environment where everyone has a common vision, it’s easier to get things done,” Dowd added.
Facebook also has various artwork and messages hanging throughout its offices, such as posters that say “Move Fast and Break Things” and “Done is Better than Perfect.” Dowd also referenced CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s note that he posted to himself and employees on Facebook the day of the company’s IPO announcement: “Stay Focused and Keep Shipping.”
“You have to think about the long-term, but you also have to focus on shipping now and getting things out the door,” Dowd said.
Are you surprised Facebook is focusing its efforts on growing mobile? How important do you think is corporate culture to a business’s success? Let us know in the comments.
Image courtesy of iStockphoto, ymgerman
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