(KEN MACHARIA) Social networking giants Facebook has given the green light to 60 new apps that allow users to post and share every aspect of their lives, from movies to books to food to fashion.

The initial batch of the apps includes contributions from companies such as Foodspotting, Rotten Tomatoes, Pinterest, TripAdvisor and e-reader Kobo.

“Whatever you love, whatever story it is you want to tell, you can add that to your timeline,” said Carl Sjogreen, director of platform products for Facebook.

Over time, the apps will track almost any aspect of life users prefer – from cappuccinos to world travels – and catalogue them into the Facebook “Timeline,” a new feature that essentially turns a personal profile into a virtual scrapbook.

“Whatever you love, whatever story it is you want to tell, you can add that to your timeline,” said Carl Sjogreen, director of platform products for Facebook.

Kenyan online content producers and marketers are likely to welcome the apps as it will mean users can easily share content from websites.

Someone reading an e-book from Kobo, for example, could highlight passages they want to share with Facebook friends. The app will automatically track which books they have finished or started reading and connect them with other Facebook users reading the same books.

While users of movie review website Rotten Tomatoes can share their reviews for their friends to see.

Developers were quick to emphasize user control over which actions appear on Facebook, an issue that has prompted concern among some privacy rights advocates since the apps were first announced last year.

Source: AFP