Facebook has entered into mobile waters again with its new app called Paper. Paper is a news reading app that shows users their current News Feed with additional content in sections that is pulled from a third party.
There is no doubt that this standalone app because of its fluid and mobile conscious interface is attracting much attention, but it also evokes memories of Facebook’s similar previous attempts that did not go well. This all begs a question: Will Paper be a hit or a miss? The answer to this question will have big consequences for Facebook.
In my opinion, Paper app is a prettier version of Facebook — as it is far more aesthetically pleasing than the Facebook app. Its biggest differentiator is that it is manually customizable giving users the ability to swipe between content sections. People have long complained about their news feed being cluttered with junk and social detritus, this app definitely provides a way users can select what they want to see. That said, the basic idea of launching standalone apps is a smart one for Facebook whose biggest problem may be the public’s fatigue with its primary brand.
Despite of this, it is hard to say whether the app will be able to drive users to new mobile experiences. Will users only temporarily use to only to abandon it? The other interesting thing to see is if users get used to getting real-time mobile push notifications on news and stories about their friends, or they find it spammy and revert back.