Ina Fried

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Facebook’s Aim for 2013: Mobile Experiences That Just Can’t Be Done on a PC

For much of its timeline, mobile has been an afterthought for Facebook. Last year, the company aimed to move to be more of a “mobile first” company.

In 2013, the company’s goal is to create services and features that aren’t even possible on a PC.

“So many things are unlocked on mobile,” said Dan Rose, Facebook VP of partnerships, speaking at our D: Dive Into Media conference. “You don’t bring your computer to a restaurant or a party.”

But it’s those places, Rose said, where people really want to share.

Connection with mobile devices opens up new possibilities, such as sharing a run while you are on it, and getting feedback from friends or finding nearby services. The company also has a huge opportunity in helping all those companies creating mobile apps to get their apps discovered.

Facebook, Rose said, sends 180 million clicks to the Apple App Store and Google Play marketplaces. That’s now becoming a serious business. “That number is only going to continue to grow,” Rose said.

The network’s mobile users are also more loyal, with 70 percent visiting the service daily, as opposed to less than half of desktop-only users.

In talking about how Facebook works with partners, Rose defended the company’s decreased reliance on Zynga, saying the two companies remain close partners, even if they are less dependent on one another than they once were.

“I don’t think we’ve walked away from Zynga at all,” Rose said.

While Zynga remains the largest developer using Facebook’s desktop platform, Rose noted that both companies are working to quickly boost their mobile business.

“They are looking to diversify into mobile,” Rose said. “We spent the last year really pivoting hard and becoming a mobile company. We still spend a lot of time with Zynga.”

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