Facebook Domination (Infographic)

Rapportive brings deep Facebook Integration to Gmail

Y Combinator startup Rapportive is updating its Gmail add-on Wednesday, bringing deep Facebook integration to the inbox.

Rapportive is a lightweight Gmail add-on that adds social intelligence to e-mail messages and occupies the same space as Xobni and Gist. Users can install the tool to get a quick glimpse at the e-mail sender’s online persona, complete with recent tweets and LinkedIn integration.

With the Facebook integration, Rapportive users can now request to add e-mail contacts as Facebook friends, see contacts’ recent Facebook updates, view photos, watch attached videos, “like” updates and add comments, all from within e-mail messages.

The integration essentially distills a contact-filtered and personalized version of the world’s largest social network, packages it up in a gift-wrapped box and leaves it at the user’s online doorstep — the inbox.

The purpose of the update, according to Rapportive CEO Rahul Vohra, is to help users build rapport over Facebook from within their inbox, something he believes to be a very real possibility.

The problem with going to Facebook to build relationships, he says, is threefold. First, there’s the matter of taking the time to visit the site. Problem number two: “The news feed doesn’t really show me the people I’m corresponding with in my e-mail,” he says. “And finally, the default display only shows me popular items, as determined by Facebook’s algorithms.”

In his personal use, Vohra has found that using Facebook inside his inbox has a number of positive side effects, including enhancing relationships with contacts. “When it’s relevant, I post comments on my contacts’ facebook posts [via Rapportive]. This has actually created follow-on interactions from these people, which themselves turn into conversations,” he says.

Vohra was reluctant to share specifics on the size of Rapportive’s user base, but does say that the startup has added five times as many active users since August 2010. Rapportive, which has upwards of ₨45.56 (₨45.56 (₨45.56 ($1))) million in angel funding, has also turned down a number of Series A offers, he says.

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, Pablo631

[via: Mashable]

Facebook Launches Deals Page on Site

Want to access nearby Facebook Deals using your web browser? Now you can, thanks to Facebook’s new “Find Deals on Facebook” page.

The page, which was launched last week, enables users to find local deals on a map, just as they would using Facebook’s official iPhone or Android apps, or by accessing touch.facebook.com on their mobile phones. Users can also browse deals in other neighborhoods via search.

The page does not appear to be well-integrated into the rest of Facebook.com, although we expect it will be soon. Integration on the Home tab would no doubt drive greater awareness among those who primarily access Facebook from their desktops.

Emily White, Facebook’s director of local, told the Wall Street Journal that since Facebook Deals launched in the U.S. in November 2010, “millions” of people have used the service, and more than 50% of merchants have elected to renew their offers. Facebook Deals went live in five European countries on Monday.

[via All Facebook]

Image courtesy of the University of Kentucky