As a Facebook developer, are you frustrated by the rigid structure of Open Graph sentences? Facebook has a standard that it applies to every story so that each action is described in the same manner using the same action verbs. Honestly, it can get a little boring, and maybe even a little confusing. That’s why Facebook is now letting developers change up the sentences in custom Open Graph actions.
Facebook announced that its introducing flexible sentences into Open Graph. The new feature will allow developers to customize the Open Graph stories that appear on user’s walls. As an example, Facebook used the app, Songkick, that allows users to find out when concerts are playing near their home. Here’s how the app would normally publish a story on Facebook:
As Facebook points out, the above story lacks context. It doesn’t actually let people know that Songkick is a concert app. With flexible sentences, the developers can now let people know exactly what the app does.
For even more control, Facebook has updated the configuration tool to list the most frequently used story formats first so developers know which ones will require customization.
Facebook notes that flexible sentences aren’t available for all Open Graph actions. Developers can only change the wording on custom actions. Built-in actions, which comprise the majority of Open Graph actions, will remain unchanged to provide a consistent experience across Facebook.
Developers will gain access to flexible sentences today, and users will begin seeing them soon. If you want to learn more about flexible sentences, check out the documentation.