2007-05-25 01:31:43 -

SAN FRANCISCO, May 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Facebook f8 Event -- Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive today announced two political applications built on Facebook Platform, a development platform that enables companies to integrate with the Facebook website and gain access to millions of users. washingtonpost.com's "The Compass" and Slate's "Political Futures" applications are now available for Facebook users worldwide who are interested in becoming more engaged in present-day politics.

washingtonpost.com's "The Compass" allows users to answer several questions that serve to determine where along the political spectrum their views fall. The

results are then shared with the person's Facebook network and they, in turn, are invited to answer. As the user's network responds to the questions, s/he is able to see how their answers compare to create a map of political ideology.

Slate's "Political Futures" application allows users to choose where they would place a bet if they had $500 to wager on the outcome of the 2008 race for the White House. Leveraging Slate's "Political Futures" tool, which databases the big three political prediction markets, the application shows where the pretend wager falls in relation to real bets and maps out how other people in a user's network placed their "bets."

When asked about Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive's decision to introduce applications on Facebook, Caroline Little, CEO and publisher, said: "These applications are an excellent opportunity for our websites to engage and interact with Facebook's 24 million users. We are excited to have a new way to share the political news we're known for with such an active audience."

Facebook is a social utility that offers an efficient way for people to stay connected with their friends and the people around them. Facebook users communicate and share information through the social graph, the network of connections and relationships between people. With more than 24 million active users, Facebook is the sixth-most trafficked website in the United States.

"Facebook Platform creates an ecosystem for developers to build applications that deeply integrate into Facebook and use its social graph," said Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Facebook. "By enabling developers to make applications within Facebook, we're working together to create a better utility for millions of people."

About washingtonpost.com

washingtonpost.com is the award-winning news and information Web site of the Washington Post. It offers world-class journalism, a remarkable blend of traditional reporting, and innovative, multimedia content that provides an unmatched level of depth and texture to breaking stories as well as features, plus unique ways for reader to engage with the site, its capabilities and content.

One of four online properties published by Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive, washingtonpost.com is the recipient of the first-ever Emmy for original video journalism online and has won numerous other awards, including an EPpy Award for Best Overall Newspaper-Affiliated Site, several Digital Edge Awards, a 2007 National Journalism Award for Web Reporting, National Press Photographers' Association Best of Photojournalism Award, and three consecutive Edward R. Murrow Awards for Overall Excellence for Non-Broadcast Affiliated Website, among others. According to the 2007 Project for Excellence in Journalism, washingtonpost.com is a "High Achiever" as an online news site, earning strong marks in terms of branding, content customization, multimedia and user participation.

For more information, please visit http://www.washingtonpost.com/. About Slate

Slate Magazine is an award-winning Web site that offers fresh angles on stories in the news and innovative entertainment coverage. Slate won the 2006 and 2005 EPpy awards for Best Internet News Service (over 1 million monthly visitors) and the 2005 EPpy award for Best Internet Entertainment Service (over 1 million monthly visitors). Slate can be found on the Web at http://www.slate.com/ and is owned by The Washington Post Company. Slate attracts over five million unique visitors each month.

About Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive

Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive (WPNI) is the online publishing subsidiary of The Washington Post Company . Its mission is to create truly interactive platforms that offer unmatched user experiences by developing editorial products with world-class reporting, multimedia features and award-winning content.

WPNI's news and information sites, which include washingtonpost.com, Slate, Newsweek.com and Budget Travel Online, inform and encourage conversation and debate while reaching millions of unique and active users each month. WPNI properties' long lists of awards include the first-ever Emmy for original video journalism online awarded to washingtonpost.com, as well as National Journalism Awards, Pictures of the Year International Award, several Digital Edge Awards, multiple Edward R. Murrow Awards and White House New Photographer's Association Awards, among others.

The company is headquartered in Arlington, VA.

Facebook(R) is a registered trademark of Facebook Inc.

Source: Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive