Today we are excited to announce the launch of Inside Facebook France, the world’s first blog dedicated to serving Facebook brand marketers, advertisers, and Facebook Platform application developers in French!

Inside Facebook France – Toute l’actualité de Facebook pour les développeurs et les acteurs du marketing

Facebook saw tremendous growth in France throughout 2008, increasing from 1 million users at the beginning of the year to over 6.5 million by year’s end. What’s more, Facebook’s growth in France is actually accelerating heading into 2009: Facebook’s French audience grew 80.4% (1.05 million new users) in Q3 2008 to 3.5 million, and by 86.8% (3.04 million new users) to 6.54 million in Q4. Facebook now reaches just over 10% of the French national population, and trails only Skyrock in reach within the country.

For French brand marketers, advertisers, and application developers, Facebook and the Facebook Platform offer unprecedented opportunity to engage users in their authentic social environment online. Like the original Inside Facebook, Inside Facebook France will track all the latest developments on Facebook and the Facebook Platform to keep you informed. And in addition to all the stories you see here on Inside Facebook, Inside Facebook France will provide additional coverage of Facebook developments happening in France.

For those interested in jump starting their understanding of the Facebook marketing landscape, last month we released La Bible du Marketing sur Facebook: 38 manières (et +) de promouvoir votre marque, entreprise, produit ou service à l’intérieur de Facebook, the definitive Facebook marketing guide for brand marketers, guerilla marketers, and application developers. It details dozens of tactics used by leading marketers inside Facebook, and is a great way to both learn the wide variety of ways marketers can engage Facebook users, and benchmark your marketing strategies and tactics. (The English version is available here.)

We’re very excited to have Patrice Bonfy, co-founder of leading French social media agency Sociabliz, on board as lead translator and writer at Inside Facebook France. Patrice brings a wealth of experience in the French social media market to the table. Recently, his firm Sociabliz launched a fan voting app for the NRJ Music Awards (what the MTV Music Awards are to the US). Sociabliz has also developed the Demographer Facebook demographics tool. Patrice is also the lead translator of La Bible du Marketing sur Facebook.

Inside Facebook France is very excited to work and partner with more French social media agencies and developers. If you’re working in the space, please email us at bonjour AT insidefacebook.com and introduce yourself!

Tchin-Tchin (Cheers!) to the year ahead! :)