Google's Plans for a Social API

NewsCloud writes "After tonight's Breaking Open Facebook with Free Open Source Software, TechCrunch reports Google plans to announce an open API for social networking tomorrow. "OpenSocial is a set of three common APIs, defined by Google with input from partners, that allow developers to access core functions and information at social networks: 1) Profile Information (user data) 2) Friends Information (social graph) and 3) Activities (things that happen, News Feed type stuff)" Says Om Malik: "OpenSocial attacks Facebook where it is the weakest (and the strongest): its quintessential closed nature...Even if you take Facebook out of the equation, the task of writing and adapting widgets for the every increasing number of social platforms was going to be turn into a colossal mess.""

Need to get cracking!

One day we'll judge how far along a project is by whether it has a social networking client or not.

NYT: Google and Friends to Gang Up on Facebook

"It is going to forestall Facebook's ability to get everyone writing just for Facebook," said a person with knowledge of the plans who asked to remain anonymous because he was not authorized to speak on behalf of the alliance. The group's platform, which is called OpenSocial, is "compatible across all the companies," that person said. "Facebook got the jump by announcing the Facebook platform and getting the traction they got. This is an open alternative to that," the person also said.

Full article [nytimes.com]

Social API, pthtptpptpththt!

When I told a charming, beautiful young woman she could plug into my public API, I got slapped!

Gee, thanks for nothing, social networking...

Re:Social API, pthtptpptpththt!

I told a charming, beautiful young woman she could plug into my public API...

Think about what you insinuated for a moment, then understand why you got slapped. Next time you should offer to plug into HER public API. That way at least you'll know what you're getting slapped for.

Amateurs.

Clone facebook

the thing which has always put me off social networking is that they are so uncompatibale with each other, and you can bet your bottom dollar that if you are on one system, someone else will be on the other.
I just wish someone would clone facebook (and/or myspace,bebo etc) and release it under the AGPL.

Re:Clone facebook

Even if you were to clone it, you would still have the issue of fractured userbases, as well as inertia - people will stick to whatever they are already on. To me, this seems to be very similar to the differences between messaging clients. Where I grew up, AIM was the only protocol anyone ever used; but people in different places use other protocols (from what I understand MSN is much more popular in Europe, etc.). Then along came clients with the ability to speak any of the protocols.

I think the solution to myriad social networking sites is not more social networking sites, but rather a standard communication and search protocol that they all can share, at least for basic information. This could allow Facebook users to connect to MySpace users, send messages, etc. Each site could retain its peculiar features, but basic communication could be established.

Marc Andreessen has a great write-up about it here

Marc Andreessen, founder of Netscape and Ning, has a great write-up about it, here [pmarca.com].

This is kind-of a follow-up to his in-depth thoughts on the Facebook platform [pmarca.com] that I found really useful, too.

Are you part of the problem?

Even if you take Facebook out of the equation, the task of writing and adapting widgets for the every increasing number of social platforms was going to be turn into a colossal mess.

So...you're introducing yet another platform to worry about?

Anyone else getting annoyed with all the no-profit, go-nowhere project announcements coming out of Google every other week?

Open source.... why bother?

I *get* what Google is trying to do here. However, since the majority of Facebook's users couldn't care less if the apps they're using are open, I'm not really sure what the point is...

Re:Open source.... why bother?

It's not about Open in its Open Source meaning - it's about Open in its Open Standards meaning. OpenSocial is a standard that applications can be written to which will allow them to run on any web platform that supports it. So far that looks to be lots of smaller platforms (Ning, Orkut, etc), but together they add up to a fair chunk of the market.

The big question is whether Facebook can be pushed into supporting this API...

no future

I used "the" google api once, spent a bit of time on it,
then they pulled it -- never again.

OpenSocial attacks Facebook

Anyone else read that "OpenFacial attacks Socialbook"? Some sort of weird Japanese geek porn?

A step in the right direction

Step one - applications that work in a social network. e.g. Facebook apps.
Step two - applications that work on lots of different social networks using certain common features. This is where OpenSocial is taking us.
Step three - applications that work across multiple social networks, so that they can include your contacts from Facebook, Livejournal, Slashdot and LinkedIn.
Step four - roll-your-own sites that allow you to provide your own basic social infoamtion (using FOAF, OpenID, etc.) so that you don't need to be a member of a social site to produce or consume social network information.

We're a way off yet - but it looks like we're moving in the right direction.

if Google copise MSFT and MSFT copies Google ...

who invents the new stuff then?
Startups.

so...

can we be able to have friends on different community sites without requiring our own accounts on them?

as in, a kind of distributed login system between community sites?

so i create a profile on site A, and my friend on site B, and i can read and write stuff on his, and him on mine?

im so tired of having to write those profiles all the time as friends jump to the community of the month...

Lead by example!

Well, Google could lead by example and make Orkut compatible with their open API. Open up Orkut and show us how it's done, Google!

Social API?

Hey baby, what's your SYN?

Brilliant!

This is exactly what social networking needs -- a way to make it open and interoperable like Jabber, rather than you-have-to-be-on-the-same-system-as-your-friends like AIM. I hope they succeed. Hopefully they'll get MySpace on board - that'll make a few chairs fly in Redmond.

What about privacy?

What if what attracted me to use Facebook in the first place is the fact that only those whom I authorize can view my profile data? How are they going to achieve that with an open platform? If they require authorization, for example, then the users need to be using that open platform as well, and by extension, all users need to be using that open platform. Guess what you have then? Another Facebook!

I could be stupid but ...

could some one explain what the compatibility issues is. I mean granted being and anti social basement dweller, I've never used a "Social Networking" site but aren't they just like a mix of a crappy blog and geocities. What is there to be compatible with.

Cool! A Minnie Driver/Anne Hathaway love scene.

> Google plans to announce an open API for social networking

Yeah, it's called your mouth.

Federation

This is a useful step toward a federated model of social networking.

There is a limit to how far you can go with individually separated information silos such as Facebook and MySpace.

the news release from GOOG

Google Launches OpenSocial to Spread Social Applications Across the Web

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA -- November 1, 2007 - Google, Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) today announced the release of OpenSocial -- a set of common APIs for building social applications across the web -- for developers of social applications and websites that want to add social features. OpenSocial will unleash more powerful and pervasive social capabilities for the web, empowering developers to build far-reaching applications that users can enjoy regardless of the websites, web applications, or social networks they use. The release of OpenSocial marks the first time that multiple social networks have been made accessible under a common API to make development and distribution easier and more efficient for developers.

The proliferation of unique APIs across dozens of social websites is forcing developers to choose which ones to write applications for - and then spend their time writing separately for each. OpenSocial gives developers of social applications a single set of APIs to learn for their application to run on any OpenSocial-enabled website. By providing these simple, standards-based technologies, OpenSocial will speed innovation and bring more social features to more places across the web. Users win too: they get more interesting, engaging, or useful features faster.

"The web is fundamentally better when it's social, and we're only just starting to see what's possible when you bring social information into different contexts on the web," said XXXX. "There's a lot of innovation that will be spurred simply by creating a standard way for developers to run social applications in more places. With the input and iteration of the community, we hope OpenSocial will become a standard set of technologies for making the web social."

Learn Once, Reach Across the Web

One of the most important benefits of OpenSocial is the vast distribution network that developers will have for their applications. The sites that have already committed to supporting OpenSocial -- Website Partner A, Website Partner B, Website Partner C, etc. -- represent an audience of well over 100 million users globally. Critical for time- and resource-strapped developers is being able to "learn once, write anywhere" -- learn the OpenSocial APIs once and then build applications that work with any OpenSocial-enabled websites.

Several developers, including Gadget Partner Z, Gadget Partner Y, Gadget Partner X, etc., have already built applications that use the OpenSocial APIs. Starting today, a developer sandbox is available at http://sandbox.orkut.com/ [orkut.com] so developers can go in and start testing the OpenSocial APIs. The goal is to have developers build applications in the sandbox so they can deploy on Orkut and ultimately other OpenSocial sites.

More Social In More Places

The existence of this single programming model also helps websites who are eager to satisfy their users' interest in social features. More developers building social applications more easily translates directly into more features more quickly for websites.

"Orkut has tens of millions of passionate users who are constantly clamoring for new ways to have fun with their friends and express themselves through Orkut," said Amar Gandhi, group product manager for Orkut, Google's social networking service. "By using OpenSocial to open up Orkut as a platform for any developer, we can tap into the vast creativity of the community and make new features available to our users frequently."

The common method that OpenSocial provides for hosting social applications means that websites can engage a much larger pool of third party developers than they could otherwise. They can direct resources that might have gone to maintaining a proprietary API and supporting its developer community to other projects.

Because OpenSocial removes the hassle from developing for individual websites, developers can unleash their creativity anywhere that catches thei

MySpace joins OpenSocial

Seems it's official: MySpace is joining Google OpenSocial [techcrunch.com]. This is a huge boost for OpenSocial API. I'm looking forward to see all the great 3rd party applications from Facebook also on MySpace. Obviously there is a huge incentive for these application providers to embrace the OpenSocial API: Millions of MySpace users are joining in!