Google’s OpenSocial:
The Social Network Standard
Is Google’s OpenSocial the new
Microsoft Windows of Social Networking?
Campy but Good
Google announced the launch of OpenSocial—their set of standardized application programming interfaces (APIs)—at “Campfire One” last Thursday.
Thrilled Social Network developers attending the event laud the benefits in the highlight video above (4:15). See the full event here (57:23).
S’More of a Good Thing
And why not be happy? Those developers are now aligned with Google and Google’s next big thing, and they also join a growing list of prominent OpenSocial online networks and supporters with whom to collaborate, including:
Engage.com, Flixster, Friendster, hi5, Hyves, iLike, imeem, LinkedIn, MySpace, Ning, Oracle, orkut, Plaxo, Salesforce.com, Six Apart, Tianji, Viadeo, and XING.
Their combined reach equates to over 200 million subscribers.
Roasting Distribution
Most importantly, OpenSocial promises developers a way to optimize development costs through the creation of a common platform available (thus far) only to OpenSocial affiliates.
A single source development platform means more rapid distribution and greater reach since developers can now build one app for multiple social networks, eliminating the need to create multiple network-specific applications.
Passing on the Hot Dogs
Conspicuously missing from the list of Google OpenSocial faithful was social media darling, Facebook. Facebook passed up a $1 billion offer from Yahoo last year, then a week ago sold a 1.6% stake to Microsoft for $240 million, inflating Facebook’s value to an estimated $15 billion.
Google’s OpenSocial countermeasure is expected to significantly reduce that estimate.
If OpenSocial delivers as promised and becomes the global de facto standard for social network development, Facebook may one day need to face compliance just to remain relative and viable. Probably not what Microsoft or Facebook had in mind when they inked the deal late last month.
Branded Just Right
All of which bodes well for for brand marketers, advertisers, developers and users. OpenSocial’s standards and conventions should drive streamlined creation, processing, access and distribution of messaging, bringing deeper reach and measurably greater returns for marketers.
Of course, sometimes standardization translates to stifling and stale—we’ll see. But the commercial benefits of ubiquitous and proprietary standardization are hard to deny.
Just ask Microsoft.
Update. From Techcrunch: Facebook may already be talking to Google.
Tags: Higher Ed Marketing, Productivity, Public Relations, Social Marketing, Featured, Consumer Electronics, Technology marketing, Branding, Foundation Marketing, Marketing, Advertising
November 5th, 2007 at 10:47 am
Interesting read from Tim O’Reilly. I think I agree with he and Mark Cuban regarding what an OpenSocial platform really ought to be about. It is frustrating to manage all of these different profiles. http://radar.oreilly.com/archives/2007/11/
facebook_google_opensocial_mark_cuban.html
November 5th, 2007 at 11:17 am
Good O’Reilly article. So what’s a tiny web start-up to do? Wait while the behemoths fight it out and then jump like a flea onto the back of the winner? Or pick one now and risk being shipwrecked on the loser’s carcass?
November 5th, 2007 at 1:55 pm
@ Phil O’Halloran: Well, you could always appeal to Google for inclusion of your network. Honestly, it’s a little early to define what winners and losers even look like just yet. Let’s hope it’s the user, and (he added selfishly) the brand marketers/strategists. :) I wouldn’t fret. Give it a few days, the landscape will surely change yet again. Maybe wait ’til Thursday, then start worrying. ;)
January 27th, 2008 at 10:19 am
I’ve just added some OpenSocial apps at my Ning testing page and I’m know looking to write my own apps.
Anyone who knows about on online Opensocial development kit ?
I hope Knol will adopt the OpenSocial environment automatically.
Pieter Jansegers
http://knol.babl.nl
January 27th, 2008 at 10:25 am
I always forget the standard URL has prefered // over \\. Anyone who still knows when this change appeared ?
My OpenSocial integration was done on http://nummer13.ning.com putting in the Sudoku Puzzle.
I’ve recently requested to be part of the Orkut developers team for OpenSocial.
Anyone developing already OpenSocial apps thelmselves ?