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.""

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NYT: Google and Friends to Gang Up on Facebook

[newscloud]

"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

Marc Andreessen has a great write-up about it here

[linuxbaby]

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

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

One Word...

[barefoothannibal]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orkut