Google's OpenSocial Platform Releases

shadowmage13 writes "Google just announced that starting tonight, developers can start writing applications using the social API for Orkut, MySpace, Engage.com, Friendster, hi5, Hyves, imeem, LinkedIn, Ning, Oracle, Plaxo, Salesforce.com, Six Apart, Tianji, Viadeo, and XING at http://code.google.com/apis/opensocial. Will Facebook give in?" There is quite a bit of analysis of this announcement available in yesterday's discussion.

Comments

Re:Now Google???

[Pazy]

Why be suprised at google, they will be opening there own coffee shop franchise soon. Maybe fund a few space flights. They could do anything and I wouldent even blink anymore lol

Duh

[Mr_Silver]

Will Facebook give in?

No.

Time and history has shown us that when you're number 1, you don't give in until you absolutely have to - because you don't need to.

That time has not yet come...

Re:Duh

[yashinka]

Perhaps they don't have the most accounts, but with the huge amount of fake accounts on MySpace, that figure is meaningless. I, like many people I know, have accounts on MySpace, Friendster and maybe a few others, but I only log in when I have friend requests.

Facebook has the best UI and it already has tons of great apps. Until those apps move and all my friends move and users start changing back, I don't think Facebook has anything to worry about. Facebook has the most used photo app and events app on the internet, and those are just two of many. I think it's safe to say they are number one for now.

Re:Duh

[Anonymous Coward]

If you add "in the US" to every sentence you wrote, then, you'd be accurate.

Re:How many of those have you heard of?

[iluvcapra]

I think I have a friendster account, I made it in 2005 when all the pretty young things in Hollywood were using it for their "social" (sing. n.). I haven't used it since the week I made it, I doubt I could even log into it now (everybody went to myspace after about a month, and then to facebook, and nobody ever checks their page anyways). I suspect the number of accounts many social networking sites report come with the same caveat. I think the real question is "How many logins have at least one access per week? Per day?" The real gem is owning a website that people use every day and keep current with real information.

The salesforce.com numbers are the most interesting, since the contacts that particular corpus tracks are recorded by paying subscribers, and are used in commercial transactions, and not by vapid teeners to promote their band or unite with other Gossip Girls fans.

Of course, this information is really useful if you're selling cheap amps or advertising time for the CW, but considering the quality of the source, you might as well be using wikipedia to find the exchange rate of the dollar.