OpenSocial to Launch soon?? (View post)Colin Colehour | Wednesday, October 31, 2007 16 years ago • 21,223 views |
TechCrunch reveals some details of Google's Social networking project that will possibly be released this week.
<< Details emerged today on Google’s broad social networking ambitions, first reported here in late September, with a follow up earlier this week. The new project, called OpenSocial (URL will go live on Thursday), goes well beyond what we’ve previously reported. It is a set of common APIs that application developers can use to create applications that work on any social networks (called “hosts”) that choose to participate. >>
http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/10/30/details-revealed-google-opensocial-to-be-common-apis-for-building-social-apps/ |
TOMHTML | 16 years ago # |
http://battellemedia.com/archives/004058.php press release? http://sandbox.orkut.com doesn't work http://code.google.com/apis/opensocial doesn't work |
Pau Tomàs | 16 years ago # |
[Moved from "Google's Opensocial" – Tony]
Seems like the commented Google Social API is going to be released tomorrow.
http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/10/30/details-revealed-google-opensocial-to-be-common-apis-for-building-social-apps/ |
Above 3 comments were made in the forum before this was blogged,
|
Roger Browne | 16 years ago # |
Having read the press release, the details at TechCruch, and the TechCrunch comments, one thing is still not clear to me.
There's much talk about the API allowing developers to access "core functions" such as "profile information (user data)".
Does this mean the API will make it possible for a site to allow its users to log in using their Google Account, then for the site to access the associated user data (username, email address)?
In other words, could it be used something like OpenID? |
Philipp Lenssen | 16 years ago # |
Roger, Google's Brad mentions OpenID in his manifesto (which may or may not be a description of OpenSocial...):
<<A user should then be able to log into a social application (e.g. dopplr.com) for the first time, ideally but not necessarily with OpenID, and be presented with a dialog like,
"Hey, we see from public information elsewhere that you already have 28 friends already using dopplr, shown below with rationale about why we're recommending them (what usernames they are on other sites). Which do you want to be friends with here? Or click 'select-all'.">> http://bradfitz.com/social-graph-problem/ |
Reto Meier | 16 years ago # |
Philipp, Roger: I read this differently. I invision it as keeping the data 'private' within each environment. The APIs are a common interface to the same functions.
For example, if I write a 'Friendship Circle' widget, it shows a circle with all my friends around the outside, with lines joining those who are also friends with each other together. I write this using OpenSocial, then I can add it to my LinkedIn and Orkut profiles and it will populate my 'circle' with the friends for each network.
I see it as a way of writing Social apps without worrying about which backend you're programming against. Then your users can add it to whichever network(s) they belong to.
I didn't think it would be used to 'merge' networks (Ie. passing your LinkedIn contacts to Orkut). |
Tony Ruscoe | 16 years ago # |
I can't believe (well, I can actually) that someone's gone and registered googleopensocial.com already... |
Hashim Warren | 16 years ago # |
http://blog.pmarca.com/2007/10/open-social-a-n.html
The founder of Ning has an interesting take on why this is good for the web, and even Facebook |
Colin Colehour | 16 years ago # |
Opensocial.com shows as a parked domain but was registered in 2005. |
Hashim Warren | 16 years ago # |
I feel as if people are missing the money question when it comes to OpenSocial. Google is setting the groundwork to create a social network version of Adsense that utilizes the profile data and actions from publisher's sites. |
Roger Browne | 16 years ago # |
Reto's interpretation is correct. This is confirmed by the very informative post cited by Hashim.
So, when the draft press release says this: "The OpenSocial APIs give developers access to ... a user's profile ..." it means that the API is a way to get a user's profile from the site on which the gadget is installed and to which the user has logged on in the usual way.
So it doesn't subsume OpenID, for example. |
Roger Browne | 16 years ago # |
In the ZDNet blog that Philipp cited, Garett Rogers writes:
"developers have access to store shared data right on Google’s servers" http://blogs.zdnet.com/Google/?p=791
Does anyone know what that means? |
Garett Rogers | 16 years ago # |
Hey... Basically they give you the ability to store anything per user, per instance, or per application... very powerful and can eliminate the need for your own local database. |
Reto Meier | 16 years ago # |
Garett: That sounds exactly like what you can do with the Google Mashup Editor with {tmp}, {app}, {user} – do they provide a similar tool to GME for the writing? |
Philipp Lenssen | 16 years ago # |
I asked Google to comment and they sent along a statement ("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.") and the paper below:
http://blogoscoped.com/files/opensocial-paper.png |
DPic | 16 years ago # |
I suspect it will go live around 10:00 AM GMT because that's midnight PST (where the Googleplex is located) and i've noticed this with several of the services they release. |
James Xuan | 16 years ago # |
So It's definitely true! Yaiiiiiiiii! |
/pd | 16 years ago # |
yeah this also mentioned yesterday wrt to social api's :)-
http://blogoscoped.com/archive/2007-10-30-n63.html |
Haochi | 16 years ago # |
TechCrunch has a sreenshot gallery displaying the OpenSocial apps on different participating networks: http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/10/31/google-opensocial-image-gallery/ |
DPic | 16 years ago # |
Haochi cool! thanks for the link! |
DPic | 16 years ago # |
why isn't it live yeeetttttt????? |
James Xuan | 16 years ago # |
I know, I woke up early cos you said t might go live at 10am my time(well 10am is early when you have a day off work) |
James Xuan | 16 years ago # |
MySpace has joined now too! http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/11/01/confirmed-myspace-to-join-google-opensocial/ |
James Xuan | 16 years ago # |
Maybe this is why it hasn't lauched yet |
DPic | 16 years ago # |
I doubt that's why but it's still awesome! So is Faceboor getting in on this or not? |
Search-Engines-Web.com | 16 years ago # |
[Moved from "MySpace Joining Google OpenSocial"]
http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/11/01/confirmed-myspace-to-join-google-opensocial/
Google will be making an announcement today. MySpace joins Orkut, Salesforce, LinkedIn, Ning, Hi5, Plaxo, Friendster, Viadeo and Oracle as announced Google partners. No word on whether MySpace will continue with efforts to complete its own recently announced platform, but the answer is probably yes. They are likely to simply do both. |
DPic | 16 years ago # |
Could they have just been talking about OpenSocial the whole time? |
James Xuan | 16 years ago # |
Six Apart too now. |
DPic | 16 years ago # |
I can't imagine Facbook trying to resist something like this. They have to give in |
DPic | 16 years ago # |
it's now past noon PST
(sorry for posting twice in a row) |
DPic | 16 years ago # |
is anybody else hitting refresh on open social and the google blog over and over? |
James Xuan | 16 years ago # |
yup! Well, I keep visiting them every 5 mins |
James Xuan | 16 years ago # |
bebo has also now joined and techcrunch says 12:30 PST is launch time |
Martin Porcheron | 16 years ago # |
Whoa!
"Checkmate? MySpace, Bebo and SixApart To Join Google OpenSocial (confirmed)" http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/11/01/confirmed-myspace-to-join-google-opensocial/
I think OpenSocial just became serious competition to FB. |
DPic | 16 years ago # |
might Facebook join? |
Martin Porcheron | 16 years ago # |
I'm probably wrong, but I doubt they will initially, but eventually they'll cave in. |
James Xuan | 16 years ago # |
I bet I'll have to listen to my friends talking about how bebo bought myspace for a few weeks, or Bebo bought Google or Google bought everyone SHUT UP!!!!! |
Ionut Alex. Chitu | 16 years ago # |
<<OpenSocial just became serious competition to FB>>
Don't forget that OpenSocial is just an API, not a (new) social network. |
Jared Cherup | 16 years ago # |
It may be an API but a common API for several networks, and not just one which gives it some considerable leveraging power in my opinion. |
Roger Browne | 16 years ago # |
Facebook probably doesn't have a way to NOT join.
Even if they don't officially join, programmers will be sure to write an "adapter" layer to present the Facebook API as if it was the OpenSocial API.
On a separate issue, Oracle is apparently involved in this because they own Five Across who have a social media platform "Connect Community Builder". But it's hard to imagine Oracle as a company being successful in the Social Applications space.
|
jilm | 16 years ago # |
There is something profoundly bad in the OpenSocial idea. Instead of bringing the advantages of "social graph" to every internet app, every website, every service, it brings those apps into "containers". But why the hell I need them after all? What are social networks (MySpace, Facebook, Bebo...) without applications? Only social graphs. But there is only one social graph, right? So isn´t the model, when we have one app everywhere using different graphs just the exact opposite of what it should be? Wouldn´t be better to use one social graph to multiple apps? I´m deeply disappointed with that Google´s effort. It shows the victory of "containers" over the "web". |
DPic | 16 years ago # |
socialstream. |
Martin Porcheron | 16 years ago # |
I think that the idea of OpenSocial is not to interfere with the networks as a whole but to act as a middle man allowing developers to create Apps that can be used everywhere easily. Obviously some Apps wont appeal to FB user but to hi5 users and vice versa.
Personally, I'm seeing OpenSocial more as a platform for developers and startups to leverage their business and entice a mass market adoption of their product. If it really is as easy as all the OpenSocial stories claim, then we will see a lot of new startups embracing the social networks to attract users. |
fanboy | 16 years ago # |
Now http://code.google.com/apis/opensocial/ doesn't give a 404 anymore, but takes a long long time to load... |
Martin Porcheron | 16 years ago # |
I still get a 404 |
James Xuan | 16 years ago # |
me too but 5 mins ago took a while...then 404 |
Philipp Lenssen | 16 years ago # |
Still a 404 here for the code.google.com domain.
By the way, NewsGator sent us this screenshot and info – it's not supposed to be out for another month or more tho:
<<Didja Hear!? was created on OpenSocial, a programming model developed by Google in which developers are provided with a set of common APIs enabling distribution of their applications across multiple sites ...
NewsGator automatically recommends the top video and graphic content from nearly two million RSS feeds ...
The NewsGator Widget Framework divides those videos and images into categories including movies, sports, celebrities ...
Users can easily send a cool video to their friends along with comments ...>> http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=ajfjf92tmnhd_441gvzq25
http://blogoscoped.com/files/didja-hear-screen.jpg |
DPic | 16 years ago # |
yesterday i was told that we'd get more info today
today, when i asked what was going on i was just told that today has been busy with open social
i wonder what's up |
James Xuan | 16 years ago # |
:D, I installed Reloadevery, just there and it reloads that page every 5 seconds, so I'll see the header of the tab change and bam! click submit on another tab where I have the message typed! |
Pau Tomàs | 16 years ago # |
Official Press Release:
http://www.google.com/intl/en/press/pressrel/myspace_opensocial.html
"Starting tonight, developers can start writing applications for OpenSocial at http://code.google.com/apis/opensocial which the MySpace Platform will support at launch." |
DPic | 16 years ago # |
DAMN! You beat us! |
Ionut Alex. Chitu | 16 years ago # |
Still 404! |
DPic | 16 years ago # |
It's only tonight at Google HQ for another 6 hours so it can't be too long |
James Xuan | 16 years ago # |
Unless its delayed |
James Xuan | 16 years ago # |
From techcrunch's latest post http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/11/01/facebook-we-have-not-been-briefed-on-opensocial/
<<...suddenly Facebook is being painted as the closed outsider while everyone else is allowing the use of non proprietary coding platforms (Facebook requires the use of FBML, not HTML) and portability of applications.
How did they turn into the bad guys so quickly? As Erick says, it’s their move. But no matter what they do, Google has pulled off an absolute coup.
For their part, Google will certainly want Facebook’s participation. But they had to get everyone else on board first, before Facebook would even consider it. An open platform means no social network has any advantage over any other when it comes to third party applications. The playing field has been evened, and no one wins. Except Google. They always win>>
I love the wording here |
Sam Davyson | 16 years ago # |
Can someone briefly summarise what Open Social means for me? Will I be able to take friends with me from one social network to another? |
DPic | 16 years ago # |
No, it's like what Facebook apps is only the apps will be all over the internets! :) |
Sam Davyson | 16 years ago # |
So what does it mean for the average user? Nothing? |
DPic | 16 years ago # |
It means that apps will be available across Orkut, MySpace, Engage.com, Friendster, hi5, Hyves, imeem, LinkedIn, Ning, Oracle, Plaxo, Salesforce.com, Six Apart, Tianji, Viadeo, and XING |
GuillaumeB | 16 years ago # |
Well isn't netvibes sort of doing that already? http://dev.netvibes.com/
I've seen few screenshots, I was hoping for their other social network project, SocialStream. Orkut is plain ugly and i can't understand that my public profile shows personal information that I won't update instead of my blog entries of recent pictures...I mean seriously WTF? I should not have to perform an extra click to see your latest videos and now...how many extra clicks on your profile to see your iLike and co.... I don't really see the point since i could have added stuff by feeds anyway...
Now if i'm wrong please enlighten me here |
Haochi | 16 years ago # |
It doesn't really mean a lot to you as an average user.* Period. It's more of for application developers.
*well, the API might open up for more choices of applications... |
Jared Cherup | 16 years ago # |
Isn't Google also hosting these new apps as well? |
Luka | 16 years ago # |
A new featured project of Google Code that use Open Social (which still not work when you go to http://code.google.com/apis/opensocial/)
http://google-code-featured.blogspot.com/2007/11/emote.html |
Heebie Sudoku | 16 years ago # |
Open Social is now live!
http://code.google.com/apis/opensocial/
Check it out! |
Keith Chan | 16 years ago # |
Here's the video of the press conference:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KOEbAZJTTk |
Colin Colehour | 16 years ago # |
Let the app development begin. :) |
James Xuan | 16 years ago # |
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2007/11/opensocial-makes-web-better.html
Official Blog Post about it |
Rohit Rai | 16 years ago # |
Yes open social is live!!!
But Orkut Sandbox ain't :(But by shear luck we got access to it! and here are the screenshots .. . http://mytechrantings.blogspot.com/2007/11/orkut-sandbox-initial-looks.html |
James Xuan | 16 years ago # |
You just got in by chance? Theres a place where you have to sign up |
Alberto | 16 years ago # |
Will this lead to some killer app that allows me to control my profile on all these networks from a centralized place? That's basically the only added value I see in this, saving me the hassle of having to maintain a seperate profile for each and evry social network. Otherwise, meh. |
Judd Pickett | 16 years ago # |
I wonder how or if this will be integrated with their prototype SocialStream. |
DPic | 16 years ago # |
Well, not that it's out-- here are tree big concerns that i think Google should address http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/opensocial_three_big_concerns.php |
Grimmthething | 16 years ago # |
There are definitely some bugs, as well as a lot more api calls that are to be desired, but it is google, so release often! |
Philipp Lenssen | 16 years ago # |
[Update: I've been reading through some of the OpenSocial docs now and added 2 paragraphs to the blog post. The paragraphs starts with "So yes, the OpenSocial library is an add-on to Google's existing iGoogle gadget syntax, making ..."] |
Luka | 16 years ago # |
A visual explanation of OpenSocial :
http://www.zorgloob.com/uploaded_images/opensocial-712946.png |
J. McNair | 16 years ago # |
I happen to agree with a few of the other voices around the web that Google Accounts/AuthSub shouldn't be the only way to authenticate user data.
People should be allowed the choice NOT to use their Google Account or even not to HAVE a Google Account. They should allow people to use at the very least OpenID. If they're feeling REALLY nice, add in Amazon S3 and even Microsoft's Passport.
Mind, I'm a somewhat of a Google cheerleader and believe that for a capitalistic American corporation, they aren't *that* bad. I also know how easy it is to get and use a Google Account. Still, if they value users controlling their data, they should allow multiple security mechanisms as long as said mechanisms are secure and robust and don't lock you in.
My concerns are likely unfounded, though. The OpenSocial "coalition" is much more than Google, now, and may demand alternatives to Google Accounts. Sixapart may already be building OpenID into their implementation and readying it for the "1.0" version of the OpenSocial APIs. Google shouldn't be against this, as they did settle upon Jabber for Google Talk.
Of course, if Google became an OpenID provider...
|
DPic | 16 years ago # |
J. McNair don't assume Google doesn't have plans to adopt OpenID |
TOMHTML | 16 years ago # |
Amit found the first Application for Orkut : Ask Friends (code name Mobius) http://www.orkut.com/Agent.aspx?application=mobius (ENGLISH ONLY) |
James Xuan | 16 years ago # |
^ No work for me |
Ionut Alex. Chitu | 16 years ago # |
<<Amit found the first Application for Orkut>>
It doesn't use OpenSocial, it's built-in. |
DPic | 16 years ago # |
It tells me the page can't be found |
DPic | 16 years ago # |
Oh because you have to enable it from your feeds section |
JohnMu | 16 years ago # |
So, what would you build if you could connect Facebook with MySpace users? Would you implement the OpenSocial API here? |
Nate | 16 years ago # |
Interesting list of partners...Netvibes, Paypal, etc. |
DPic | 16 years ago # |
So when will we actually be able to *use* the apps? |
fanboy | 16 years ago # |
Ning supports OpenSocial now. http://blog.ning.com/2007/11/andwere_live_with_opensocial_g.html |
SQ89 | 16 years ago # |
I just got access to the Orkut sandbox and got notified by an email. Yay! |
DPic | 16 years ago # |
My slashdot submission was accepted! |
DPic | 16 years ago # |
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/11/02/1220224 |
J. McNair | 16 years ago # |
DPic Really? Google has always been quiet about alternate identity, authentication and trust mechanisms. If Google fully adopted OpenID across their services, they'd likely be the one of the largest OpenID providers and consumers on the planet.
On the other hand, I've heard it can be susceptible to phishing attacks (I have a link somewheres). Maybe they're waiting for a future revision to the standard...
|
Art-One | 16 years ago # |
*** First Hack is a fact.... ***
Techncrunch brings the news of the first opensocial hack. It appears to be a Plaxo application.
Read more over here: http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/11/02/first-opensocial-application-hacked-within-45-minutes/ |
milivella | 16 years ago # |
> Agree to play by their rules and you get the chance to achieve more effective deployment, while adding to Google’s success as platform. Disagree, and your technology may not be able to get accepted in the market because Google is just too omnipresent.
It's similar to what I wrote here: http://blogoscoped.com/forum/113252.html Today there is little space for innovation outside of Google. And real innovation can't have limits, can it?
---
Anyway, one of the main points in the present thread is that some of us are excited by the fact that developers can write an app once and it will work for many different sites, but the rest of us thinks that what should be fixed is that still you have to go to many different sites to see what your friend did on the web. The latter problem was exposed by Brad: http://bradfitz.com/social-graph-problem/ The first steps to solve this problem are FriendFeed, Socialstream, Plaxopulse.
Ok, these two things (i.e. OpenSocial and Socialstream) can surely be developed both, but I ask: which is more important to you?
(I know some of you already answered: jilm, Sam Davyson, GuillaumeB and Alberto seem to prefer Socialstream and similar to OpenSocial)
Now, if you reply "OpenSocial is more important", I ask you: why? what does it give to you as user?
And if you reply "Socialstream is more important", I ask: why, then, OpenSocial cause more buzz and excitement?
milivella |
Colin Colehour | 16 years ago # |
TechCrunch wrote a piece tonight about how an OpenSocial app has already been hacked.
http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/11/02/first-opensocial-application-hacked-within-45-minutes/ |
Colin Colehour | 16 years ago # |
Oops sorry for the dupe Art-One. |
Dustman | 16 years ago # |
Heh! What's this? http://www.haroldtherebel.com/2007/11/03/peer-prescience/ |
hebbet | 16 years ago # |
OpenSocial is very good |
Philipp Lenssen | 16 years ago # |
> TechCrunch wrote a piece tonight > about how an OpenSocial app has already been hacked.
Wonder when we'll see the first full-blown OpenSocial virus infecting a social network site. Similar to the MySpace friends XSS virus. http://blogoscoped.com/archive/2005-10-14-n81.html |
James Xuan | 16 years ago # |
I just got Sandbox Access too. |
Philipp Lenssen | 16 years ago # |
I got my sandbox account too. 2 out of 3 gadgets I added returned nothing but error messages. Only the "random cat photos" gadget worked (and random cats are not quite the, quote Google press release, unleashing of "more powerful and pervasive social capabilities for the web"). Why did Google release this when it was clearly not ready for prime time yet? Admittedly, I suppose many of these are 3rd party gadgets and bot by Google (I can't see author information in the directory Orkut Sandbox directory), but still, this is disappointing and there are only 5 apps to chose from in the first place.
http://blogoscoped.com/files/orkut-module-1.png http://blogoscoped.com/files/orkut-module-2.png http://blogoscoped.com/files/orkut-module-3.png
I was able to drop in an existing gadget from GamesfortheBrain.com created for iGoogle though (though even here, Google offered me a broken-looking "edit settings" dialog):
http://blogoscoped.com/files/orkut-module-4.png
[ Gadget URL: http://www.gamesforthebrain.com/gadget/game/anagramania.xml]
|
DPic | 16 years ago # |
J. McNair No-- they *definitely* would be the largest OpenID enabled with and provider. And with them using OpenID-- who wouldn't adopt it??? But you are right, there are a few kinks in OpenID that will have to be worked out before Google will adopt it. |
Grimmthething | 16 years ago # |
My comic gadget http://www.grimmthething.com/googmods/comics.xml works surprisingly well directly from iGoogle,
but the second I start adding opensocial stuff into it, its all errors. |
DPic | 16 years ago # |
I would love third-party gadgets on blogger. Or at least the ability to add shoutboxes |
stefan2904 | 16 years ago # |
I got mine too today. i think will play around with it tomorrow.
[OT-Question: Who here is on Steam? (-; Add me (stefan0429) if you like!] |
James Xuan | 16 years ago # |
^^ What's steam? |
stefan2904 | 16 years ago # |
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steam_(content_delivery)
by
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valve_Corporation
the makers of
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Half-Life
and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Half-Life_2
;-) |
James Xuan | 16 years ago # |
So, it's not free? Unfortunately I haven't got any money since the f*cking b*astard upstai...I mean my landlord took it all yesterday :( |
Ionut Alex. Chitu | 16 years ago # |
"For security purposes, the Orkut sandbox opensocial calls will only return information about users who are whitelisted for the sandbox. This is likely why many of you have been seeing empty information returned from the fetch VIEWER_FRIENDS calls. " http://groups.google.com/group/opensocial-api/browse_thread/thread/2e89acbf5fc93aa1 |
Joshua | 16 years ago # |
First OpenSocial! Now Open Handset Alliance / Android Platform!
http://www.android.com/
Chck the link out it live..... |
GuillaumeB | 16 years ago # |
Here we are what did i say: http://blogoscoped.com/forum/113003-full.html#id113528
http://blog.netvibes.com/?2007/11/06/145-netvibes-unveils-social-widgets-and-its-next-release-called-ginger
[HTML link fixed – Tony] |
milivella | 16 years ago # |
[About the "OpenSocial or Socialstream?" thing] Tim O'Reilly prefers the Socialstream model: http://radar.oreilly.com/archives/2007/11/opensocial_social_mashups.html |