http://code.google.com/apis/socialgraph/images/the-web.png
Google just released a new API called the Social Graph API.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LabCylbapuM
"With the Social Graph API, developers can now utilize public connections their users have already created in other web services. It makes information about public connections between people easily available and useful."
* CAN index the public Web for XHTML Friends Network (XFN), Friend of a Friend (FOAF) markup and other publicly declared connections
* CANNOT access non-public information
I think this is more useful than the OpenSocial API, but then again, I don't really know what OpenSocial is.
Links:
Google Code: http://code.google.com/apis/socialgraph/
Google Code Blog: http://google-code-updates.blogspot.com/2008/02/urls-are-people-too.html
Sample: http://socialgraph.apis.google.com/lookup?q=twitter.com/haochi&edo=1&pretty=1&callback=onDataLoaded |
Oops, wrong example link...
http://almaer.com/socialgraph/kevin.html
http://code.google.com/apis/socialgraph/docs/examples.html
It would be awesome to use continuation with this API... {starts Notepad++} |
I think this is HUGE news.
hard to believe it comes on the same day as the MSFT/YHOO train wreck that is about to happen.
Not more useful than OpenSocial, but inextricably tied to it. The idea is to educate users to the fact that most Web companies so far have operated on the walled-garden concept and that Google and a few others are (finally) abandoning that method of holding user's data hostage for the benefit of either advertisers (or in the case of MSFT for the benefit of extending the Windows monopoly).
While Google may or may not invent something that resembles Facebook, they certainly won't do it in a way that makes Facebook or Myspace users second class citizens. In fact I use the limited Facebook API to point to my Orkut page, and if Facebook opens up as much as they claim they will, might be able to do the same in reverse at some point.
Companies opting out of this open exchange of data may do so at their peril, but opting in will require an abandonment of the wall-garden approach, which some of these companies think (wrongly) is essential to their success.
Todays two big tech news items (and the day is only half over!) will be resounding for weeks if not longer. This particular one is a bit of a sleeper, since so many people won't know what it means for a while.
Boy this is going to be fun to watch! |
(Added your comment to the post Macbeach, thanks!) |
Is Friend of a Friend the new SocialStream or what? |
I don't quite get what you have to do really... I've made myself a FOAF file which I'm regarding as sort of a universal profile that is in a standard format so anyone can read it. What's next? |
You can include the link to your FOAF file in the metadata of your homepage for auto discovery:
<link rel="meta" type="application/rdf+xml" title="FOAF" href="/foaf.rdf"/> |
Hi Philipp
I did a fair amount of testing with it on various profiles
The API isn't pulling data recursively
Doesn't work with Nofollow
Doesn't seem to make logic jumps very well
I have the full results listed here, feel free to use any of the material you like.
http://andybeard.eu/2008/02/nofollow-killed-google-social-graph-api-3-years-ago.html |
I remember requesting pointers.. about FOAF , I knew that something was in the air!!
http://blogoscoped.com/forum/121242.html
does this initiative dovetail into Marissa Mayer's social search project ?
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Everytime Google does this, they drive a hot metal spike deeper into their competition (which rocks).
It may be worth noting that I just posted about Google, being open, and what other companies can learn from them and from reality tv. :)
http://gobigalways.com/companies-get-real-before-its-too-late/ |
