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Google is unstoppable. This Thursday, November 1, 2007, Google will launch OpenSocial (url goes live on Thursday); a set of API’s that allow developers to interact with ANY social network that chooses to participate. What does this mean? It means that in order to access Orkut, LinkedIn, hi5, Plaxo, and other currently participating social networks, a developer only has to learn one API: The OpenSocial API. This reduces the cost and time associated with developing applications against a social network, and also opens the doors for new/existing social networks to give access to their data via the OpenSocial API.

The internet needs more standards and APIs. The things that differentiate the 200 different clones of an original idea, also clutter and confuse the internet. If the clones worked together, to form a network, everyone could choose their niche clone, and still enjoy content from the rest of the clone-network. For example: Youtube clones. If all Youtube clones worked together on a standard API, they could aggregate all of the videos, comments, and users together to form one large Video Sharing Network. Another example: del.icio.us clones. If all del.icio.us clones worked together on a standard API, they could aggregate all of the bookmarks, tags, comments, ratings, and users together to form on large Social Bookmarking Network. Google is giving the tools for one large Social Networking Network to exist.

Next, once there is an OpenAPI for each form of web2.0 product, we need a central OpenAPI that links all of those APIs together. Then we will have one global network, filled with tags, and users, and sharing, and stalking, and a lot of highly targeted advertising. Everyone will be happy, and the internet will implode.

[Via TechCrunch]

Tags: api, del_icio_us, google, hi5, highly_targeted_advertising, linkedin, opensocial, orkut, plaxo, social_bookmarking, social_networking, social_networks, video_sharing, youtube

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 30th, 2007 at 10:41 pm and is filed under api, google. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.