Google has opened the doors to its rumored Orkut API's a lot sooner than what everybody thought.
Developers can now create custom apps that will work on not only Orkut, but a host of other social networks (including MySpace and Bebo which have recently joined).
(Official Orkut Blog) The orkut team continually tries to build new features based on your feedback -- features that help you better express yourself and communicate with friends. But no matter how hard we work, we can't build features fast enough for you. So to bring you as many new features as possible, today we're announcing that third-party developers will be able to build additional social experiences right into orkut. While we will be sure to maintain security, privacy and ease of use, opening up orkut to developers means that soon you will be able to add dynamic new applications that will make your orkut experience all the better.
Before any of these apps go live, Google is allowing developers to test out the features in a "sand box," for security and functional reasons, in order to make the experience enjoyable for everyone. Developers who are eager enough can sign up over here.
Google has also released a video (which is an hour long!) with even more details, but unless you are a hard core geek you may not find it to be very interesting.
Google has also started an OpenSocial Blog, which gives new comers some more info regarding the whole "social stream" affair.
One thing that I will enjoy about the OpenSocial/social stream movement is the fact that we will finally get to see developers from around the world create awesome content, instead of having them primarily located in the US.
Note: With Orkut opening itself up to the world, I wonder who is going to build the best app?
3 opinions:
"a lot sooner than everybody though"? Only 4 days sooner.
Here are three big concerns about OpenSocial: http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/opensocial_three_big_concerns.php
I think Google really needs to address these
Also-- BIG MISTAKE!!! I'm afraid you have it wrong: OpenSocial is NOT SocialStream!!!!! They are two entirely different things. You need to do your misinformed readers justice and write up a post correcting this!
Hey Danny,
I read the review from Read/Write Web.
Most of those concerns seem to have been debunked by the commentors, especially the first one (which should have been fairly obvious, surprised that they missed it).
As far as social stream goes, wasn't the purpose of it sharing data between social networks?
I had a feeling that the API's on OpenSocial could potentially lead towards this, although you may be right, as no network has to create apps that will share data (although the potential is there).
Hey Darnell,
Yes, i read those comments just after i posted it here and it seems like those concerns were exaggerated.
Open Social is a standard APIs for social web apps. This is entirely different from sharing data across networks. The data across networks go to the apps so that the apps don't have to be network-specific.
SocialStream is a meta-social network that aggregates data from other social sites which is an entirely different (and bigger) endeavor than OpenSocial.
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Welcome to Inside Orkut, the unofficial blog to Orkut.com, a social network by Google.
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