Examine individual changes

''''OpenSocial''' is a set of common [[application programming interface]]s (APIs) for [[World Wide Web|web]]-based [[Social network service|social network applications]], developed by [[Google]] along with [[MySpace]] and a number of other social networks. It was released [[November 1]], [[2007]].<ref name="press release">{{cite web |url=http://www.google.com/intl/en/press/pressrel/opensocial.html |title=Google Launches OpenSocial to Spread Social Applications Across the Web |accessdate=2007-10-31 |date=[[2007-11-01]] |publisher=[[Google]] |doi= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= }}</ref> Applications implementing the OpenSocial APIs will be [[interoperability|interoperable]] with any social network system that supports them, including features on sites such as [[Hi5.com]], [[MySpace]]<ref name="MySpace">{{cite web |url=http://www.google.com/intl/en/press/pressrel/myspace_opensocial.html |title=MySpace and Google Join Forces to Launch Open Platform for Social Application Development |accessdate=2007-11-02 |date=[[2007-11-01]] |publisher=[[Google]] |doi= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= }}</ref>, [[orkut]], [[Netlog]]<ref name="Netlog.com">{{cite web |url=http://en.netlog.com/go/developer/opensocial |title= Developer / OpenSocial |accessdate=2008-09-17 |publisher=[[Netlog]] |doi= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= }}</ref>, [[Sonico.com]]<ref name="Sonico.com">{{cite web |url=http://blog.sonico.com/boletin/opensocial-week-exitoso-paso-por-argentina/ |title=OpenSocial Week: Exitoso paso por Argentina |accessdate=2008-06-05 |date=[[2008-05-05]] |publisher=[[Sonico]] |doi= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= }}</ref>, [[Friendster]]<ref name="Bebo">{{cite web |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/02/technology/02google.html |title=MySpace Joins Google Alliance to Counter Facebook |accessdate=2007-11-02 |last=Helft |first=Miguel |coauthors=Brad Stone |date=[[2007-11-02]] |work=[[New York Times]] |publisher=[[The New York Times Company]] |pages= |language= |doi= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= }}</ref>, [[Ning]] and [[Yahoo!]]. <gallery> ⅔ <gallery>^{Superscript text} Image:Example.jpg|Caption1 Image:Example.jpg|Caption2 </gallery><!-- Comment --> </gallery>---- ==Structure== {{Expand|section|date=November 2007}} Based on [[HTML]] '''and''' [[JavaScript]], as well as the [[Google Gadgets]] framework, OpenSocial includes four APIs for [[social software]] applications to access data and core functions on participating [[social network]]s.<ref name="Andreessen">{{cite web |url=http://blog.pmarca.com/2007/10/open-social-a-n.html |title=Open Social: a new universe of social applications all over the web |accessdate=2007-10-31 |last=Andreessen |first=Marc |authorlink=Marc Andreessen |date=[[2007-10-31]] |work=blog.pmarca.com |publisher= |doi= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= }}</ref> Each API addresses a different aspect: one is the general [[JavaScript]] API, one for People and Friends (people and relationship information), one for Activities (publishing and accessing user activity information), and one for Persistence (simple key-value pair data for server-free stateful applications).<ref name="API documentation">{{cite web |url=http://code.google.com/apis/opensocial/docs/index.html |title=OpenSocial API Documentation |accessdate=2007-11-02 |format= |work=Google Code |publisher=Google |doi= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= }}</ref>. OpenSocial is currently in alpha development. The initial version of the API that was made public was 0.5, followed by version 0.6 released on [[December 21]], [[2007]]. <ref name="OpenSocial-0.6">{{cite web |url=http://opensocialapis.blogspot.com/2007/12/opensocial-06-and-beyond.html | title=OpenSocial 0.6 and Beyond |accessdate=2007-12-21 |coauthors=Cassie Doll |date=[[2007-12-21]] |work= |publisher |pages= |language= |doi= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote=}}</ref> Version 0.7 was released on February 4, 2008.<ref>[http://opensocialapis.blogspot.com/2008/02/opensocial-07-coming-to-user-near-you.html OpenSocial API Blog: OpenSocial 0.7: Coming to a user near you<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Version 0.8 was released on May 28, 2008. <ref>[http://opensocialapis.blogspot.com/2008/05/opensocial-v08-is-defined.html OpenSocial API Blog: OpenSocial v0.8 is defined<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Version 0.9 was released on April 16, [[2009]]<ref>{{Cite web | title = OpenSocial API Blog: OpenSocial community defines version 0.9 | accessdate = 2009-05-06 | date = 2009-04-17 | url = http://blog.opensocial.org/2009/04/opensocial-community-defines-version-09.html }}</ref> ==History== ===Development=== OpenSocial was rumored to be part of a larger social networking initiative by Google code-named "Maka-Maka",<ref name="Makamaka">{{cite web |url=http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/10/29/googles-response-to-facebook-maka-maka/ |title=Google’s Response to Facebook: “Maka-Maka” |accessdate=2007-10-31 |last=Schonfeld |first=Erick |date=2007-10-29 |work=[[TechCrunch]] |publisher= |doi= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= }}</ref> which is defined as meaning "intimate friend with whom one is on terms of receiving and giving freely" in [[Hawaiian language|Hawaiian]].<ref name="makamaka meaning">{{cite web |url=http://www.wehewehe.org/gsdl2.5/cgi-bin/hdict?d=D12283 |title=maka.maka |accessdate=2007-11-01 |author= |coauthors= |date= |work=Nā Puke Wehewehe ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi |publisher=Ulukau: The Hawaiian Electronic Library |pages= |language= |doi= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= }}</ref> ===Implementation=== For launch, [http://code.google.com/apis/opensocial/partners.html partners] committed to supporting the OpenSocial APIs included the social network companies [[Bebo]], [http://engage.com Engage.com], [[Friendster]], [[hi5 (website)|hi5]], [[Hyves]], [[imeem]], [http://netmodular.com NetModular], [[mixi]], [[MySpace]], [[Ning]], [[orkut]], [[Plaxo]], [[QuePasa]], [[phpFox]], [[Six Apart]], [http://www.freebar.com Freebar.com]; as well as business-oriented networking companies [[LinkedIn]], [http://tianji.com Tianji], [[Salesforce.com]], [http://viadeo.com Viadeo], [[Oracle Corporation|Oracle]], and [[XING]].<ref name="press release" /> [[Plaxo]] and [[Ning]] released OpenSocial support within the first day of the launch, with Plaxo adding OpenSocial support to its Pulse feature,<ref name="Plaxo Pulse">{{cite web |url=http://blog.plaxo.com/archives/2007/11/opensocial_is_n.html |title=OpenSocial is now live on Plaxo Pulse |accessdate=2007-11-04 |last=Smarr |first=Joseph |date=2007-11-01 |format= |work=Plaxo's Personal Card |publisher=[[Plaxo]] |doi= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= }}</ref> and Ning adding basic OpenSocial support ahead of its previously announced release<ref name="Ning live">{{cite web |url=http://blog.ning.com/2007/11/andwere_live_with_opensocial_g.html |title=And ... We're Live with OpenSocial! |accessdate=2007-11-04 |last=Bianchini |first=Gina |date=2007-11-02 |format= |work= |publisher=[[Ning]] |doi= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= }}</ref> of full support in late 2007 to early 2008.<ref name="Ning plan">{{cite web |url=http://blog.ning.com/2007/10/open_social_ning_coming_early.html |title=OpenSocial & Ning |accessdate=2007-11-06 |last=Bianchini |first=Gina |date=2007-10-31 |format= |work= |publisher=[[Ning]] |doi= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= }}</ref> Developers who had already built applications implementing the APIs upon launch include [[Flixster]], [[FotoFlexer]], [[iLike]], [http://www.newsgator.com Newsgator], [http://rockyou.com RockYou], [[Slide (website)|Slide]], [http://theikos.com/ Theikos], and [[Virtualtourist|VirtualTourist]].<ref name="press release" /> Initial OpenSocial support experienced vulnerabilities in security, with a self-described amateur developer demonstrating [[exploit (computer security)|exploit]]s of the RockYou gadget on Plaxo, and of Ning social networks using the [[iLike]] gadget.<ref name="theharmonyguy">{{cite web |url=http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/11/05/opensocial-hacked-again |title=OpenSocial Hacked Again |accessdate=2007-11-06 |last=Arrington |first=Michael |authorlink=Michael Arrington |date=2007-11-05 |format= |work= |publisher=[[TechCrunch]] |doi= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= }}</ref>. On Mar 25, 2008 [[Yahoo!]] also announced it has joined the initiative <ref>[http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssTechMediaTelecomNews/idUSN2539603020080325 UPDATE 1-Yahoo supports Google social network applications | Industries | Technology, Media & Telecommunications | Reuters<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>. An [[open source]] project, [[Shindig (software)|Shindig]], was launched in December, 2007, to provide a [[reference implementation]] of the OpenSocial standards. It has the support of Google, Ning, and other companies developing OpenSocial-related software. ===Criticism=== {{Unreferenced section|date=August 2008}} Opened to much fanfare in news coverage, OpenSocial did not work well in the beginning; it only ran on Google-owned [[Orkut]], and only with a limited number of gadgets, returning errors for other gadgets. Other networks were still looking into implementing the framework. As reported by TechCrunch on November 5, 2007, OpenSocial was also quickly cracked. The total time to crack the OpenSocial-based iLike on Ning was just 20 minutes, according to TechCrunch, with the attacker being able to add and remove songs on a user's playlist, and to look into information on their friends. On December 6, TechCrunch followed up with a report by MediaPops founder Russ Whitman, who said "While we were initially very excited, we have learned the hard way just how limited the release truly is." Russ added that "core functionality components" are missing and that "write once, distribute broadly" was not accurate. ===Background=== OpenSocial is commonly described as a more open [[cross-platform]] alternative to the [[Facebook Platform]], a proprietary service of the popular [[social network service]] [[Facebook]].<ref name="NY Times">{{cite web |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/31/technology/31google.html |title=Google and Friends to Gang Up on Facebook |accessdate=2007-10-31 |author= |last=Helft |first=Miguel |authorlink= |coauthors=Brad Stone |date=[[2007-10-31]] |work=[[The New York Times]] |publisher=[[The New York Times Company]] |pages= |language= |doi= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= }}</ref> After launching Facebook Platform in late [[May 2007]],<ref name="Facebook Platform">{{cite web |url=http://www.facebook.com/press/releases.php?p=3102 |title=Facebook Unveils Platform for Developers of Social Applications |accessdate=2007-11-06 |date=[[2007-05-24]] |publisher=[[Facebook]] |doi= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= }}</ref> as well as acquiring startup [[web desktop]] company [[Parakey]] in mid-[[July 2007]],<ref name="Parakey">{{cite web |url=http://ads.ak.facebook.com/ads/press/Parakey_Press_Release.pdf |title=Facebook Acquires Startup Parakey |accessdate=2007-11-06 |date=2007-07-19 |publisher=[[Facebook]] |doi= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= |format=PDF}}</ref> the fast-growing Facebook has been widely reported as a challenger to Google<ref name="butterfly">{{cite web |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/04/technology/04digi.html |title=Why Google Turned Into a Social Butterfly |accessdate=2007-11-06 |last=Stross |first=Randall |authorlink= |date=[[2007-11-04]] |work=[[New York Times]]: Digital Domain |publisher=[[The New York Times Company]] |doi= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= }}</ref> in establishing and leveraging a ubiquitous [[web operating system]].<ref name="Faceboook OS">{{cite web |url=http://www.redherring.com/Home/23046 |title=Is Facebook An Operating System? |accessdate=2007-11-06 |last=Dreyfuss |first=Joel |date=[[2007-10-26]] |work= |publisher=Red Herring |doi= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= }}</ref><ref name="Facebook next Microsoft">{{cite web |url=http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/07/19/could-facebook-become-the-next-microsoft/ |title=Could Facebook Become The Next Microsoft? |accessdate=2007-11-06 |last=Riley |first=Duncan |date=2007-07-19 |publisher=[[TechCrunch]] |doi= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= }}</ref> Compared to Facebook, which is ranked second by page views worldwide for the month of September 2007, Google's social network [[orkut]] is ranked sixth for the same month, with more than half its members living in Brazil.<ref name="butterfly" /> Reports on competition between the two companies increased with [[Facebook]] scheduling an announcement of an [[online advertising]] initiative (named [[Facebook Ads]]) the day after Google's social networking announcement was originally scheduled<ref name="SocialAds TechCrunch">{{cite web |url=http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/10/30/facebooks-social-ad-network-what-we-think-we-know-so-far/ |title=Facebook’s Social Ad Network: What We (Think We) Know So Far |accessdate=2007-07-06 |last=Schonfeld |first=Erick |date=2007-10-30 |publisher=[[TechCrunch]] |doi= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= }}</ref> ([[November 6]], [[2007]]<ref name="Facebook Ads">{{cite web |url=http://www.facebook.com/press/releases.php?p=9176 |title=Facebook Unveils Facebook Ads |accessdate=2007-11-06 |date=[[2007-11-06]] |publisher=[[Facebook]] |doi= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= }}</ref>). The initiative includes [[ad serving]] and targeting programs (named Facebook Social Ads and Facebook Insights, respectively)<ref name="Facebook Ads" /> in competition with Google's market-leading [[AdSense]] and [[AdWords]] programs.<ref name="GigaOm">{{cite web |url=http://gigaom.com/2007/11/06/facebook-vs-google/ |title=Why Is Google Afraid of Facebook? |accessdate=2007-11-06 |last=Malik |first=Om |authorlink=Om Malik |date=[[2007-11-06]] |work=GigaOm |publisher=GigaOmniMedia |doi= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= }}</ref><ref name="Mashable">{{cite web |url=http://mashable.com/2007/11/01/newsgator-opensocial/ |title=Newsgator Joins OpenSocial |accessdate=2008-01-24 |last=Nicole |first=Kristen |authorlink=Kristen Nicole |date=[[2007-11-01]] |work=Mashable |publisher=Federated Media Publishing |doi= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= }}</ref> Using [[OpenSocket]][http://apps.facebook.com/opensocket/][http://www.opensocket.org/blog/], the user can run OpenSocial gadgets within Facebook.<ref>http://www.opensocket.org/blog/2007/11/11/opensocket-facebook-app-released-in-beta/</ref> ==References== {{reflist|2}} ==External links== *[http://www.opensocial.org Official site of the OpenSocial foundation] *[http://code.google.com/apis/opensocial OpenSocial resources at Google] *[http://sites.google.com/a/opensocial.org/opensocial/OpenSocial-Foundation-Proposal OpenSocial-Foundation-Proposal] *[http://www.opensocial.org/opensocial-foundation/community-rep-candidates OpenSocial-Candidates as nominated for Directors] *[http://directory.opensocial.org/gadgets/directory Open Social App Directory] *[http://incubator.apache.org/shindig/ Shindig] Shindig is an open source implementation of the OpenSocial specification and gadgets specification. It is a new project within the Apache Software Foundation incubator. [[Category:Application programming interfaces]] [[Category:Google]] [[Category:Online social networking]] [[de:OpenSocial]] [[es:OpenSocial]] [[fr:OpenSocial]] [[it:OpenSocial]] [[ja:OpenSocial]] [[pt:OpenSocial]] [[vi:OpenSocial]]'