Social Network Interoperability

[jducoeur]

For a year or so now, I've been thinking about the problem of the larger social network -- how to deal with the plethora of social networks that are springing up out there. Others have also been pondering this, but I've just stumbled across the most interesting one yet: BradFitz, founder of LJ (and now at Google) is starting to look at the problem really seriously. He seems to be focused particularly on one aspect of the issue -- how to leverage the existing social network for future applications -- but that may well be a key element, and I'm intrigued by what he says. This may turn into an interesting and significant project, and make life easier pretty soon...

Comments

[metahacker.livejournal.com]

Hunh.

[siderea]

IAWTC

[metahacker.livejournal.com]

IDUYIA.

[siderea]

You know that that straight line requires the punchline "RTFM", right? They'll revoke my BOFH (/.-standup division) associate's membership if I don't use it.

[metahacker.livejournal.com]

I thought you were going to counter with
2. ... IANYSE

(In reality, I had a brain failure -- forgot I was in the 21st century and that I could just ask Google. Very strange experience.)

[the-nita.livejournal.com]

It sounds like a lovely idea. I don't see it being done as a "it should just exist" thing any time soon. Or ever. At least not while we live in something vaguely resembling a capital-driven world. Or until there's a benefactor on the order of Bill or Richard who wants to give the world the machines/code/support for that sort of project, and can convince the world that it isn't a marketing scam to get a hold of their demographic information on a tighter level.

Interesting. It'll be curious if it can get past the thought experiment level.

[jducoeur]

Well, keep in mind that he's working at Google now, and they're tending to take the long view. I can easily see them supporting and running this, simply on the grounds that it fits nicely with their "aggregate all the world's information" strategy. For that reason specifically, I *do* expect it to happen -- it'll be interesting to see if it does so in a form that's genuinely useful...

[asim.livejournal.com]

At this rate (OpenID, memcache, this concept) brad's going to go down in history as the Secret Enabler of the poorly-named Web 2.0.

Don't know if it will work, but it's an idea he's well-equipped to work with. And if Google puts weight behind it (and OpenID!), it could go places; it would also be 100% within their purview, and a way to ad-drive more products for them. Oh, and maybe to finally get Orkut out of the doldrums it's in in the North American/European market...

[jducoeur]

Yeah -- Brad is definitely one of those rare people on the Web who really, truly impresses me. He comes up with cool ideas *and* puts them into action. (And then goes and does something else.)

As for OpenID, that's already got a pretty good freight train of momentum behind it. I don't actually love the protocol -- I think it's a bit of a hack, especially when compared to the very elegant WS-Trust approach -- but it's very practical, and even Microsoft have tacitly said that they think it's going to succeed...

[bkdelong.livejournal.com]

And supposedly there have been many others "working on the problem" despite how it continues to get more ridiculous. I've settled on Facebook for "interactive" Social Networking and LiveJournal for blog-reading / commenting. I have accounts on many other SNs just to lay bait for old friends I'm looking for and occasionally go back to update those profiles.

But for crying out loud....why isn't there some web app or even a client that lets you cross-manage profiles or interests? This is ridiculous.