Via the Yahoo! Corp Blog. Very encouraging. Also on the Google blog.
In this same spirit, we announced today that we’ve joined forces with Google and MySpace to create the OpenSocial Foundation, and will also begin supporting the OpenSocial standard. Industry consortiums such as this often start slowly and evolve over time. So far, OpenSocial is rapidly growing and adapting, but still in the early stages. We feel that this is the right step at this stage in its evolution. It’s no longer a trial balloon — it’s for real. We are taking this opportunity to help ensure websites and developers feel confident using OpenSocial as the building blocks for their new social apps.
We already offer Web services and APIs through the Yahoo! Developer Network that make it easy for developers to build applications and mashups that integrate data sources in new ways. We think OpenSocial will continue to fuel this innovation and make the Web more relevant and more enjoyable to millions.
The big question though is whether they’ll do what Bebo did and then supports Facebook Applications too.
Update: Further thoughts. The foundation looks good with it owning the IP and NOT Google. This is better for sure. Is this also forcing Microsoft to join via the backdoor if they eventually do nab Yahoo!?
I know I *should* get the importance of this, but, erm, I don’t. I don’t get it.
Why is OpenSocial important to Social Networking and to the interweb?
Whether they’ll “do what Bebo did” – from a user perspective the new myriad of apps have slowed the site to a crawl – so much so that Bebo have to turn off features at certain times – and rendered many pages illegible amid the multiple slideshows, calendars, sharing luvs, baking muffins, barking babies and so on. What was once a nice wee page to express your individuality (in a completely conforming way) is now akin to trying to say a personal hello to Times Square.
Doubtless there are benefits to programmers and advertisers in there somewhere, but I don’t see how. Not yet. Fully prepared to keep an open mind though.
yeah, I’ll wait until it’s less vapourous before I get too excited.
Opensocial is a google gadget distribution platform with a hint of local social apis in containers that claim opensocial compliance (difficult to do given there is no reference impl but I digress).
The only significance I see in this announcement is that Yahoo are kowtow’ing to google gadget standard. This is not necessarily a good thing esp when you consider the significant expertise and rile Yahoo already had in the evolution of widgets to date.
Meanwhile, the “OpenSocial Foundation” website http://www.opensocial.org/ is just a fountain of information – yawn.
Woohoo! I mean Yahoo!