Large web companies like Google, MySpace and Facebook are rolling out ways for other web sites to access their user data, and the full force of these moves hasn't hit home yet for the corporate world, let alone for us as individuals.
At DEMO next week in Palm Springs, Calif. we'll be examining the significance of the latest efforts by these players. Some of the features these companies will show off at DEMO have not been previously released.
three thematic discussions we've organized for DEMO as part our new partnership. They each focus on trends we think are crucial for decision-makers at DEMO to be aware of this year.
To understand the significance of this data sharing, take a look at the ruckus last week surrounding Facebook's move to assert legal ownership over user data. The controversy centered on privacy and the rights users have over their own data. However, missed in that debate were the reasons Facebook decided to make the move in the first place. By legally owning user data, Facebook was making sure it was on safe ground to start setting the policies and terms for sharing that data with its partners.
Facebook -- as the other panelists will make clear -- is hardly the only company working hard in this area. Myspace, Google, Plaxo and others are gathering rich data about their users, making it easier for the rest of the web to gather such extensive data without significant effort. The trend towards more open access to data means proprietary user information will be commoditized on some level (we'll all have overlapping information coming from Facebook, Myspace and Google about our users). To stay in business, every company will have to keep providing key value to users in unique ways.
I'm really looking forward to this discussion, because it's one of the most significant trends we'll all be facing this year.
The session is part of the "DEMObeat" portion of DEMO that VentureBeat will be hosting on the afternoon of March 3. Tickets are still available.
Also, for those interested, Eric will be moderating a related panel at the South By Southwest conference in Austin, Texas, next month.