OpenSocial good for developers — when will it matter to users?
Google’s OpenSocial has gained a lot of publicity for opening up standards between social networks. But one key ingredient missing from OpenSocial is the applications themselves. What can developers make that will be actually be useful? That question still hangs over Facebook’s developer platform.
Without useful apps, these other networks — Plaxo, LinkedIn, etc — may remain the niche social networks they are today.
Silicon Valley technorati have been calling Facebook’s developer platform revolutionary because it was… Continue Reading
Social network stampede: Hi5 gets $20 million, Bebo to get developer platform
Hi5, a social network with 30 million active users around the world — the same size as Facebook — has reportedly raised a $20 million round. GigaOm has more, saying Mohr Davidow Ventures is the backer.
Last week, England-based social network Bebo made it clear they, like Facebook, intend to further open their site to third-party developers.
These are the latest reminders that even though the media hype has mostly transferred from MySpace to Facebook, the rest… Continue Reading