Last week was all about OpenSocial, Google’s project that will tie together Google, MySpace and many other social networks in a common developer environment. The goal: one common set of code to create widgets from. This strikes at the very heart of Facebook’s platform, which is not open and forces developers to use proprietary languages to create their widgets.
So, the big question this week will be: will Facebook bow to Google and join its OpenSocial club? The reality is that, for now, developers will create widgets for both Facebook and OpenSocial. Both have very large user bases. But long-term, Facebook risks its user base slowly leaking away and (re)turning to MySpace – or perhaps even niche social networks in the OpenSocial alliance – as more and more cool widgets get released on those other platforms.
Today I’ve read a couple of compelling posts arguing against OpenSocial (see Jack Schofield’s post in the Guardian) and for Facebook (see Mark Cuban’s post). And as our own Marshall Kirkpatrick and Josh Catone wrote, OpenSocial isn’t that open and so perhaps Facebook doesn’t have that much to be scared of.
What do you think: will Facebook join OpenSocial? Or will they snub Google and do their own thing? We’re keen to know your opinion! Have your say in the poll below, and in the comments.
