Yesterday, Google along with a host of other major social networks (MySpace, Bebo, SixApart, Orkut, Salesforce, LinkedIn, Ning, Hi5, Plaxo, Friendster, Viadeo and Oracle) announced OpenSocial – an initiative to share an open API amongst across multiple sites. This will allow developers to create applications or widgets that can efficiently extend their website experience to existing communities on popular social networks.

What this means for you?

• We no longer need to have a MySpace strategy, a LinkedIn strategy, etc, but rather we can develop one application or widget that can be accessed throughout all services. A standard API will greatly reduce development time.
• Harness existing communities. We don’t have to go out and build an audience, but rather we can leverage what’s already there.
• Combined, the core group of networks involved represents over 100MM subscribers.

Challenges

• The open API was just released yesterday, so bugs may occur
• Inconsistencies may emerge – not all applications may behave the same across all platforms
• No two networks are the same. LinkedIn and MySpace have 2 different user bases.
• Facebook, Yahoo! and Microsoft haven’t bought in yet.

This is a major announcement and something that I feel could really benefit your online strategy. The possibilities are endless. I suggest sitting down in the coming month with someone who actually understands this and how it can affect your business (or contact me) and see how you can be proactive and tackle this head-on. Trust me, its going to be worth it.

Additional Resources:
Wired covers the aspects of Open Social
Open Social FAQ’s
All the Children are Insane courtesy of Magnus Kjall

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