Open social graph

Open social graph is the concept of decentralizing the social data on the Web. In the past, people can only participate and Contribute content within a given network. As social networks increasingly open up, people will be able to interact with their data freely and securely across the Web.

The Background

Around the beginning of 2005, bloggers started talking AbOUT the possibility of a centralized service that can help them manage their different social network accounts. In November 2006, Spokeo launched the first prototype that connects disjoint social graphs together. In August 2007, Brad Fitzpatrick (the Founder of LiveJournal) first coined the term "Open Social Graph". In October 2007, Google launched the OpenSocial initiative to make the Web more social, open, and free.

Open Social Movement

Many new innovations spring up as more and more social data are made available.

• Google's OpenSocial API - an open standard that helps developers "write a program once, run it everywhere"

• Social graph readers - tools that can track updates from your social network friends

- Spokeo
- Plaxo Pulse
- FriendFeed

• Widgets - small programs that can be embedded within social networks

- Slide
- RockYou
- Zingfu

• Social contact managers - tools that help you organize your online contacts

- Tabber
- Blueswarm
- Upscoop

• Digital lifestyle aggregators - social networks that manage social networks

- MyLifeBrand
- SocialURL
- ProfileLinker

• Profile aggregators - tools that aggregate your online identities

- ProfileBuilder
- Profilactic
- Rapleaf

• People search - search for your friends across different social networks

- Spock
- Wink
- Ziki