Despite losing to Microsoft in its bid for a piece of Facebook, Google isn’t giving up on social networks.
The behemoth of search is partnering with other tech companies and social networks to develop a competing approach called OpenSocial. The open-source technology will enable developers to write applications that can be used on many sites, including partners in the project, such as LinkedIn and Friendster.
This is a markedly different approach from that of Facebook, which does not share its technology with others.
With 50 million users, a $240 million investment by Microsoft and a valuation of $15 billion, Facebook has a big head start. But the open-source approach has been proved over and over on the web. And then, of course, there’s the seemingly unlimited force of Google.
A number of major players have been in both camps. PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel invested in both Facebook and LinkedIn. Napster co-founder Sean Parker was both the founding president of Facebook and a co-founder of Plaxo, which is a partner in OpenSocial.
Thiel and Parker are not the only web kingpins in this fray. Netscape co-founder Marc Andreessen is involved in two OpenSocial partners – LinkedIn and Ning.
With such a stellar cast, it’s going to be quite the show: Facebook and Microsoft and the millions of uncounted developers and publishers who will embrace open source.
We’re in for a real spectacle.