A Beginner's Guide to

OpenSocial

All my own workby Tom Natt

What problem does it try to solve?

Writing applications specifically for a single API  

How about a demo?

Much like this...

Why?Developers

• Can reuse apps on new social networks

• Reduce code maintenance

• Increased potential audience for application

Site Owners • New site immediately

gains many applications• Pre-existing broad

developer base

I'm a developer - how do I get involved?

Use the API

• REST protocol• RPC protocol• Javascript APIMethod Summary 

• String getDisplayName()• String getField(key, opt_params)• String getId()• Boolean isOwner()• Boolean isViewer()

Authenticate with OAuth ask Phil!

Get Information! 

Including: 

ABOUT_ME, ADDRESSES, CARS, FASHION 

and many more

I'm a server and I want to play tooBe a Container

• Adding and removing friends • Adding and removing apps • Storing activities • Retrieving activity streams for self and

friends • Storing and retrieving per-app and per-app-

per-user data  SO • Put your socialness out there for others to

use• Shingdig (apache)

What DOESN'T it do?aka "The SpecialTom slide"

OpenSocial by itself does not solve the problem of migrating your social network from place to place

Photo by mcmrbthttp://www.flickr.com/photos/holyhoses/5165664/

Who does it?

OpenSocial (left) Vs Facebook

Cash picture by noahwesleyhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/noahwesley/120499365/

Viable option to developing for Facebook 

MySpace brings a massive body of users, considered to even the odds somewhat in the battle

Huh?

So what can we do?

If our group work evolved to become a social network we could become a container

An application such as Flat Out could have been developed using OpenSocial

It gives us the potential to use existing social networks for our applications And many more (probably)

Questions?If you must...