2009/02/28

The OpenSocial API on Blogger

The Google Friend Connect integration also brings the OpenSocial API to Blogger -- not just the Gadgets APIs, which Blogger has had for a while, but also the social APIs. Let's see how the Friend Connect demo gadget (which calls the OpenSocial APIs) works within this blog post:







In Friend Connect, the followers of this blog show up as "friends" of the OWNER, which is the blog (Abstractioneer). I show up as an administrator of the site, as does the Blogger service. And, my friends-on-Abstractioneer show up as my friends when I sign in.

(It's amusing how social Blogger is becoming -- not only is a blog your friend, Blogger itself is helping to manage your friend's affairs.)

2009/02/27

Building Out the Social Internetwork

It's been a busy week unifying Blogger Following and Google Friend Connect, so not a lot of time for blogging. A great thing about Friend Connect is that it's a catalyst for millions of individual social contexts (web pages). The contexts are separable but not totally disjoint -- you can choose to leverage and include your existing social networks and social communication tools. (The last thing we need is another social network.)

This is a little bit like real life, where you have different social contexts without totally disconnected social networks.

A practical advantage of the unification is the ability to create OpenSocial gadgets that work well on both Blogger blogs and Google Friend Connect sites. Stay tuned...

2009/02/11

Sorry Son, I Can't Read to You Tonight...

...unless you pony up some cash to purchase the audio rights:
"They don't have the right to read a book out loud," said Paul Aiken, executive director of the Authors Guild. "That's an audio right, which is derivative under copyright law." -- WSJ
In addition to the millions of felonious parents, the AFB might have a word or two to say about this.

2009/02/10

The Toaster Project

Synopsis: Make a toaster... from the ground up, with materials you manufacture yourself. Highly educational. Has an associated blog, naturally. Definitely making a Statement. More backstory here: http://www.we-make-money-not-art.com/archives/2009/02/-thomas-thwaites-the-toaster.php.

Suspended by the Baby Boss at Twitter

Well!  I'm now suspended from Twitter for stating that Elon's jet was in London recently.  (It was flying in the air to Qatar at the...