Facebook’s Zuckerberg must be laughing right now as he reads the latest buzz on the web about OpenSocial, a group of “other” social networks headed by no less than Google representing Orkut. Joining Google in OpenSocial are social networks LinkedIn, hi5, Friendster, Plaxo and Ning.
The New York Times is reporting that “it learned of the alliance’s plan from people briefed on the matter. Google, which had planned to introduce the alliance at a party on Thursday evening, later confirmed the plan.”
So, what’s this OpenSocial all about? According to the NYT report, OpenSocial is aiming to one up Facebook which has established itself as a tremendous force in the social networking arena. Facebook recently earned a fresh ally with Microsoft which is boasting to have beaten Google in the bid to own a share of Facebook’s properties.
Ironically, the announcement had to come a week after the Microsoft and Facebook was announced. And Google which has been so eager to establish a strong ground in the social networking arena seems to have seen it as an opportune time to reveal its master plan – Gather the gang and start ganging up on Facebook.
OpenSocial is banking on a Google API that would enable third party applications developer create applications on any social networking platforms. And possibly take these developers’ attention away from the Facebook platform. Third party applications have been the strong force behind Facebook’s dominance in the social networking industry.
For whatever the OpenSocial claims to what it is planning to be or to do, one can’t help but disregard the fact that the almighty “G” is in OpenSocial circle, and expect critics to take this movement as nothing but just a mere ploy to possibly serve Google’s own interest.
A personal vendetta for getting beaten by Microsoft? Or one desperate move to re-establish its own social network Orkut? I’ve always regarded Facebook as the Google of social networks. And Google should know by now that it would take a lot of effort to beat Facebook as it would take other search engines to beat Google.
