I did this Perspectives piece for CNet.
Enjoy
Perspective: When Google announced OpenSocial a few months ago, it was welcomed as an effort to standardize the world around the notion of open social networking. But the announcement also was viewed as an attack on Facebook’s closed platform and data silo approach–one which limited users’ ability to [...]

I included Dave McClure in my post on Facebook’s close platform - and he commented back, asking me to do my research.
So I did.
I looked at the agendas of the two conferences where Dave either has founded and/or Chairs and is intimately involved in. What I was looking for was evidence of Dave ‘helping [...]

In this podcast with Steve Gillmor I explain some promotions we’re working on in inter-connecting social networks together - that will enable folks to move between social networks based upon incentives, prizes, real-world objects, etc. - when importing their friends into these new networks.
The trick is how to provide benefits to end-users - at the [...]

Its great to see Mark Zuckerberg getting cozy with Robert Scoble - acting all human and such, but that doesn’t mean that their latest move - in offering up client side javascript libraries to enable developers to access their closed platform - from within external applications or services - is anything more than just an [...]

HypeMeters, comments and good wishes all agree that DataPortability.org needs some meat. Now where was that nicely marbled rib-eye when we need it?
Poor Mike Arrington. Didn’t get a ride on the Google plane back from Davos. Waaaaah!
I’m really getting into TheFunded - more and more everyday. The VCs need somebody to call [...]

Take that - Google!
And they joined DataPortability.org 

It was kind of heartening today - after reading yet another press release about some BigCo joining the DataPortability effort - to stumble upon this roadmap timeline of activities leading to a DataPortabilioty enabled web.  Kind of heartening in a cute naive way.
This timeline is a nice way of displaying blog posts spouting hyperbole ans [...]

When you get to my age - you get used to capitalists losing their shirts, gaming the stock market and making it all look like it’s really important that they’ve gone broke. This is how capitalism works.
Bottom fishers show up, reap huge rewards and the whole cycle repeats itself.
Maybe it’s time to BUY a [...]

Big trial and issue for Canadians - has been resolved.
The DEA tried to try a Canadian in the US on US laws - though the ‘crime’ was committed in Canada. Pretty ballsey - huh?
Well the Canadians said “No!” Enough.
Congrats to all of Canada. Now where are my cellulose papers?
Hmmm - I’m going back [...]

Coolio - turn Last.fm into a video service!
Rafe Needlemen has some interesting insights into NetVibes new ‘Ginger’ upgrade. What I wish Tariq and NetVibes would do - is further embrace the notion of a public side to NetVibes - one which engages people in a distributed mesh - without having to JOIN NetVibes. [...]