Blogging Roller

First, some links from open source projects I'm trying to follow. Check out the JMaki Webtop widget, it looks pretty useful. Now that I've got JMaki support in Roller, this could be the basis for some cool drag-and-drop blog layout. Wish I had time for that; I'm still trying to carve out some time to dig into the Abdera server framework.

• jMaki Webtop
  Cool iGoogle style portal interface via JMaki
• JSPWiki: JSP Wiki 3 Design
  JCR back-end, wiki spaces and more...
• Abdera Server Implementation Guide
  "The Abdera Server module provides a framework for constructing Atom Publishing Protocol server implementations."

I'm also following OpenSocial and Shindig (the reference implementation of OpenSocial) pretty closely, but thus far have not had time to dive into the code. There's lots of activity on the Shindig list, but thus far there's no server-side and security is still up in the air -- both are pending change to the spec itself. Marc Cantor has an interesting perspective on the OpenSocial.

• ShindigStarted - hyves_api - Trac
  "a small guide on how to get started on Shindig."
• CNET Mark Cantor: Waiting for the OpenSocial hammer to drop
  "We all hope that MySpace, Bebo, and others will open up and go beyond the original scope of OpenSocial to lay the groundwork for a truly open world of social networking."
• KickApps Publishes API, Adopts Facebook and OpenSocial standards
  "KickApps has adopted Google’s OpenSocial developer platform standards and is working with Facebook to adopt that company’s standards as well."

I'm also following Facebook. While Google and friends scramble to catch up, Facebook Apps are getting easier to write, thanks to a new JavaScript API, and easier to deploy thanks to Amazon Web Services.

• Facebook Extends Platform to the Web - The Unofficial Facebook Blog
  "This is a huge step in Facebook extending their platform beyond the Facebook.com domain and letting people leverage the power of the social graph"
• JavaScript Client Library - Facebook Developers Wiki
  "Applications that use this client library should be configured to load in an iframe, not be rendered with FBML"
• Facebook JavaScript Client Library
  "This JavaScript client library allows you to make Facebook API calls from any web site and makes it easy to create Ajax Facebook applications"
• Amazon Web Services Blog: AWS For Facebook Applications
  "we've teamed with Facebook to collect all of the resources that you need to be the next big success story in one convenient location."

Personally, I really like the idea of the web itself as the social network and your blog as the home for your personal profile. So, I think the new Social Graph API is a step in the right direction, as is the blog-based Distributed Social Networking (DiSo) project.

• BuzzMachine:The internet is the social network
  "The internet doesn’t need more social networks. The internet is the social network."
• Social Graph API - Google Code
  Project homepage
• Google Social Graph API Released on Dion Almaer's Blog
  "Would you like to be able to make a quick call to get a JSON response that ties together a social graph made up of resources available on the Web?";
• diso - Google Code
  "DiSo (dee • zoh) is an umbrella project [for] as Chris puts it: 'to build a social network with its skin inside out'"
• The Existential DiSo Interview on Vimeo
  Factory Joe interviews himself re: Distributed Social Networking

And, I'm happy to see support for Twitter-like microblogging in Wordpress and Facebook like activity streams from Movable Type.

• Introducing Prologue: WordPress.com
  "We’re fans of Twitter around here, [but] while the format appealed to us it really just whetted our appetite for something more"
• Building Action Streams - MovableType.org
  "framework for collecting your actions from services around the web into one place for you to share back out as you see fit."
• Action Streams | Plugin Directory | movabletype.org
  "aggregate, control, and share your actions around the web "

And to wrap up: maybe I don't need to worry about the intersection of Blogging and Social Networking at all. Maybe there's no need to following all these APIs. Maybe the hype has peaked and Facebook and friends are about to go the way of the CB radio. Apparently, folks aren't spending quite as much time Facebooking as they used to:

• ZDNet.com: Ohmigod! Social networkers just can’t take it any more!
  "it is entirely possible that people are beginning to question just how much time they spend socially networking, rather than socially living."