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Google Chrome Extension “Social Graph Analyzer”

As Google Chrome for Mac (dev-channel) goes available with Extensions, I’ve started to use it as my primary browser. More extensible than Safari, faster than Firefox, Google Chrome is really good browser. Simple, but efficient.

Chrome is even easy to develop extensions on top of its extensibility. So this is my first Chrome extension called Social Graph Analyzer.

How to Use

By installing Social Graph Analyzer shows person icon on top right of your browser. To use this extension, just click this button on profile page of someone on any social services. By clicking it, pop up show up his / her other services’ profile page link. Of course, you can click them to see those pages.

I won’t describe how this is implemented, but if those profile pages include technologies like microformat or FOAF, detection possibility will go up.

In the future

Planning to show badge, how many sites are detected before clicking the button. Tracing social graph sounds nice too.

Twitter is a good place to try out. Check it out.

Download from here: Social Graph Analyzer

Posted in Product.

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By Eiji – 2010/1/14 木曜日

What Google Docs Storage means to Social Web

On early 13th Jan. (JST), Google unveiled something we’ve been calling “GDrive”, as part of Google Docs’ functionality. You can use up to 1GB for free, add 1GB/$0.25 per year. Slightly different from what we(maybe only I)’ve expected was, Google doesn’t offer client application for this. But don’t worry, there’s already an API. Sooner or later, Google itself, or third party will definitely release Dropbox-like client software, I’m sure.

By the way, did you notice that this online storage means more than just a storage?

SocialWeb and Access Control

I’ve been insisting that, web will act like operating system in the future, and social web will be important part of it. Here’s ideas:

  • SocialWeb will be too common to notice it exists.
  • Global identity will be required.
  • Social Graph will be tied with identity and will be portable.
  • Social Graph will be ported to phones, TVs, etc. as well as web services.
  • Social Graph will control accesses, as well as used to share or invite someone.
  • File systems will eventually have ACL using Social Graph.

I’ve been thinking the last one will be future, but…

ACL on Google Docs

Google Docs Storage seems to have social ACL functionality. As you know, Google Docs originally have Access Control: When you create a doc, it’s basically private. Then, you can publish it to public, or share it with groups or people individually, by specifying his/her email address. Mail address of course, will be auto-completed as you type, derived from Gmail contact list. You can give read/write access to them.

Imagine this strong access control feature is adopted to your other files like music, photos, videos…and you can access them from desktop, iPhone, Android. Files are synced with cloud. ACL is managed easily using global identities like email address, WebFinger, OpenID. Isn’t it nice?

This is what we call: Web OS.

Summary

Some people say Google is behind Facebook, because Google doesn’t own SNS. But it’s just about application platform. Google is building something better than that, slowly but surely, as you can see on Google Docs Storage: web OS platform. In the future, Chrome OS will take advantage of this, their concept will see its completion. Their layer is lower than Facebook’s.

Someday, Facebook will notice, that they are just playing on Google’s palm top.

Posted in Google, SocialWeb.

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By Eiji – 2010/1/14 木曜日

Predicting Social Web 2010

Happy New Year!

It’s been a while since I last updated this blog because I was too busy taking care of my kids. Today, I’d like to write down some thoughts on Social Web (mainly about Japanese Market) and its prediction for this year.

2009 was a huge mile stone for Japanese Social Web, there emerged the first OpenSocial container, Social Application market, on horizon. mixi Appli have been doing quite well and interests around social application market seems getting even bigger. Other japanese big SNS, like Mobage is awaiting to release its mobile social application platform too. 2009 can be recorded as the first year of Social Web for Japanese. And it’s my honor to be able to have got involved in it.

By the way, I’ve posted an article “Predicting Social Web 2009” in the beginning of 2009 (Japanese only), which was influenced by Mr. John McCrea’s article.

Reviewing my prediction for 2009

Like John McCrea has done, I review my prediction here.

Google turns to Social Network

In the article, I predicted that Google will put their social graph into iGoogle (meaning OpenSocial-ize) including the ones on FriendConnect, and make their whole services more social. Yes, iGoogle now is OpenSocial container, but they haven’t associated it with FriendConnect yet.

Meanwhile, services like Wave, Docs, Calendar, Android shares the same social graph which Google Contacts (part of Gmail) provide. This means Google is turning itself more social. Slowly, but steadily, Google is being Socialized. I’ll keep my eyes on Google’s socialization.

Market platforms

iPhone App Store emerged in 2008 as an example, I foresited that there might be various markets, selling videos, music… Market for creators.
I might be able to say mixi Appli, Android market were answers for this, but they are just for developers. Not quite matching my prediction.

Social Ad platform wars

I predicted there would be social ad platforms and its war. On top of Facebook expanding its online ad share, Google revealed social ad platform using FriendConnect. These may be counted as the beginning of social ad war, aren’t they? ;)

Predicting Social Web 2010

So, my prediction for 2009 was not totally wrong, but a bit going further than it actually was. But never mind, I try the same thing again for this year :)

Twitter

Twitter will stay on top issue around web 2010. Including Japenese prime minister, a lot of celebrities are starting to tweet in Japan. Talking about celebrities, Ameba Now should be the strongest micro blogging service candidate to hire, but Twitter is attracting and making them start to tweet by themselves. So it’s clear that Twitter will be talked a lot in 2010.

Realtime web

Realtime web will also be focused on in Japan this year. You might say, you’ve been able to use mobile and talk with people real time on 2 channel already, but the realtime web in 2010 is social. Looking at Twitter, it is needless to say social realtime web is comfortable to dive in, mixi Voice or GREE Hitokoto will trail the path. Don’t forget that one timeline is enough for one person.

Activity Streams

As you may know, yet another open spec ActivityStream has been drafted by people from Microsoft, Google, Facebook, MySpace, etc. It’s already been deployed on Facebook, MySpace and will be included in OpenSocial spec. ActivityStream is extension of Atom and can describe more semantic and thus social than the one in OpenSocial’s current spec. Also, AS is one of the essential component of realtime web. Since timeline on micro blogs and AS are good suit, they are tend to be merged, just like GREE’s Hitokoto or Facebook. PubsubHubbub will help its realtime-ness too.

Federated Identities

With specs like OpenID, OAuth, individual’s personality will be reflected on the web clearer than before. OpenID getting more common, APIs like social graph, activity, payment will strengthen a person with its online identity. Similar services as Facebook Connect, Google FriendConnect should drive these tendencies too.

OpenStack

OpenStack used to have OpenID, OAuth, OpenSocial, XRDS-Simple, PortableContacts. 2010 seems to add ActivityStreams, Salmon Protocol, PubsubHubbub, Webfinger. This is plan more than prediction though.

Social Media Marketing

Although there’s been Social Media Marketing(SMM) already, 2010’s SMM will be more realtime and direct.
In old SMM, people try to make buzz indirectly by creating contents on media like Youtube, blogs, etc. They tend to refuse responding to users’ comments and was one way communication.
In recent SMM, there’s increasing number of cases where marketers join social activity like on Twitter, Facebook, and communicate with other users directly. These activities fit in SNS (explicit social graph) more than blogs (implicit social graph).

Finally

Please join SocialWeb Japan. It’s a community sharing infomations like this post. (Sorry we speak japanese only there)

Posted in SocialWeb.

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By Eiji – 2010/1/3 日曜日

OpenSocial’s Architecture Slide

I’ve made a presentation about OpenSocial’s Architecture an event: Tokyo GTUG #4. Here I publish the slide I’ve used though it’s all in Japanese. Hope this will help someone.

OpenSocialのアーキテクチャ

View more documents from Eiji Kitamura.

Posted in Conference, Event, OpenSocial.

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By Eiji – 2009/11/14 土曜日

OpenSocial Hackathon in Aizu

There’ll be Aizu IT Summer Forum held on 18th Sept. in Aizu Fukushima, Japan. I’m going to have a session there, which will be about “Architectural overview on OpenSocial”.

On the next day, 19th Sept. there’ll be OpenSocial Hackathon in Aizu at the same place for as an accompanying event of Mashup Awards5.

If you happen to be in Aizu, please join us :)

Details and application form (written in Japanese):

OpenSocial Hackathon in Aizu

Posted in Conference, Event, OpenSocial.

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By Eiji – 2009/9/15 火曜日