Linked from *here*
*Google page*
*Google Blog*
I think this is HUGE news.
Hard to believe it comes on the same day as the MSFT/YHOO train wreck that is (or may be) about to happen.
Not more useful than OpenSocial, but inextricably tied to it. The idea is to educate users to the fact that most Web companies so far have operated on the walled-garden concept and that Google and a few others are (finally) abandoning that method of holding user's data hostage for the benefit of either advertisers (or in the case of MSFT for the benefit of extending the Windows monopoly).
While Google may or may not invent something that resembles Facebook, they certainly won't do it in a way that makes Facebook or Myspace users second class citizens. In fact I use the limited Facebook API to point to my Orkut page, and if Facebook opens up as much as they claim they will, might be able to do the same in reverse at some point.
Companies opting out of this open exchange of data may do so at their peril, but opting in will require an abandonment of the walled-garden approach, which some of these companies think (wrongly) is essential to their success.
Todays two big tech news items (and the day is only half over!) will be resounding for weeks if not longer. This particular one is a bit of a sleeper, since so many people won't know what it means for a while.
Boy this is going to be fun to watch!
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