opensocial - Internet Marketing News and Blogs

Facebook is to make its developer platform available to other social networks, allowing brands to port apps to other sites that adopt the same standards.

The move forms a response to Google's OpenSocial project, which aims to create a common standard for developing and delivering social network apps.

MySpace has joined up with Google for the launch of its OpenSocial platform, which aims to create a common platform for developers to create applications for social networks.

Bebo also joined in with OpenSocial yesterday, while LinkedIn, XING, Friendster and Orkut are already on board. The big question is whether Facebook will decide to join Google's initiative.

Google has thrown down the gauntlet to Facebook with plans to compete with the social network’s hugely popular software development platform.

The devilishly cunning but widely expected move - coming just a few days after Facebook’s strategic partnership with Microsoft - will see the online ad giant allowing developers to build apps and syndicate them across different social media sites.