OpenSocial Platform

Well, we finally are starting to hear what Google's anticipated response to the fact that Facebook Platform and Facebook as a Learning Platform. The real beauty of Google's approach is in the word "open." With Facebook you are somewhat forced to make a hard choice about rewiring your application to live seamlessly within the Facebook environment or pushing Facebook users across to your site which is a bit ugly. Further, you face the prospect of having Facebook rework aspects that you are leveraging.

So, as I mentioned before, I'm a big believer in leveraging the knowledge of social connections that exist across the network of different applications (e.g., del.icio.us, flickr, MyBlogLog, Facebook, LinkedIn, your email, discussion groups, etc.). Google appears to be headed down the direction that will allow applications to take advantage of that knowledge.

But I'm still back at my same question:

I'm currently in process on two Facebook applications that leverage that platform for viral expansion via Facebook, and I'm working on the design of several new or extensions of existing sites/software solutions that will leverage social aspects. The questions are:

• Do you leverage Facebook because of installed based and easier, known viral adoption model even though you are locked in?
• Can you justify building out your own social graph (friends, groups, etc.)?
• Do you head towards Google's OpenSocial even though you may be ahead of your users?

Answers seem to be fuzzy and turning out different in different cases. I'm hoping to hear more from other folks about what they seem happening.