Digital Media Buzz > Data Portability: Where MySpace, Facebook and Twitter connect

Data Portability: Where MySpace, Facebook and Twitter connect

Prominent social networks like Facebook and LinkedIn are allowing their data to be accessed by users in a one-stop-shop kind of way.

By Lauren Fritsky

Data portability has become the new Oz. The buzz phrase for the process of sharing and reusing user data across applications on various websites, several providers claim to be taking steps toward it. But with no streamlined process or guidelines, concerns about privacy and the ability to truly share information without remaining locked behind the “walled garden” of each site have emerged.

That’s where the DataPortability Project steps in. Founded in 2007, the group’s mission is to encourage providers to use data portability in a responsible way that allows users to control their personal information.  Members of DataPortability include MySpace and Facebook.

“The complexity lies in the fact it’s a new paradigm of doing business that requires a cross-disciplinary set of people to solve the problem — it’s a cultural change that needs time,” says Elias Bizannes, vice chair of the organization. “As an advocacy group, we balance a fine line and focus more on educating rather than dictating. Ultimately, we can only influence the market, as we cannot necessarily control it.”

So which companies are stumbling down the path of data portability, and how are they doing it? Here’s a sampling. (Note: these providers do not necessarily have the backing of the DataPortability group).

MySpace
Through its Data Availability initiative launched last year, MySpace partnered with Yahoo, eBay, Twitter and its Photobucket subsidiary to allow real-time data sharing. The project then evolved into MySpaceID, which make user information, photos and friends lists available to third-party vendors. These partners can present the data on their sites and allow synchronization of friends lists or recommendations of friends from other sites such as Twitter. MySpace users previously could share their data with widgets.

Facebook
Facebook Connect allows users to connect their Facebook information and friends lists to other sites. It also allows users to show other offsite activity, such as what causes they donated to and what events they’re attending, on their pages. In May, Facebook began allowing users to log in with their OpenID credentials.

Power.com
Power lets users enter their log-in information for MySpace, Twitter, LinkedIn, Hi5 or Orkut to see their social network updates and contacts from each network simultaneously. The site is currently involved in a lawsuit with Facebook, to which it previously allowed access. Facebook sued Power.com in January for copyright and trademark infringement, unlawful competition and violation of the computer fraud and abuse act.

Google
Google’s Orkut, which is more popular in Brazil and India then in the United States, is Google’s social networking and discussion site. It allows developers to access data from social networks through the OpenSocial tool.

Another Google option that uses the OpenSocial tool is Google Friend Connect, which allows website owners to see, invite and interact with friends from social sites on the Web such as Facebook and Orkut.

AOL
Social networking site Bebo, which was bought by AOL last year, has a Lifestream Platform that allows users to get updates from friends from Facebook, Myspace, Twitter and elsewhere.

Plaxo
Plaxo, which is now a subsidiary of Comcast, has social network site Pulse. Pulse maintains it “is not a ‘walled garden,’” but rather allows users to share what they do everywhere on the Web using OpenID. Pulse members can connect their accounts to more than 30 sites, including Flickr, Twitter and Yelp. Users control who sees their info.

LinkedIn
LinkedIn allows members to gather and share data with several applications. For instance, Blog Link enables users to grab the latest blog posts from their networks, and WordPress bloggers can sync their posts to their profiles. Amazon Reading List lets users see what their peers are reading, and Company Buzz enables them to see what customers are saying about their company and monitor messages on blogs and Twitter.

Microsoft
Microsoft last year announced a partnership with five social networks to allow Facebook, Bebo, Hi5, Tagged and LinkedIn to add friends using their Windows Live address book.

WordPress
WordPress now has BuddyPress, a third-party plug-in set that lets users create a social network of their blog readers out of a multiple user WordPress installation (WordPress MU). There’s one for Twitter, so you can see people’s latest tweets next to their profiles, another that lets you invite friends from Facebook, Gmail and a link to Facebook Connect, which lets you sign in using your Facebook account.

Yahoo
Yahoo allows its users to access multiple websites through OpenID.