By “open,” we mean more open than facebook

Yesterday served as a quick reminder to the world that Google’s still a bit cooler than facebook. (Generally speaking, of course.)

With Open Social, the Goog is making a clear play at platform developers by using words like open and standards. According to TechCrunch, the API adapter’s specific aim is to give developers access to profile, friend and activity information across multiple platforms (Ning, LinkedIn, Hi5, Friendster, Salesforce.com, Oracle, iLike, Flixster, RockYou, and Slide.) I like to think it’s general aim is to scare facebook.

I’m still in the “look at the shiny bits” camp. Being able to develop apps in standard languages that work outside of container platforms is a past-due condition. It’s not that I don’t like the idea of having to learn FBML to build a proper facebook app, or the idea that doing so locks me into a proprietary platform… Er, wait. It is that.

I’ll wait until the official announcement and then a clear motivation to build inside Open Social before I step back to consider that all of this information we’re now able to access will be flowing through the Google tunnel. (These guys are clever.)

I’m posting this a day after writing, so if you’d like to catch up on the run-away topic, Brian Oberkirch has links to more.