The document discusses the development and significance of social networks, focusing on key concepts, successful projects, and factors contributing to their success. It highlights the importance of trusted community recommendations for business growth and outlines Jyri Engeström’s five rules for building effective social networks. Additionally, it introduces OpenSocial as a framework for creating social applications and details the processes for application and container integration projects.

1. Developing Social Networks
Polo Tecnológico Rosario – June ‘09

2. Sebastián Esponda
• IT Engineer
• Focused on software development since 1998
• Recently: managed several social networks projects at Globant
• Contact information:
– sebastian.esponda@globant.com
– http://www.linkedin.com/in/sebastianesponda

3. Objectives - What’s in for you
Introduction to
Social
Networks Globant
• Concepts
• Top networks • Successful
• Importance projects
• Success factors • Contribution
OpenSocial Trends
• Specification Intro • Google’s
• Developing Social view
Apps
• OS Integration • Nielsen
project report

4. What is a Social Network?
• Online community
• People of similar interest shares something.
• Web based services:
– Create public / semi-public profile
– Add and search friends
– Browse friend's connections
– Share activities, ideas, values, …

5. Why are they important?
• Trusted decisions are made on social communities and
networks (=we trust our friends)
…make people recommend and rate your products /
services
• Business presence can be leveraged by pre-existing
communities.
…you don’t need to build an audience from scratch.

6. Social networks are being highly adopted

7. How can a social network succeed?
Jyri Engeström’s 5 rules for social networks
Source: http://www.consumingexperience.com/2007/06/5-principles-for-web-20-success-jyri.html

8. Rules for social networks (1/5)
Define the object round which your service is built
LinkedIn (jobs)
Last.fm (music)
Twitter (tweets)
Delicious (bookmarks)
Flickr (photos)

9. Rules for social networks (2/5)
Define the key verbs for that object
Buy
Sell
Review
Upload
Research

10. Rules for social networks (3/5)
Make the object shareable
Permalink
Gadget
Push spreading
Source: http://www.consumingexperience.com/2007/06/5-principles-for-web-20-success-jyri.html

11. Rules for social networks (4/5)
What is the gift users can provide to their peers?
Monetary value
Exclusivity
Fun

12. Rules for social networks (5/5)
Work out a business model
Spectator
Publisher
Freemiun
Advertisements

13. Objectives - Roadmap
Introduction to
Social
Networks Globant
• Concepts
• Top networks • Successful
• Importance projects
• Success factors • Contribution
OpenSocial Trends
• Specification Intro • Google’s
• Developing Social view
Apps
• OS Integration • Nielsen
project report

14. Introduction to…
http://code.google.com/apis/opensocial/

15. We want to be there…
(Images courtesy of Google)

16. There are several other networks…

17. Do we need to code from scratch?

18. A common set of API for building social applications…
…across multiples sites

19. OpenSocial – Strengths
• Single programming model
– Developers: broad distribution network (write
once, run everywhere)
– Websites: larger pool of third party developers
& gadgets
• Low learning curve: JavaScript, HTML, and XML
• Licensing: Apache 2.0 & Creative Commons

20. Who is using it?

21. Who is using it?
• 600 million: are the number of users if you add up the various social
networks that are now live with OpenSocial.
• 350 million: are the times users have installed the 7,500 different
apps created so far.
• $1.8 Billion: is the sum brands are expected to spend on Social
Networking sites by 2010.
• 20+ Containers
• Business is social too…

22. Who is using it?
(source: Google)

23. Developing with…

24. OpenSocial Development Projects
Two different types of projects:
1. Application (Slides, Trippit,…)
2. Container Integration (MySpace, Orkut,…)

25. OpenSocial Application Project – How?

26. OpenSocial Application Project - 6 Steps
1. Find a place to host files (XML & images)
– No need for more infrastructure
2. Select one target social network (e.g.: MySpace)
3. Get frontend developers (Javascript & HTML)
4. Coach them on OpenSocial API and best practices
5. Start coding
6. Avoid pitfalls!
– XSS exploits, performance, X-container compatibility,…

27. Container Integration Project – How?

28. Container Integration Project – Step 1
Develop your user base: person, friends, activities, objects

29. Container Integration Project– Step 2
Export this information following the OpenSocial API

30. Container Integration Project– Step 3
Develop a system capable to render a Gadget to HTML

31. Container Integration Project
Problem: steps 2 & 3 are complex!!

32. Container Integration Project
Solution: leverage using Open Source
reusable components

33. Container Integration Project– Redux
Integrate Shindig to easy Steps 2 & 3

34. Container Integration Project– Redux
Build a bridge between Shindig and your backend

35. Using Shindig
• Apache Incubator Project
• http://incubator.apache.org/shindig/
• Under active development … but production ready!
• PHP and Java versions
• Small development effort
(~ 320 MH for small networks)

36. Container Projects - go the extra mile
• How we can make our social site more attractive to
Users?
– Directory, Tagging, Voting, Ranking,…
– Include interesting applications!
• How we can make our network more attractive to
application developers?
– Templates, Sandbox, Issue Tracking, QC (XSS
exploits, performance …)

37. Objectives - Roadmap
Introduction to
Social
Networks
• Concepts
Globant
• Top networks • Successful
• Importance projects
• Success factors • Contribution
OpenSocial Trends
• Specification Intro • Google’s view
• Developing Social • Nielsen report
Apps
• OS Integration
project

38. Globant – Successful projects

39. Globant - activities
• Hackathons (Hacking Marathons) and DevFests in
America and Asia with partners like Google, Hi5,
MySpace, Friendster, JoyEnt to engage the community in
this new movement.
• OpenSocial: involved with Google in the evolution of
OpenSocial since it was a confidential Beta back in
September 2007.
• Shindig PHP development

40. Objectives - Roadmap
Introduction to
Social
Networks Globant
• Concepts
• Top networks • Successful
• Importance projects
• Success factors • Contribution
OpenSocial Trends
• Specification Intro • Google’s
• Developing Social view
Apps
• OS Integration • Nielsen
project report

41. Trends – Google’s view – Joe Kraus
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-9970053-2.html

42. Trends – Google’s view
Discovery is
becoming social
….we trust in our
friends

43. Trends – Google’s view
How we share is
changing
…Don’t push, let
others catch up in
their own terms

44. Trends – Google’s view
Social sites? No, Social Web
…We will expect all sites to be social
….Traffic will be distributed
…Cross-site sharing

45. Trends – Nielsen’s report
“Global Faces and Networked Places”
A Nielsen Report on Social Networking’s New Global
Footprint (Europe and US, Dec ’07-’08)
http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/nielsen-news/social-networking-new-global-footprint/

46. Trends – Nielsen’s report
Audience becoming
broader and
older

47. Trends – Nielsen’s report
• Going Mobile
– Mobile is a natural fit for social
networks, as consumers are
used to connecting with
friends via mobile calls and
text.

48. Thank you!!