“Facebook Adding Open Platform”:http://www.paidcontent.org/entry/419-facebook-moving-to-an-open-platform-strategy/ – PaidContent has the essential summary of the biggest social networking “news”:http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB117971397890009177-wjdKPmjAqS_9ZZbwiRp_CoSqvwQ_20070620.html?mod=fpa_editors_picks since MySpace’s acquisition. By letting other sites leverage the Facebook network, Facebook substantially increases the value of using it instead of another network. We can also expect to see some much more useful services than what can be accomplished with just an API (which are still pretty nifty, as my friend Adam “has shown”:http://mashable.com/2007/05/02/10-awesome-things-built-on-the-facebook-api/ at Mashable).
“Rental Car Company Adds In-Car Wireless”:http://www.betanews.com/article/Avis_to_Make_InCar_Internet_Available/1179764008 – I’m starting to follow the rise of mobile internet access in a context outside of cell phone usage. While _that_ mobile web will in time mature, the entire Internet as we currently know it could undergo similar innovations if wireless access were truly pervasive. Attaching Wi-Fi to automobiles is a step in the right direction, if you’re a driver at least. A company local to my area, “Waav”:http://waav.com/, is offering a similar service.
“Open Source Music Format Ready for Primetime”:http://www.wired.com/software/coolapps/news/2007/05/playogg – Ogg Vorbis, an open source file format alternative to MP3 and AAC, is something that’s been under development since 1998 when it was first announced licensing fees would be charged for use of the MP3 format, which “recently caused Microsoft”:http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/112099/judge-approves-microsoft-mp3-patent-damages.html to have to pay over $1.5 billion in patent-infringement damages. Ogg Vorbis is now at version 1.1.2, and needs only to gain traction in being supported by major music players like iTunes and WinAmp, without having to install additional plug-ins.
In site-related news, right now I’m focusing on improving the design, adding a few features I really want to have, and soon I’ll be adding Social Strategist White Papers, 1-page PDF summaries of web services and technologies.
Social Strategist,