"Google Inc will offer Internet developers an open system to create applications across Web sites, a move that could challenge the features behind the explosive popularity of social network Facebook.
The OpenSocial system offered by Google, which lost out last week to rival Microsoft Corp in securing an investment in Facebook, gives developers standardized tools to write applications and embed them in many sites.
This will eliminate the need for small startups or even one-person shops to customize their programs for each site.
It also has the potential to lure developers mostly allied with Facebook by allowing their applications to find a home on many other Web sites.
"This is about making the Web more social; how do you have your friends go along with you to any site on the Web?" Joe Kraus, Google director of product management, said in an interview on Tuesday.
In May, Facebook opened its site to outside developers whose programs let users do everything from comparing favorite books to buying friends a virtual cocktail or mapping travels around the world.
Thousands of applications have since been attached to the site and are credited with helping Facebook -- valued at about $15 billion after the Microsoft investment -- to increase its user base to more than 48 million.
UNLEASHING A CHALLENGE
Google said it has signed on about a dozen partners so far, including social network LinkedIn for business professionals, its own Orkut network and Friendster. The sites combined reach about 100 million people, the company said.
Developers who are testing the program include key companies behind Facebook applications, such as music recommendation service iLike and Slide, which created the "Top Friends" ranking application.
Industry blogs have speculated for nearly a month that Web search leader Google was seeking to unleash a major challenge to Facebook, which is due to announce its own new advertising strategy on November 6. "
courtesy, Michele Gershberg of Reuters

Labels: Facebook, Google Inc., LinkedIn, Open Source, OpenSocial, Orkut

Google is planning to launch the Indian flavor of its popular video sharing site YouTube. The launch is expected between January and March 2008(as Shashi Seth, head of monetization at YouTube, San Bruno California told). YouTube India is supposed to aggregate Indian movie trailers, music videos, independent films and TV content. It has already tied up with an Indian film and music production giant, Eros Entertainment to showcase its new releases etc. Even they are looking to tie up with other big productions both in films and TV too. Also, the news channels are on the list.

As they say,

1. The site will help Indian surfers what they want. It will also be an excellent platform for young filmmakers to launch their work.
2. YouTube charges $20 for every 1,000 impressions internationally but may have separate pricing for India.
3. A Rajnikanth video was recently ranked in the top 100 YouTube videos of all time.

My impression about why Google is launching a special edition of YouTube for a country sharing less than one percent of the global traffic is,

1. India is the biggest film production country in the world which proves it has a great potential in video content ofcourse.
2. Indian viewers are so interested in movies, music and TV. All they need is an Indianized easy source of entertainment.
3. There are so many big production houses to tie up with and earn money publicizing their video products.
4. Number of YouTube users is not much but number of video entertainment lovers is the highest in the world. It indicates there is a huge scope of business out there.
5. Indian content lovers are not just in India but in whole world.

We’re waiting, Google.

Labels: India, YouTube