Programming Social Applications

The External Application: Integrating Social Data Outside the Container

The main focus of our discussion thus far has been on the construction of applications to exist within the container itself. But this isn’t the only context in which social networking applications can exist.

Most containers offer access to their social and container data through a series of URI endpoints. For on-container application development, these endpoints are generally wrapped within an easier-to-use method, such as OpenSocial JavaScript requests or container-specific tags that allow secure access to users’ social data and are processed when the application is rendered. In the context of off-container application development, however, these endpoints provide a means by which developers can leverage the container’s social data to enhance their websites and applications without needing to build them on the container itself.

To provide this access layer safely and protect their users’ social data from attacks, many containers use security implementations such as OAuth. Many of the most popular social networking containers—including Facebook, YAP, iGoogle, Orkut, MySpace, and others—currently implement OAuth in some capacity.

Leveraging a container’s social features can help developers extend their reach far beyond the silo of the container itself and build out a rich social graph for their web applications or sites immediately, instead of having to build their own custom relevant graph during their website’s ...