Archive for the 'Tech Buzz' Category

OG: Social Plugins

Posted in Coding & Scripting, Social Media, Tech Buzz on May 15th, 2010 by jonolan

Facebook's Open Graph ProtocolRecently Facebook released a platform, the Open Graph Protocol, which allows websites and applications to share information about users in order to tailor offers, features and services to each one’s interests and tastes.

It enables any web page to become an object in a social graph that can plot users’ activities and to function much as if it was a Facebook page.

The Facebook Developers’ first integration features are called Social Plugins. This is currently a set of eight (8) plugins which can easily be added to any web page or application in order to connect it more closely to Facebook, offer a set of  features from Facebook, and take advantage of the Semantic Web that Facebook is developing.

  • Like Button:
    Show a “Like” button on your site which replaces the older “Fan” button. The is currently most commonly used Social Plugin.
  • Recommendations:
    Show users personalized suggestions for pages on your site they might like based upon their history as recorded via the Open Graph Protocol and API.
  • Login with Faces:
    Allow the users to sign up to your site with their Facebook account. it also shows a list of the user’s friends who have also signed up for your site.
  • Comments:
    Allow users to comment on your site. The comments will also be posted back to the users Facebook wall.
  • Activity Feed:
    shows users what their friends are doing on your site through likes and comments.
  • Like Box:
    This is previously known as the Fan box.
  • Facepile:
    Shows profile pictures of the user’s friends who have already signed up for your site.
  • Live Stream:
    Lets your users share activity and comments in real-time as they interact during a live event.

These social plugins allow website developers to create websites that have all or most of the social media functions of Facebook pages. In theory this would not only drive more traffic to Open Graph enabled websites, but also reduce the “bounce rate” by enabling greater interaction with the sites in question.

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Open Graph Protocol

Posted in Coding & Scripting, Social Media, Tech Buzz on May 11th, 2010 by jonolan

Facebook's Open Graph ProtocolRecently Facebook created a platform that allows websites and applications to share information about users in order to tailor offers, features and services to each one’s interests and tastes – even if that individual has never visited the site before. It enables any web page to become an object in a social graph that can plot users’ activities.

It is called the Open Graph Protocol.

From the Facebook Developers:

We shared an update last week about the products launched at f8 and that over 50,000 websites have already implemented the new social plugins to become more personalized. We created the Open Graph protocol in support of social plugins as part of our efforts to help realize the vision of the Open Graph.

Any website can implement the Open Graph protocol. It allows any web page to become a rich object in any social graph, making it easy to find what people are liking across the Web — from a movie to a blog. To start integrating the Open Graph protocol into your Web pages, read our documentation.

The Open Graph Protocol is essentially a replacement for- and an extension of Facebook Connect that makes it easier to share information.

Facebook has based the first version of the Open Graph Protocol on Resource Description Framework (RDFa) produced jointly by the W3C Semantic Web Deployment Working Group and the W3C XHTML2 Working Group in 2008. As such it based upon adding extended META tags to web pages and HTTP-based applications.

Define the XML Namespace

<html xmlns:og=”http://opengraphprotocol.org/schema/”
xmlns:fb=”http://www.facebook.com/2008/fbml”>

Define the Node

<meta property=”og:title” content=”[TITLE]“/>
<meta property=”og:type” content=”[TYPE]“/>
<meta property=”og:site_name” content=”SITE NAME” />
<meta property=”og:url” content=”[URL]“/>
<meta property=”og:image” content=”[IMAGE URL]“/>
<meta property=”og:description” content=”[DESCRIPTION]“/>

Initially this will enable, through use of Facebook’s new Social Plugins users interact with websites and have their interactions posted to their live streams / walls on Facebook. In addition to this the Open Graph Protocol allows Facebook to categorize that interaction for the purpose of delivering more targeted ad on the users’ Facebook pages.

Later, but not too much later, many other sites will be able to utilize the Graph API to harvest this data for similar purposes, turning Facebook into the online identity management hub for its more than 400 million active users, 50% of whom login to Facebook every day.

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iSlate: Apple’s Tablet

Posted in Convergence, Gadgets & Gear, Mobility, Tech Buzz on December 27th, 2009 by jonolan

In geek circles – especially Macophiles – there has long been rumors of Apple finally releasing a Tablet PC. The hype surrounding the tablet’s release is quite palpable amid the gearophiles. Yet, to date (December 27, 2009),  it is nothing but hype and rumors, though hype and rumors that have given Apple a massive bump in stock prices.

Apple's iSlate Tablet PC
Will This Be Apple’s New Tablet PC?

We can, however, make some reasoned inferences based on various insider predictions and corollary data.

It Will Be the iSlate

The semi-mythical Apple Tablet will most likely be name the iSlate, since Apple registered the iSlate.com Domain Name through an intermediary some time ago. Even if this was a originally – circa 2007 – “defensive” registration, Apple would most likely choose to use the name.

It Will Be Announced in Mid-to-Late January, 2009

iLounge has been predicting since September that Apple will announce their Tablet on or before January 19, 2010. The Financial Times said on December 23, 2009, that Apple is expected make a major product announcement on Tuesday, January 26th at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, where Apple’s rented a stage for several days. Silicon Alley Insider also predicts that Apple is going to demo their new Tablet in January.

Of course this is the predicted time-frame for the announcement of the “iSlate.” It would most  likely not be available for consumer purchase until March, 2010 at the earliest. May or June would be more conservative estimates on the tablet’s actual availability.

It Will Cost Between $750 – $1000

The consensus of insider opinion is that the “iSlate” will be priced in the $750 – $1000 range, at least during its initial release. It may, the market being what it is, be like the iPhone and have a dramatic price drop later to ensure maximum market saturation.

AppleInsider has said that the tablet is expected to retail for somewhere between the cost of a high-end iPhone and Apple’s most affordable Mac notebook.  Gizmodo has said that it would cost $700 – $900.  Taiwan Economic Times says it’s between $800 and $1000.

Technogearophilia’s estimate is that there will be several minor variants and the price ranges will initially be $750 – $1000.

It Will An Improved 10+ Inch  iPhone / iPod Touch

The “iSlate” will not be a fullfledged computer or netbook. It will be more of an iPhone OS media player and light communication device with expanded document reading / writing capabilities and websurfing capabilities.

iLounge claims that it will run the iPhone OS, come in two(2) variations: one with 3G networking capabilities, and one without, and, rather than being a netbook competitor, is designed to expand the iPhone and iPod touch media concept to its next potential level: as a slate-like replacement for books and magazines, plus all of the media, gaming, app, and web functionality of the iPhone and iPod touch.

Some iSlate Conceptual Design Fantasies

The world will just have to wait and see which, if any, of these predictions come true. There have been several previous aborted attempts by Apple to bring a tablet of some sort to market, so this all has to still be classed as rumor.  If nothing else, issues with AT&T that arose over the iPhone may delay any 3G enabled version for some time or make it less than attractive to the consumers.

Still, this rumored tablet from Apple would be the awaited “next big step” in both the Mobility and Convergence market spaces.  I look forward to seeing if the “iSlate’ has as much impact as the iPod did.

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