OpenSocial

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OpenSocial was a "standards-based component model for cloud based social apps" formerly at http://opensocial.org/ which now redirects (along with all URLs at that domain) to a W3C blog post: http://www.w3.org/blog/2014/12/opensocial-foundation-moves-standards-work-to-w3c-social-web-activity/.

Aftermath

Not much of what was "OpenSocial" has survived into any form in the present day.

The most recent interesting reference was a 2024-04-22 Twitter poll by Tom Coates:

• https://twitter.com/tomcoates/status/1782517696053297455

  Tech friends, do you remember OpenSocial? If so how do you feel about it?

  
  I remember. Good vibes! 22.4%
  I remember. Bad vibes :( 16.3%
  Nope. Sounds nice tho?! 28.6%
  Nope. Sounds awful. 32.7%

Site Death

Main article: site-deaths#OpenSocial

2014

OpenSocial closed and gave everything to W3C.

• http://opensocial.org/ now redirects to W3C blog post - all previous opensocial.org site content was dropped on the floor. Supposedly someone at W3C has a database of it so it could be restored if there was time and incentive to do so.

Though https://opensocial.atlassian.net/wiki/display/OS/Home - wiki appears up but out of date?

Related announcements:

• http://www.w3.org/2014/12/opensocial.html.en
• http://www.w3.org/blog/2014/12/opensocial-foundation-moves-standards-work-to-w3c-social-web-activity/
• Out of date: https://www.quora.com/Is-OpenSocial-dead
  • Cites "Orkut" which died previously to OpenSocial closing

Previously

2013

OpenSocial was discussed at the 2013 W3C Social Web workshop.

2008

• 2008-03-25 The Guardian: Yahoo joins OpenSocial
  • Historical article found via a Tom Coates tweet poll & replies

See Also

• Wikipedia:OpenSocial
• social-standards
• site-deaths#OpenSocial
• An attempt to repurpose the term/phrase "open social" (with space) as a supposed "new movement" with AT Protocol as the "most convincing" vision thereof: 2025-09-26 Open Social

  I believe we are at a similar juncture with social apps as we have been with open source thirty five years ago. There’s a new movement on the block. I like to call it “open social”. There are competing visions for what “open social” should be like. I think the AT Protocol created by Bluesky is the most convincing take on it so far.