KungPowThinking

So, MySpace is working to tear down their walled garden with a new “Data Availability” initiative. Looks like the idea is to allow members to share their profile data across the internets. This is a concept pretty near and dear to the folks at Eastmedia ever since our work with Verisign building out the Rails implementation of OpenID. The idea of putting users in complete control of their online identities including profile or attribute exchange is HUGE.

My prediction - Web 3.0 means an end to walled gardens, and you can quote me on that.

This is yet another reason why MySpace kicks every other social network’s butt. Sure you can argue for Facebook (I do use Facebook much more than I use MySpace), but doesn’t Facebook’s unwillingness to join the OpenSocial movement feel a bit reminiscent of Friendster’s unwillingness to let members customize profiles? We all know it ended up being one of the key catalysts that allowed for the success of MySpace in the first place. Friendster was relegated to Asia for it’s active members, Facebook may end up being the place to be for college grads and Silicon Valley asshats, while MySpace will be the place for everyone else. Last I checked, “everyone else” is a pretty big number.

So, I was walking by the Herald Square Gamestop this morning on the way to work, and I noticed that they were receiving a shipment. They’ve been sold out of GTA 4 for a couple days, so I went in to ask the obvious. Of course it was a new shipment, and of course I bought one.

Conclusion: My social life is over for at least a few weeks. The combination of GTA 4 and Iron Man will surely doom my chances of getting a date or falling madly in love this weekend.