• On The Insider: Robert Downey Jr Injured on the Set
February 15, 2008 10:27 AM PST

Viacom's Flux will support Google's OpenSocial

Posted by Caroline McCarthy
  • Print

Flux, the social-networking initiative started by media giant Viacom, will officially support Google's OpenSocial standard. The developer site for Flux now says that OpenSocial implementation is "coming soon."

Flux, still in an early phase, was one of the few high-profile social networks that had not yet opted to partake in Google's developer standard. MySpace.com, Bebo, LinkedIn, and just about every other name in social media (except Facebook, which has opted to stick with its own developer platform, at least for now) had announced support for OpenSocial, and several have already invited developers to start hacking away. A source close to Flux told CNET News.com that Viacom had held off in part because of uncertainty over how secure the brand-new standard was in its earliest releases.

David Glazer, engineering director for OpenSocial at Google, said to CNET News.com on Thursday that version 0.6 of OpenSocial's application programming interface (API) specification contained large improvements over version 0.5, and that version 0.7, which was released to developers on February 6, contained additional incremental security upgrades.

Viacom first announced Flux in September as a platform for adding interoperable social-networking features to both Viacom-owned and external sites. Since then, it's been gradually rolled out to many MTV Networks (a subsidiary of Viacom) sites as the longtime pop culture influencer works to stay relevant in the digital age.

Caroline McCarthy, a CNET News staff writer, is a downtown Manhattanite happily addicted to social-media tools and restaurant blogs. Her pre-CNET resume includes interning at an IT security firm and brewing cappuccinos. E-mail Caroline.
Recent posts from The Social
Facebook Marketplace relaunch powered by Oodle
Memo to OpenID: Keep it simple, please
Ning puts the handcuffs on porno networks
Digg CEO says company's not for sale
Gawker Media's rolling layoffs continue
advertisement

In the news now

A tech veteran responds to the recession

LogLogic's Patricia Sueltz heard a clear message about the economy from investors, but she already knows a thing or two about navigating through tough times.


Obama's AG pick on privacy

Eric Holder has criticized the warrantless wiretapping program, but his views on other online policies may not be that far from those of the Bush administration.


About The Social

CNET News' Caroline McCarthy is a downtown Manhattanite who believes that, despite popular opinion, the Web can actually help your social life. She's happily addicted to fun social-media tools from Twitter to Yelp to Facebook, sends an inordinate number of text messages, and has a tendency to waste time at the office reading restaurant blogs. Here, she explores all facets of the Web's gregarious side, as well as the unique tech culture in her home city of New York. (Don't call it Silicon Alley.)

Add this feed to your online news reader

The Social topics

advertisement
advertisement

Inside CNET News

Scroll Left Scroll Right