When Facebook Founder Mark Zuckerberg introduced the notion of an “open social graph” at F8 (the Facebook users conference), he unintentionally launched the single, largest backlash against social networking’s threat to personal privacy. One of the offshoots is a self-described “privacy aware, personally controlled, do-it-all distributed open source social network” called Diaspora.

As picked up in the NYTimes’ blog a group of nerds were able to raise in excess of $25,000 to its “joindiaspora” funding efforts (in less than 10 days). Yet Diaspora* is by no means alone in trying to build an “open social graph”. Initiatives like Freenet (offering free, anonymous browsing), OStatus (the “anti-Twitter” for microblogging) and OneSocialWeb (an older, open alternative to Facebook) have all launched efforts to democratize social networking.

In the spirit of Recombinant Communications, we’re seeing an ever-broadening community of imaginative developers (self-described “nerds”) rushing in to exploit opportunities created when the category leader, Facebook, is perceived to be violating the unwritten rules governing both protection of privacy and control of personal information.

Diaspora* is a pretty good name. It evokes an image of long-time Facebook denizens cast out (rather than leaving by choice) by the new social order imposed upon the cyberpopulation. Meanwhile, hundreds of millions of other Facebook users will likely stay put and carry out their normal business because that’s where they habitually go to find out what their friends are doing.

Facebook’s Lilliputian rivals will be spawning grounds for innovation which can only benefit the development of better social networks. They have already gone a long way toward drawing attention and promoting more intelligent discussion and service development around the most appropriate applications of standards and APIs that govern the exchange of information and messages across multiple networks and social graphs.

Opus Research’s clients are most interested in how more efficient control of personal information can promote better user experience as people look for interesting things to do nearby, shop for products or services, or seek technical support for or advice about the products they have already bought. Our suspicion is that the business model that underlies open, social networking will be underwritten by enterprises that want to have stronger links with their customers. They’re not buying or exploiting activity streams (as Facebook appears to be doing) as much as they are providing a platform for more efficient company-to-customer conversations.

These are the contact centers of the future.

Categories: Articles

Tags: Facebook, Recombinant Communications, social networking, Contact Centers