Google Unveils OpenSocial - More Maka-Maka to Come

The OpenSocial initiative is ambitious in a number of ways. There’s the obvious hope that it will catch on, but there’s also the fact that it’s only part of a larger project. Dubbed “maka-maka,” which is “friend” in Hawaiian (and how DID Hawaiian become the language of cool on the web?), it involves building a social layer into all Google-based applications. Is this an important project? Well, Google has assigned responsibility for it to Jeff Huber, its vice president in charge of engineering.

The move makes a certain amount of sense. Anyone who has joined more than one online social network knows that there are standard applications that they all offer their users. The emphasis and focus of the network may be different (business, dating, planning events, or even just meeting people and keeping in contact), but nearly every network lets users send messages to other members, view their profiles, communicate via an IM system, read other user’s blogs and write their own, view and upload images, share other information…the list goes on and on.

Interestingly enough, Google has applications that let you do all of these things through its various properties: Gmail, Gtalk, Blogger, Picasa, and more. Need to plan events for a whole group, or keep track of what everyone is up to? Try Google Calendar. Like social bookmarking systems? Google has one of those too.

There will no doubt be the usual privacy issues. Those shouldn’t be pushed aside; they’re also causing a serious snag in the Google-DoubleClick deal. And many Google initiatives don’t actually get very far. But with so many partners – both developers and online social networks themselves -- climbing on board the OpenSocial part of this initiative, it looks like the only question remaining is what Facebook will do.

Suddenly, Facebook’s position as THE social network to join doesn’t look as secure anymore. Somewhere down the road, this will hit the online social networking site in terms of its potential advertising revenue. And online advertising is one game that Google knows all too well.