Programming Social Applications: Building Viral Experiences with OpenSocial, OAuth, OpenID, and Distributed Web Frameworks

Description

Social networking has made one thing clear: websites and applications need to provide users with experiences tailored to their preferences. This in-depth guide shows you how to build rich social frameworks, using open source technologies and specifications. You'll learn how to create third-party applications for existing sites, build engaging social graphs, and develop products to host your own socialized experience. Programming Social Apps focuses on the OpenSocial platform, along with Apache Shindig, OAuth, OpenID, and other tools, demonstrating how they work together to help you solve practi.  Read more... Abstract: Social networking has made one thing clear: websites and applications need to provide users with experiences tailored to their preferences. This in-depth guide shows you how to build rich social frameworks, using open source technologies and specifications. You'll learn how to create third-party applications for existing sites, build engaging social graphs, and develop products to host your own socialized experience. Programming Social Apps focuses on the OpenSocial platform, along with Apache Shindig, OAuth, OpenID, and other tools, demonstrating how they work together to help you solve practi Content: Table of Contents Preface Audience Contents of This Book Using an Open Source Technology Stack Conventions Used in This Book Using Code Examples Safari® Books Online How to Contact Us Acknowledgments Chapter 1. Social Application Container Core Concepts What Is a Social Application Container? The User Profile User Friends and Connections The User Activity Stream Implementing Proprietary Versus Open Standards Proprietary Implementation Open Source Implementation Why This Book Covers Open Standards The Embedded Application: Building in a Black Box. Embedded Application SecurityCross-Site Scripting Same-Origin Policy and Older Browsers Drive-by Downloads Securing Applications The External Application: Integrating Social Data Outside the Container Application Views The Home View (Small View) The Profile View (Small View) The Canvas View (Large View) The Default View (Any View) Application Permission Concepts Client-Side Versus Server-Side Applications Using Template Systems for the Markup Layer Using a Blended Server and Client Environment Deferring the Loading of Noncritical Content When Good Applications Go Bad. The Portable Flash ApplicationThe Underdeveloped View The Copycat View Application The Oversharing Application The Unmonetized Application The Feed Application Application Model Case Studies Case Study: Friendship-Based Social Gaming Understanding user targeting Building a relevant graph in the game Allowing connections to interact with one another in the game Providing clear benefits for actions taken in a game Integrating social channels through email, notifications, and activities Monetizing through the sale of virtual goods Case Study: Product Sales Applications. It's not all about gamesTaking an old idea and making it new Opening up discussions to get and provide feedback Gifting a service Case Study: Location-Based Applications Meeting friends Providing badges and points Offering competition (mayorships and leaderboards) Location- and profile-based ad targeting Offering promotions through local businesses Quick-Start Tips Understand Your Audience Build Social Integration Points Early Build with Monetization in Mind Create Comprehensive Views That Play Off One Another Chapter 2. Mapping User Relationships with the Social Graph. The Online Social GraphApplying the Real-Life Social Graph Online Clustering Users Automatically Privacy and Security Establishing Trust Sharing Private User Data: Opt-in Versus Opt-out The Opt-in Sharing Model The Opt-out Sharing Model Understanding Relationship Models The Follower Model Example Privacy The Connection Model Example Privacy The Group Model Simple group model: User-defined groups Example Privacy Complex group model: Automatic clustering Example Privacy Relationships Versus Entities Building Social Relevance: Exploring the Facebook Social Graph.