How to build the Open Mesh

Webcom- MontrealMay 13th, 2009

Open is the new Black

• Exposing social graphs, activity streams and conversations via Open APIs

• Open platforms on which to build on• Cloud computing commodization• Widget channels• Users control their own data• Single sign-on, with privacy controls

Open is the buzzword du jour

• Facebook is leading the charge• Forcing Google to play one upmanship• MySpace and Yahoo align with Google (and others!)

• Then Microsoft opens up Windows Live• While Plaxo and SixApart lead the way….• Twitter says it’s open, but folks are wondering• FriendFeed is the new belle at the ball• Did I tell you about my friend Evan?

You know you’re in trouble when…• You can’t decide whether you should answer your

email via iPhone, RIM or Gmail• Where you should update your status first?– Facebook– Twitter– FriendFeed

• You can’t remember if you uploaded your photos to Flickr or Facebook, and where that video went?

• Which username/password to use on Dig?• Which blog to post from?

The poor life of the early adopter!

The Chaos that is……

• BigCo platforms• The user’s desire to control their data• The next big thing• Staying alive, sucking up to the boss• Real-time conversations• Media sharing• Persistent content• Cloudy weather ahead……

Open Mesh is…..

• What happens when we connect the BigCo platforms– together….

• With our Open Stack

The people united are the open mesh

The Open Stack

• Open standards for an Open Web

Building the Open Mesh

• Cooperating with your competition• Working with whatever APIs you can find• Supporting other’s standards• All with the user’s best interests in heart

Software is NOT about making money

• Software can change the world• Change people’s lives• Yes – we can make money from it• But that’s not the most important thing about

software

Finding things in common

• When everyone is doing it, make it a standard!• Find common constructs and elements• And at LEAST agree on common notions

10 Tenets

• 1. Users, their ID, your personae – your friends– Groups, Communities, People– Your profile– Your history– Your stuff– Your conversations

All software is aboutpeople

2. Persistent Content• Everything is a URL:– every photo, painting, illustration, drawing– movie, animation, game– all text, tags, books, magazines, letters

• All there, all the time, forever

3. Structured Content

• People – who?• Directories – what?• Geo info – where?• Events – when?• Conversations – why?• Reviews – how good?• Comments• Tags

4. The Live Web

• Real-time conversations• Webcams, Webcasts• VideoConf, VideoMail• Video Phonecalls• VoIP

5. New kinds of Tools

• Community built-in• SaaS, Scalable, Help• Outliner based:– Edit all kinds of data– Normalize accounts– Create new dynamic

• General purpose• Pers. Knowledge Base• Multiple biz models• Display all data types

6. Dashboards• Inter-changeable tools, modules and UIs• Start page for all; individuals and entities• Includes an outline – for distributed connectivity

7. Infrastructure

Social SoftwareInfrastructure

8. Constructs

• I - Configuration• II - ID Hub• III - Social Info• IV - Feeds/Channels• V - Access Privileges• VI - Content• VII - Media• VIII - Modules• IX - UI Elements

9. Marketplace

• We need lots of ways to make money, NOT just advertising!

• Open standards for eCommerce, ads, items• Attention Trust

Lots of ways to make money• - 20% advertising• - 20% on-demand content - movies, music, art, news, info• - 17% eCommerce - selling stuff• - 12% marketplace - long tail sales, auctions, listings• - 8% cloud services - storage, persistent profiles, computing• - 6% subscription fees - pay per month for premium features• - 4% gaming, virtual worlds, experienced based fees - just fun• - 3% tiered freemium services - ’software tools’ -• - 3% contests, promotions, giveaways• - 2% real estate related revenues - new ways to buy/sell homes• - 2% travel related revenues - travel to where you’re going• - 2% attention marketplace - users monetize themselves• - 1% Misc.

10. Standards• Connecting it all together• The glue that meshes us together• People are hard at work

What’s happening right now?• Activity Streams• OpenID UX improvements• Show the value of being open – to vendors

What’s next?• Two-way APIs• Laconica acts as DNS-like backbone• Underlying ID layers• Growth in Health software• All brands must become platforms

Two-way APIs• Pull data out just as easily as Push data in• Level playing field – two-way street

Digital City project• Technology, System Integration and Content• Focused on Tech Jobs and Local foods efforts• Dashboard environment with built-in:– Live Video Help– Points system– Tied to local events, content projects, job training– Family Activities– Virtuous Circle

• Produce Live Events and Content projects• Pilot program = Cuyahoga county (Cleveland)• Learn by doing

Citizen Dashboards – for all

• Integrate• Aggregate• Customize

Principles of the Open Mesh• Social features in ALL software• Open:

– Standards– Data– Source– Ideas

• Two-way APIs; tagged and scalable• Distributed and widgetized• International in scope• Privacy, security, access controls• Relevant and inclusive for all – affinities, ages,

cultures, race, gender, locale, demographic