[OpenID] Distributed social networking with OpenID

[tom]

Hi Evan,


Evan Prodromou wrote:
> On Sat, 2007-12-08 at 09:46 +0300, tom calthrop wrote:
>
>   
>>  This is an identity page and if I 
>> connect to you then I have "linked to you". If you then return to my 
>> site and connect you then "link" to me and thus a stronger tie is 
>> formed. All of this is decentralized (OpenID to OpenID with xml friends 
>> file).
>>     
>
> To be honest, it sounds like you're working with what you have rather
> than doing the right thing for the problem, Tom.
>
> And it also sounds like it's conflating two different ideas -- that
> authenticating to a Web site is equivalent to declaring a relationship
> between two people.
>   

If I knew we had this right I would, as I noted, have already have 
submitted a specification by now;)

> I logged into your Web site to leave you a note (the note was that
> you're showing delegated URLs rather than entered OpenIDs, which is a
> big mistake that needs fixing soon), but I don't know you from Adam.
> We're not "connected" in any but the most trivial way.
>   
We have a bug reporting mechanism as does all GNU free software 
packages. This bug is known and has nothing to do with the subject of 
this thread, but thank you for telling us anyway.

>   
>> Second call - would anyone like to join me in writing an OpenID / OAuth 
>> decentralized social networking specification ?
>>     
>
> I find it hard to believe that OAuth is applicable to the problem space
> (declaring relationships between people across security domains). Can
> you sketch out how you think that would work?
>   
Declaring relationships is easy. Using them for something useful is 
where the interesting field in social networking work is being done.

The idea is that I build my social network under my OP. I can then 
OpenID login to a website and optionally authorize the website to use 
certain information held under my OP account; one example would be 
accessing for first degree network.

In practise I could use Googles calendar and allow my 1st degree network 
access to my private calendar. Google can lookup who my first degree 
network is using OAuth, then I can go to Amazon and choose to reveal my 
book purchases and wishlist to my 1st degree network. If I choose to add 
Adam to my 1st degree network both Google and Amazon can update their 
records given that I have authorized them to do so.

Dave Recordon presented the idea at Web 2.0 Berlin [slideshow = 
http://daveman692.livejournal.com/318735.html]. Go through the slides 
and you'll get an overview.

Tom


> -Evan
>
>   


-- 
Tom Calthrop
Founding director, Barnraiser.

Dedicated to giving people the tools they need to share 
knowledge and advance society through social software.

Web site: http://www.barnraiser.org/
OpenID: http://tom.calthrop.info/