Results: Data Portability's Future
A couple of weeks ago we ran an interactive game on the topic of Data Portability. We had a great response, with 680 people playing the game.
Here now are the results, showing how RWW readers think 5 of the major players - Google, Microsoft, MySpace, Facebook, and the non-profit Data Portability Project - will play out the future of Data Portability.
To remind you of the background to the game. Recently three major players in the social networking space each announced independent competing approaches to making profile and friend data portable. MySpace Data Availability was followed by Facebook Connect and then Google Friend Connect after that. With all of these competing APIs, how this will play out is anyone's guess. So we created an interactive app from Impact Games that lets you model how each of the major players will impact the data portability movement, as well as share your opinions about what they should do.
The Results
A reminder that the 'opinion' category is what you hope will happen and 'prediction' is what you think will happen.
Two points were consistent with our expectations:
- The majority hoped Facebook will merge, yet predicted that they won't.
- The majority hoped Microsoft will advocate open standards, yet most expected them to launch a competing platform.
One result that surprised us was that many people didn't expect the Data Portability Project to endorse a specific platform. Given their roadmap, this would not have been our guess.
For more on the topic of the future of Data Portability, see Chris Messina's post today on the battle for the future of the social web and Dave McClure's response.
What do you think of the results? Do you think Facebook and Microsoft will listen to what early adopters think they should do?
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Great game for useful opinions. Good strategy (albeit common) to raise profile of "Data Portability" alongside Facebook and Microsoft :-)
I think it will go nowhere unless w3c or a boby like that picks it up. Tbh it all seems like someone self promoting something which is not a massive issue. Getting the contacts out is all thats needed really.
It is perfectly understood that everyone want a piece of the Data Portability/Openess pie. My guess is that FB and Microsoft will either create and promote their own Open Standards, yet still behind walled gardens, or they will merge.
I think it s a great idea good work guys hope you the best. Keep it up.