Keeping alive the trend of changing landscape online, social networking Web sites are now providing the users with an option to make their profile content available on third-party Web sites through Data Portability.
Data Portability is the option to use personal data between trusted applications and vendors. Its blockbuster move by MySpace is now perhaps the talk of the town, but according to cofounder Chris DeWolfe, “MySpace no longer operates as an autonomous island on the Internet”.
With this new adopted feature, users need not type out information about themselves to build connections on different Web sites. They can now designate which parts of their MySpace profile they want to share and where they want to share it. By changing the photo they use on their MySpace profile, they would be able to instantly change the photo used on other sites as well.
Data Availability would allow its users to share their profile information with partner Web sites such as eBay, Twitter, Yahoo and Photobucket.
On the contrary MySpace biggest competitor’s ‘Facebook Connect’, is the same concept model designed by Facebook, allowing users to share their profile data on other Web sites. Google’s “Friend Connect” will also allow any site to add a social aspect, and let them build connections with other social networks.
Data Portability works out quite well for the social networking sites to maintain member loyalty by allowing them to wander in a broader spectrum, and yet belong to the parent social network.