Behind the Scenes: November 2007 Archives

We're proud to announce that Hi5 will fully implement Google's OpenSocial APIs.  OpenSocial expands on hi5's existing Widget system by adding many high-quality applications for our users and allowing much greater flexibility for developers using the hi5 Platform.  The following video shows an example of a number of OpenSocial applications running inside a beta version of www.hi5.com

As you can see, OpenSocial opens a number of possibilities for Developers and Users.

For Developers

Open Social applications are easy to write and give you the widest audience.  The Open Social API builds upon the Google Gadget system, which is well designed and feature rich.  Here at hi5 we especially noticed that internationalization features are present, which is essential for delivering these applications to our diverse world-wide audience.

The API is simple, yet powerful.  Your application can access profile, friends, and activity information for the  viewer and owner of a profile or canvas page.  It only takes a few lines of JavaScript to pull in this information, the rest is all standard HTML and JavaScript.

For hi5 Users

This project will bring some great applications to hi5.  Music Applications like iLike will track your favorite music and your friends favorite music.  Slide's Funwall gives you a whole new way of chatting with your friends.  And Movie application Flixster will let you show off your favorite films and celebrities on your home page.

Even more exciting is the applications yet to be written.  We fully expect a large number of new, interesting, and localized applications to pop up.  These new applications will give you applications that speak your native language and target your local customs and culture.

The Future

At hi5 we're excited about delivering this platform to our users and developers, along with our current Platform.  We plan to have a developer sandbox available in November, with a production release following after a period of testing.  Developers are encouraged to visit the hi5 Developer site and Google's OpenSocial site to keep abreast of the latest information and join in the conversation.