Disclosure: I advise MySpace with the creation and execution of the developer platform
So, after months of work by an amazing + passionate team (and I genuinely mean that) the MySpace Developer Platform is very close to being launched – in fact it will go live on 5th Feb.
You can go sign up now at http://developer.myspace.com – that will not only generate you an email when the site goes live but also get you authorization for some other cool stuff too when the site goes live.
You need to sign up with the email address of your MySpace account (you do have a MySpace account, right?) and Ben’s insider tip here is to signup with the email address of a profile you want to use as the ‘owner’ of your app. If you have a freaky social life on MySpace but want to run a commercial app you might want to create a new profile.
I really can’t say much more other than to confirm it’s going to include Google OpenSocial, so if you’re already building OpenSocial apps then you’re in for a treat!
A long journey starts with a small step
I think everyone at MySpace knows that this is really just the beginning of an important road, one that others have already set out on – and I also hope that the community will appreciate that too when it launches… But I can’t tell you how committed and ‘fired up’ (if ever there was a buzz term for 2008, that’s it) people are at MySpace about this – both for the launch and on-going as a key part of the proposition.
Speaking from a personal perspective, I can appreciate that in the past MySpace has not always been perceived as playing as well in this space as it could – esp around turning off widgets for unclear reasons, etc. However, in the run up to this launch I’ve sensed a very different approach – one that understands the importance of playing well and being a good actor in the community.
Someone on TechCrunch asked why this project was important when “… developers have always been able to embed things like games and music into Myspace via Flash?”. The reason this is important is because it empowers the developer with contextual information abut the viewer and the owner of the viewed profile. It also gives the gives the green-light and encouragement to put apps on profiles – something that was slightly mirky ground before.