Social network aggregation

Social network aggregation is the process of collecting content from multiple social network services, such as MySpace or Facebook, into one unified presentation. The task is often performed by a social network aggregator, which pulls together information into a single location,^[1] or helps a user consolidate multiple social networking profiles into one profile.^[2] Various aggregation services provide tools or widgets to allow users to consolidate messages, track friends, combine bookmarks, search across multiple social networking sites, read RSS feeds for multiple social networks, see when their name is mentioned on various sites, access their profiles from a single interface, provide "lifestreams", etc.^[2] Social network aggregation services attempt to organize or simplify a user's social networking experience,^[3] although the idea has been satirized by the concept of a "social network aggregator."^[4]

Social network aggregators

Social network aggregation platforms allow social-network members to share social-network activities like Twitter, YouTube, Stumbleupon, Digg, Delicious, with other major platforms. All content appears in real time to other members who subscribe to a particular community, which eliminates the need to jump from one social media network to another, trying to keep an eye on one's interests.^[5]

Social network aggregation systems can rely on initiation by publishers or by readers. In the publisher-initiated aggregation systems, the publishers combine their own identities, which make their readers see all aggregated content once subscribed. In the reader-initiated systems (such as Windows Phone 7 people hub^[6] and Linked Internet UI,^[7]) the readers combine the identities of others, which has no impact to the publishers or other readers. The publishers can still keep separate identities for different readers.

Technically, the aggregation is enabled by APIs provided by social networks. For the API to access a user's actions from another platform, the user will have to give permission to the social-aggregation platform, by specifying user-id and password of the social media to be syndicated. This concept resembles open id.^[8] In March 2008, The Economist reported that social network services are only beginning the move away from "walled gardens" to more open architectures. Some sites are working together on a "data portability workgroup", while others are focusing on a single sign-on system called OpenID to allow users to log on across multiple sites. Historically the trend from private services to more open ones can be seen across many Internet services from email and instant messaging to the move that early online service providers made to become websites.^[9] The OpenSocial initiative aims to bridge the member overlap between various online social network services.^[10]

Overlap between multiple social-network services

The attraction of social network aggregation comes from the fact that some users tend to use multiple social networks: they have accounts on several social-networking sites.^[9] In November 2007, Alex Patriquin of Compete.com reported on the member overlap between various online social network services:^[10]

A 2009 study of 11,000 users^[11] reported that the majority of MySpace, LinkedIn, and Twitter users also have Facebook accounts.

See also

• Social network service
• Social network
• Social media
• List of social networking websites
• Web 2.0
• es:Agregador de redes sociales
• ca:Agregador de xarxes socials

Notes and references