Facebook Shows Off OAuth Wrap Specification

Facebook has rolled out a technical demonstration of the specification for Friend Feed alongside an update to the Facebook Connect JavaScript SDK in the hopes that corporate developers will embrace Facebook’s approach to integrating diverse social networks and Web sites.

According to David Recordon, senior open programs manager for Facebook, the company’s goal is to provide a thin layer of software that developers can use to integrate the various sign-on approaches they use on their own Web sites with approaches used on other sites. By fostering this integration, Recordon says developers will make it easier for end users to enhance their Web experiences by mashing up data and applications from diverse Web environments.

There’s always been a lot controversy over the lack of Web standards on the Web with some camps backing Google's OpenSocial as an alternative to Facebook Connect and others. No matter which standards ultimately win out, corporate developers are finding increased demand to integrate their Web applications with any number of social networks that, for the time being at least, are going to require them to master multiple interfaces.