Yahoo supports Google social network applications

Yahoo Inc. said Tuesday that it supported a program by archrival Google Inc. to develop applications for social networks and that it would help create a joint foundation to keep it alive.

Google launched its OpenSocial network in November to lure developers already creating popular Web applications on social networks such as Facebook.

Many social networks, including News Corp.-owned MySpace, Friendster and Hi5 Networks Inc., support OpenSocial, a set of technological specifications that lets software developers build applications such as games and photo shows that can run on any social network.

The scope of OpenSocial is increasing, and its applications reach more than 200 million users, said Joe Kraus, Google’s director of product management.

“If you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far, go together,” Kraus said of the OpenSocial effort, which is currently endorsed by more than 15 companies.

Yahoo, Google and MySpace also said Tuesday that they would create the OpenSocial Foundation to maintain a neutral, community-governed forum for developing applications. It will be established as a nonprofit entity, with assets to be assigned to the new organization by July 1.

“Common specifications are beneficial to the developer community at large and encourage innovation” and eventually will enrich the Web experience for people, said Wade Chambers, Yahoo’s vice president of platforms.

He declined to provide specific examples of how Yahoo plans to use OpenSocial applications.

Facebook, which received $240 million last year from Microsoft Corp. for a small stake, has not yet endorsed OpenSocial. It offers its own specifications for application developers.

Yahoo is also the subject of a $42-billion hostile offer from Microsoft, which has not signed on to OpenSocial either.

But Chambers said Yahoo would welcome Microsoft or any other company that wanted to sign on.

“Any large player should be open to participate,” he said.