Yes, it's depressing to see that the battle in social networking is over exclusive ownership of user data instead of establishing standards and protocols. It sh

Yes, it's depressing to see that the battle in social networking is over exclusive ownership of user data instead of establishing standards and protocols. It should be possible for users of the big players like Facebook and Google+ to include each other in their social networks, along with more independent or paranoid users who have established their own hubs. You could argue that the Internet has always supported social networks with email, World Wide Web, FTP, etc. But social networking sites add another layer that ties everything together in a way that's accessible to the layman. In that sense, social networking sites are really in the business of authentication and authorization. Unfortunately, they're doing a lousy job of it, with their walled gardens.