Gnip, a platform that helps move data around from one social network to the next, is now integrated with Facebook so that the platform can access data via Facebook’s recently launched open API stream.
Gnip lets data-consuming services like Plaxo that take data from other services (like Twitter, Friendfeed, Digg, Delicious, etc.) collect data from requested users pushed to them. Data consuming services are no longer required to build pollers for any of the publishers pushing data into Gnip, they just give Gnip an endpoint and they push the data to them in real time. With Gnip’s Facebook integration, developers and data collectors can choose the specific Facebook users from among those that have authorized their applications and then Gnip will immediately begin collecting the relevant data, normalize it and deliver it in real-time to the developer’s separate applications.
Data consumers using Gnip’s platform can also get public data streams for over 30 social media networks and sites, including Twitter, Digg, Delicious, YouTube, WordPress, Flickr, Six Apart and others without ever visiting those sites or accessing their individual APIs, subject only to the terms of service of those networks. Gnip also offers a number of filter options to allow data consumers the ability to create rules based queries based on tags, keywords, etc.
I stopped by the Gnip booth last week at Gluecon in Denver; definitely a useful service. Impressive set of sources they’re pulling from.
I’m thinking of the cool things that can be done with this data. A dream for mashups.
Well done to the Gnip team, I will have to start playing around now.
One of my favorite companies right now. They’ve got acquisition written all over them. Normalizing all the different data sets and pushing them is a really simple idea, but I’m sure the execution is exceptionally difficult. Looking forward to having an excuse to use them.
Given that Facebook streams aren’t all public, do you know how Gnip is making the various authentication pieces work? Or have they only integrated the more public pieces?
David — the authentication piece is still required (although we’ll likely offer that as a hosted service later in the year). For now, Gnip acts as an agent to poll data for authenticated users.
Imagine a Typepad integration where the user says “Typepad can have my FB data” and then you pass to Gnip the token. We poll using that token and then push the data to your endpoint. If at any time the user terminates the relationship, the token stops working and data stops flowing.
…So I authenticate GNIP to access my data? But then that means any client who taps into GNIP’s stream can access it.
In other words if I go use a service that says “Our FB implementation is powered by GNIP, go authenticate them” it means that then any GNIP customer has my data – assuming they want it?
Eric, let me know if I’ve got the wrong end of the stick…!
When we’re dealing with public data, sure, it all goes into feeding the “public” timeline.
But private data is handled differently. Local scope. Access privileges apply.
C’mon, mate. You know us better than that. We’re not (completely) amateur hour
Ok ok – I know you guys have shit to pop AND you pop it like the masterz u are.
I know you guys know what you’re doing – but where can we see check out more how ur delegation model is working as I couldn’t see anything on the ol’ gnip site.
I think a bit of explanation on that point – straight from the horses mouth rather than me searching through the blogosphere’s ass – would do you guys a power of good
Eric, you guys are rocking out. Can you guys handle write-to feeds as well? Example, write-to status feed? Do you know much about gigya’s ’socialize’ thing? We should talk again…we want to use you.
Is this even relevant in 2009? Social networks have imploded. The ad supported model has imploded. And selling user data was already shown to show margin revenue (let us see if mint.com can keep its install base while selling user data to the NSA…er I mean advertisers).
gnip wont’ make it through to the end of the year, they are VC hyped with little under the hood
Speaking of having little under the hood…I find their service is Great!
“Here’s what is happening right now on the Gnip platform”
The feed isn’t even live, it’s just looped through. Maybe that should be re-worded to “Here’s what we made up”
Jon, if you have a chance give our platform a try.
We have lots of real companies and developers using us everyday for their integration needs, http://www.gnip...tions/spotlight
Cheers,
Shane
VP, Products
Gnip, Inc.
enter your keywords, get feeds of data from various UGC sites, generate instant doorway pages for many keywords on your site. lots of companies will be using them for SEO plays. AOL’s love.com should have just used them….Someone out there, please confirm that this is what’s written all over this tool so I don’t gotta go research it more.