Evolutionary step for open social networking

Gawker redesigned its comment system recently and seeded the ability to leave comments via a Facebook profile. It’s not active yet, but I think this new capability is amazing and evolutionary.

Gawker’s network of sites aren’t the only ones experimenting with using an open(ing) architecture. Social-network-for-professionals LinkedIn will provide CNBC its user profiles. Users will be able to recommend articles, see who is connected to companies mentioned in the stories and the whole thing will have some crossover onto the cable channel. (I hope someone gives CNBC an MSNBC-like makeover. Yikes, is it loud!)

Like I said, none of this is revolutionary; it’s just evolutionary. Gawker and CNBC’s moves further realize the social/sharing/geektopia nature of the Internet and break down walls. No longer will contrived barriers hold your online “identity” within the bounds of a .com.

The Facebook/LinkedIn collaborations stem slightly from the OpenID and OpenSocial movements.

OpenID also advances this universal identity idea/ideal. With OpenID, users can use one identity across multiple Web sites including Yahoo, Flickr and Wordpress. If you’re this guy, you hate OpenID. If you’re me, you’re ambivalent, though see the potential goodness.

OpenSocial, a Google-led effort, puts a twist of the OpenID theme onto social networks. The program tries to create a common API to share across social networks. (So far at least Myspace. Like many efforts, the openness is only as good as the alliances big companies can forge.)

Yes, many sites use “Digg this” or other social media buttons before this. But more and more integration will continue to happen. What is your news site/Web site doing to embrace this?

Update:
Ning.com CEO Gina Bianchini talks about many social networks being walled-off gardens, which don’t focus on specific user interests, but instead are one-size-fits-all destinations. Ning, of course, changes this greatly and is a member of the OpenSocial group. (via SitePoint)