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Netlog, the European social networking site, has just made their OpenSocial 0.7 application platform available to more than 35 million members. OpenSocial, a set of common APIs for building social applications, provides a common infrastructure for the social web that enables both developers and websites to focus resources on their unique features rather than on dealing with different types of plumbing. Netlog developers can now develop for not only its 35 million members, but any of the 300 million users who are part of OpenSocial-enabled networks. Netlog only accepts fully integrated applications offering a clear added value and refuses applications forcing the user to leave the site, install the application or invite friends.

Since one of the most important features of Netlog is its extended localization, every applications should be available in all of the 23 languages the site currently supports. To make the localisation process easy, Netlog has opened its translation capabilities to third-party developers to provide seamless translation of any OpenSocial application. Developers write the application in one of the 23 languages and Netlog will do the translation for the other 22.

Developers receive 100% of the advertising revenue on the application page. Developers will also be granted access to Netlog's OpenSocial extension for the "Credit Economy". While Netlog expects most applications to be free, it gives developers the opportunity to monetize by charging credits for certain premium features in the application or for installing the application itself. By using the credit api, developers can easily tap into Netlog's micropayment channels available in more than 30 countries.

All the information for developers to get started with OpenSocial on Netlog is available at http://en.netlog.com/go/developer.

Posted by Toon Coppens & Folke Lemaitre, Netlog