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Comment by wolfrom | Hacker News Reader

I really hope their API will come soon; I think the best chance they have of user adoption will be based on the creativity of API developers bridging the gaps between Diaspora and other services. If users can communicate between Diaspora nodes and other social networks, at least on a basic level, they could see enough migration to make their efforts worthwhile.

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Their API will be OStatus, same as status.net and google buzz, to be more specific: pubsubhubbub, salmon, activity streams and webfinger.

I too think this will be key. If I can "remote control" Facebook through Diaspora, I will switch in a heartbeat. If I can't experience the same level of interaction as Facebook with the same number of people, I'll still probably switch, but gradually stop using it, I'm sure.

What is the point of that? I'm not into the whole social network thing but isn't the point of Diaspora to be able to control your own "private" information? If you post to Facebook from Diaspora wouldn't you be giving up the only real reason to switch?

I don't see why. While everyone you want to talk to is on Facebook you talk Facebook. When a group of friends you want to privately share with is largely on Diaspora, you use Diaspora. Diaspora's focus on making setting privacy levels unthinkingly sounds like it'd be a real useful thing to have hooked into Facebook [for people who give a shit about privacy, but not enough to fight Facebook settings afresh each post].

Embrace, extend and ...

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