5. Application

Sharing
  • links
  • images
  • video
  • audio
  • tasks
  • events
  • location
  • status
  • code
  • profiles
One-to-One Messaging
  • email
  • im
  • voice
  • video
Many-to-Many Messaging
  • email lists
  • group text chat
  • video conference
  • audio conference
Meta
  • comments
  • rating
  • tagging

4. Session

Authentication
  • openid
  • facebook connect
  • twitter sign-in
  • openid connect
  • browserid
  • username & password
  • saml
Authorisation
  • oauth
  • cookies
  • saml

3. Identity

Addressing
  • email
  • postal
  • telephone number
  • username
  • http url
  • assigned numbers
  • bank account
  • twitter username
  • site-specific identities

2. Data

Standards
  • html
  • portable contacts, hcard, vcard
  • activity streams
  • salmon
  • atom
  • xrd
  • rdf
  • emerging / emergent statnards: bookmarking, annotation, photos, location, etc
Profile
  • name
  • age
  • gender
  • presence
  • availability
  • location
  • skills
  • employment
  • associations
  • preferences
(Social) Network / Graph
  • group membership
  • employment
  • friends
  • family
  • contacts
  • collaborators
  • teams

1. Transport

Documents
  • http
Message-oriented
  • pubsubhubbub
  • xmpp pubsub
  • irc
  • smtp
Proprietary
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • google+
  • hundreds of other fragmented startups