Wow!  I remember using Spy Glass Mosaic to surf the World Wide Web.  I remember what magic you can do with a little HTML and a few animated gifs (GIF 87A/89A).  I remember BCP before SQL Server had DTS.  I also clearly remember the entry of XHTML and XML and still feel the effects they had and are having on defining new web protocols.  I could go on and on with the Acronyms and Terminologies, but I think you get the point.

I never really thought the utility I first came to know as "The Information Super Highway" was going to have a social aspect this early on.  Much like a normal highway, I thought it would be a utility long before it established cognitive and social aspects.  So, What are the Acronyms and Terminologies emerging in this quickly forming Social Cloud?  What do they mean? How can you learn more about them?

Well, I'm glad you asked.

Here are just a few Acronyms and Terminologies being actively being discussing in conjunction with the “Social Cloud”:

Acronym: XFN

XFN (XHTML Friends Network) is a simple way to represent human relationships using hyperlinks.

Social Cloud Type: Friend Networks

Wikipedia Definition: XHTML Friend Network

(Early) Functional Specification: XFN 1.1 relationships meta data profile

Other Information Links: General XFN Links, URLs are People, Too, XFN Getting Started

Acronym: FOAF

The Friend of a Friend (FOAF) project is creating a Web of machine-readable pages describing people, the links between them and the things they create and do.

Social Cloud Type: Friend Networks

Wikipedia Definition: Fried of a Friend Network

Functional Specification: FOAF Vocabulary Specification 0.91

Other Information Links: The Friend of a Friend (FOAF) Project, So you want to foaf?, XML Watch: Finding friends with XML and RDF

Acronym: XMPP (a.k.a. MicroID)

MicroID is a lightweight identity layer for the web that enables anyone to claim verifiable ownership over content hosted anywhere on the web (social networking sites, discussion forums, blogs, etc.).

Social Cloud Type: Identification

Wikipedia Definition: Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol

Functional Specification: RFC3920

Other Information Links: MicroID - Small Decentralized Verifiable Identity

Term: OpenID

OpenID is an open, decentralized, free framework for user-centric digital identity.  In short, OpenID eliminates the need for multiple usernames across different websites, simplifying your online experience.

Social Cloud Type: Identification

Wikipedia Definition: OpenID

Functional Specification: OpenID 2.0 Authentication 2.0 - Final

Other Information Links: OpenID.NET, OpenID Enabled, OpenID Wiki

Term: Microformats

Designed for humans first and machines second, microformats are a set of simple, open data formats built upon existing and widely adopted standards. Instead of throwing away what works today, microformats intend to solve simpler problems first by adapting to current behaviors and usage patterns (e.g. XHTML, blogging).

Social Cloud Type: Data Formats

Wikipedia Definition: Microformats

Further Definition:  hCard, hCalendar, hReview
Other Information Links: Microformats Wiki

Some of these concepts are from the late 1990’s some are more recent.  They are all still gaining traction and acceptance.  Some will evolve and mutate, some won’t.  New ones are sure to come along sooner than later.

Since late last year, I found myself at conferences and meet-ups discussing OpenID, MicroID, Data Portability, Online Reputation, and Social Graph Programming.  We are now seeing the social plumbing get pieced together.