Social networks of the future - personalized social networks...

In a near future, OpenSocial will come to a site near you. And this is how it will work:

1. You come to a social site because it's all about your niche interest. The site has great content in the niche, a professional editor picks the best of user generated content (blog posts, news, videos) and combines it with custom made material.

2. It's a great site, so you decide to join the network. When you join, you use your OpenId identity - no new password to remember, and you import personal data of choice from other sites that you use.

3. When your account is created, some standard third party applications are installed for you on the site. It's a messaging system, news aggregator, a forum, a niche marketplace, and a calendar, all picked out by the site editors.

4. Once in the network, you continue to take part of and create new niche specific content. When you create content, you can also share it on other sites where you are a member, but only if it's in the interest of that site and your contacts on that site. As you are registered, the niche site creates a profile for you, so that you get even better matched content (and probably better matched ads) each time you enter the site.

5. When visiting friends profiles on the site, you'll notice that some of the applications they have added on their profile page are of great usage for that niche. Some third party applications are used more broadly, and as on Facebook, you'll add some of them to your own profile. Applications spread viral, as on Facebook, but this time they are actually relevant to your interest rather than lowest common denominator applications.

Now the site is perfect for you, great content, relevant third party applications, and you only share with the crowd of your choice.

7. Four years later, your no longer interested in the niche (you don't play WOW anymore ;-)) and you choose to delete your profile from the site. You can save your settings to a private file, if you want to rejoin the site later without loosing your history. Your posts are still there, but once you delete your profile, the site owner can no longer access your personal data or email.