14 DAY TRIAL // Windows Live users have the option to connect their accounts with their Facebook profile, in a simple move, and by making just a few easy steps, for which Microsoft offers guidance. The Redmond-based company turned to an open standard for the bridge between Windows Live and Facebook, and indicates that currently, the implementation of Activity Streams might just be the largest in the world. This, of course, thanks to the success of the “Web Activity” for Facebook, the software giant noted.
“What you may not know is that if you add the Facebook web activity, the data is passed from Facebook to Windows Live using a developing open standard called ‘Activity Streams.’ With hundreds of thousands of users since release a few months ago, the Windows Live web activity for Facebook might be the largest implementation of Activity Streams today,” revealed Rob Dolin, Program Manager, Windows Live team.
Dolin also said that Facebook’s Activity Streams implementation was designed and built by Facebook developers. “Web Activity” for Facebook is capable of ensuring that a wide range of content and data are shared from Facebook to Windows Live. In this regard, users can ensure that their Facebook status, but also various information including links, and even digital images end up on Windows Live via ‘Web Activity’ for Facebook.
“Just as many of our other web activities leverage community standards like RSS 2.0, Atom 1.0, and MediaRSS, I’m hopeful that Activity Streams will be a powerful enabling technology so users can bring their activities like status updates, posted photos, or shared links, from one service to another; and looking forward to working with other partners to enable our mutual users to share their activities between services,” Dolin added.
At the same time, not many Windows Live/Facebook users know that Activity Streams was designed as an extension of the Atom feed format.