Mozilla Firefox 17 Gets Social

From the ‘Flock to This’ files:

Firefox 16.01 (updated today) is out the door and that means Firefox 17 is now in Beta (those trains move fast!).

This release like the the last half dozen before it – adds new developer goodness – but this time it’s more sociable than just CSS3 support.

Firefox 17 includes the new SocialAPI , which is described as an attempt to integrate social content (i.e Facebook) into the browser.

Yes, I know others have tried in the past. Flock (fail!) and now RockMelt (fail in progress) are just a few browser attempts at better social integration.

The Social API though is different. More than just an add-on, this is API level integration. That means it’s extensible at a deep level and can be integrated into the fabric of the modern browser experience.

According to Mozilla:

As services integrate with Firefox via the Social API sidebar, it will be easy for you to keep up with friends and family anywhere you go on the Web without having to open a new Web page or switch between tabs. You can stay connected to your favorite social network even while you are surfing the Web, watching a video or playing a game.

I think that is tremendously powerful. Sure every website has some kind of tweet/like this or that button, but baking social integration at the browser level makes the social aspects of the web  pervasive in a deeper way.

We’ve all heard about the Social Network – now it’s time for the true Social Web, enabled by openness and spearheaded by the good folks at Mozilla.

Sean Michael Kerner is a senior editor at InternetNews.com, the news service of the IT Business Edge Network, the network for technology professionals Follow him on Twitter @TechJournalist.