Universal Profile Information

Today social networks are separate, self-contained communities, but soon you won't be limited by your network. That's because Google, Facebook and MySpace are all working to let you port your profile information and contacts from one site to another. That means you'll no longer have to re-create your profile every time you sign up for a community-oriented site like eBay or Digg. Instead, your social network will — with your permission — share information you have already provided. MySpace has announced plans to let members share their profiles on eBay, Photobucket, Twitter and Yahoo! And Facebook will soon allow users of Digg (among other sites) to find out which of their Facebook friends have accounts there. It's too soon to tell exactly how this will take shape, but the changes promise to let users move more freely across the Web 2.0 world. Stay tuned.

—Anita Hamilton