Programming Social Applications

Avoid Using Container-Specific Tags

It goes without saying that if abstraction eases the pain of migration, then using container-specific tags to implement functionality like commenting widgets or tabs will only worsen it. Although container-specific tags and markup will initially ease feature integration, once entrenched in program development logic, they’ll make migration a not-so-trivial task. Not only will the developer have to reimplement the functionality behind the tags using a new container’s architecture, but he’ll need to have a deeper understanding of their social hooks—such as whether the widget sends an activity update, parses friendship data, etc.

You should avoid any container-specific markup or client-side code if you’ll potentially be porting the application to a new container.