In November 2007, David Mead wrote a post about OpenSocial, a tool from Google that creates a common API for social applications. OpenSocial is used by companies such as Ning to build applications that allow for ‘out of the box’ social networks.

Yes, you can build a social network. However, it might not look very pretty unless you understand how to web design and code CSS.

What does all of this have to do with baseball?

I was reading an article on BNET this morning about the Revenue Model for Baseball. Last year, Major League Baseball (MLB) took in $6.1 Billion. Considering the National Football League (NFL) took in $6.3 Billion, I would say they are getting something right.

MLB has figured out how to leverage the online world. Teams are building smaller parks, but selling rights to streaming video to compensate for the decreased ticket sales.

One of the biggest players in this model is Major League Baseball Advanced Media (MLBAM). Essentially, MLBAM controls MLB.com. It also means that major and minor league teams who subscribe to their service are beholden to the capabilities of MLBAM.

Where does that leave a team who wants to do more? The world of OpenSocial. This year, the Lake County Captains wanted to do more with their online program and BAM didn’t have the necessary tools. What did they do? They build a social network – one built on the OpenSocial platform – www.captainsbaseballfans.com.

The platform allowed the organization to quickly get separate fan-focused entity online that accomplished the goal of photo, video and community in one package. With a sport where the rooster changes are frequent, the social network was a way for fans to become involved with the game beyond the field. The website’s name leveraged their existing URL – www.captainsbaseball.com – to help with recognition and memory.

True, baseball is big business, but OpenSocial might just be the batter that can hit it out of the park.