Open Graph Protocol

Last Updated: August 15, 2012

Definition - What does Open Graph Protocol mean?

The Open Graph Protocol was designed by Facebook developers to promote Facebook-type functionality for a Web page or object. Specifically, the Open Graph Protocol allows a Web page to become part of a social graph, a standard for showing relationships between Web objects. This extends some of the functionality of Facebook to non-Facebook sites.

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Techopedia explains Open Graph Protocol

Part of the process of making a Web page part of the social graph is the construction of specific metadata to define that page relative to the social graph. Core metadata involves creating a title and other properties. Additional optional metadata includes the addition of other orienting information, such as a greater context for a single Web page. Other functions within the OGP include the use of video or music and other extras.

In a sense, the Open Graph Protocol is derived from a less technical form of free association. Many associate it with the classic Kevin Bacon game, where individuals and films are connected to form a kind of verbal social graph. The Open Graph Protocol brings this kind of association to the Web as part of an extension of Facebook, which has become the dominant social media platform of its kind.