hi5's application development platform is achieving significant adoption success. Since the platform’s launch on March 31, there are hundreds of new hi5 applications, thousands of developers recently registered with hi5, remarkable application engagement among hi5’s diverse global membership, and a record volume of activity on hi5’s OpenSocial server implementation.

“We’re off to a great start, and really pleased to see this level of traction so early on,” says hi5 Founder and CEO, Ramu Yalamanchi. “Our platform focus has been on providing the best tools and support for developers, so that they would be able to deliver the most compelling experiences for our users. The momentum we’re already seeing indicates we’re on target for both objectives.”

By leveraging a suite of common APIs, including those of OpenSocial (a community-driven specification for building social applications across the Web), third-party developers have created over 400 new applications for hi5’s users. Sixty-five of the new apps became available when the platform launched on March 31; the remainder added since then, with an average of a dozen new apps per day. The number of developers who have registered to build applications for hi5 users has gone up too – from 3000 in February 2008, to over 9000 today.

Adoption among hi5 users is also high. For instance, half of hi5’s active monthly users are already engaged with the new applications, with an average of three applications per user and about one million new installs daily. The applications attracting the most attention from hi5 users have been those that involve friend interactions, extend the functionality of popular hi5 features, include individual and/or cultural expression, music and games.