Conversation Marketing Blog makes a point that Social Media is not terribly Standards Compliant.

"..Standards
OK, this is wishful thinking on my part. I would like to think that social media is marked by compliance with page coding standards. Compliance would help interconnection, make these sites easier to grow, and make sure they work across the widest possible array of browsers and devices.

In reality, many social media sites and technologies are not terribly standards-compliant. YouTube goes wonky, occasionally, in Safari. And any number of second- and third-tier sites go all higgledy-piggledy because of nested tables, improper use of CSS, etc..

But sites that fit the category tend to use XHTML and CSS 2.0 more often than not.

Tip: Make your site standards-compliant. When in Rome… "

Good point.  The Web Analytics Association, via the Social Media and Community Committee, is examining and defining Social Media Standards (IE: what is Friendship in a Social Network and how can it be defined and measured?) but I had not thought to look at HTML and CSS Compliance as a standard, as well.

Er…. I'm adding it to the list now … we'll examine the way sites are built, what they're built in and how they function (or don't).   Social Media Standards are so "big" I wonder if we can wrap our hands around it; but if anyone is up for the challenge, we are.