It’s Dot Com 2 and a raft of start ups are beginning to excite the business community again. One of the areas that are making investors’ hearts race is ‘Social Networking’ and specialist Judith Meskill estimates that there are at least 100 of these sites that are “aspiring to help discover and connect my friends, potential partners, business cohorts, and various levels of acquaintances.” With this proliferation PSFK thought we’d give you lucky readers our irreverent angle on what’s hot and what’s not in this Internet 2.0 sector.
Classic Social/Business Networking Sites
Ecademy
UK originated business networking community by self-styled ‘networker-for-life’ Thomas Power. Recently launched in the US and other zones of the sphere this site has a huge business-minded membership and offers blogging/opinion pieces and the usual ‘clubs’. Somehow we only tend to get contacted by Lifestyle Coaches touting their services though.
www.ecademy.com
Ryze
Could have been the CraigsList of Social Networking but really is a dreary message board for socially inept Bay Area types.
www.ryze.com
Friendster
The service where you help your friends get laid. Friendster lets you see what your friends’ friends look like and then ask for an intro. Once everybody was talking about it but we think it has gone off the boil with lack of service evolution. Can it return?
www.friendster.com
Old Timers
Email forum of in-the-know web industry long-timers. New members now pay for the luxury of filtering their in-box with discussions on everything from SEO to Rich Media Advertising and beyond. Recently teamed up with new SocNet site: SoFlow
www.oldtimerslist.com
Linked In
Well thought through system that lets you find ideal business contacts / old colleagues through your network’s network of contacts. Has not evolved since launch and looks like cack, to be honest and although it started well the PSFKers who ‘got it’ have tired of it and those who never did never will.
www.linked-in.com
Orkut
Google’s secret society? This invite only service is still in beta and although possibly using suspect code(?) has some nifty features, over 45% are Brazilians and just 0.74% are bald! Pretty good going – maybe that’s why it tries to embody what Google is all about. Except it falls over a lot and we receive more spam in our Orkut in box that all the other services put together. Unless Google master the ’simple, easy, no nonsense’ approach that Google have applied to their search we think the words “duck” and “dead” could be applied soon to this service.
www.orkut.com
Hybrid Social/Business Networking Sites
Jigsaw
Very new swap-shop for ruthless salesbods. Sell six of your contacts for a dozen new ones. Still in beta, nice to see a unique offering although we found the quality of the leads are poor.
www.jigsaw.com
Plaxo
Not exactly a social network but not exactly a get-anywhere Contact Book either. Right now it helps you keep your network’s details up to date in real time in Outlook or OE but with the sophistication of this system (and the recent partnership with Yahoo) we can’t believe that Plaxo isn’t going to take it to another level. We love it.
www.plaxo.com
Answerology
Cross between self help group and dating service. Right now users can ask others tips on getting/keeping/losing the perfect guy/girl and then approach the poor individual. Nice idea and can work in other sectors. Lacks members and, we reckon, will probably be overtaken by a better funded service who’ll pinch their idea.
www.answerology.com
Dodgeball
A social networking service to get you away from your PC and into the pub. A compelling system that revolves around sending and receiving SMS to your mobile phone. Basically allows alcoholics who find themselves at 1am with all their friends gone home to text their friends’ friends to see if they are still out. With this mix of booze and buddies PSFK thinks this you’ll have a better chance of getting laid than using Friendster! Cool.
www.dodgeball.com
Further Reading
Social Software Weblog
Esther Dyson’s Report
Gartner Report on ‘Cool’ Players
‘Too Many Social Networks’ Article from The Pitch
Get Real Blog
Many-2-Many Blog
Social Commentary
MIT Tech Social Networking Report
Facebook
Twitter
Digg
Reddit
StumbleUpon
Check out Henshall’s very relevant opinion here: http://www.henshall.com/blog/archives/000817.html
July 6th, 2004 at 4:34 pm
Check out this article from TrendCentral too:
The latest trend in social networking is a service in Singapore called BEDD. The BEDD service uses Bluetooth wireless technology to search strangers’ mobile phones for their personal profiles. Users download the BEDD software to their phones, fill out profiles of themselves and write a brief description of who they’re looking to meet. Functioning as walking bulletin boards, users can also utilize the software to create ads for items they are looking to buy or sell. The software scans for and trades profiles with other equipped phones within a 65 foot radius. Users who make a “match” are provided with each other’s contact details.
If BEDD makes it to the US, that cute guy or girl on the street may really become just a phone call away.
http://www.trendcentral.com
July 8th, 2004 at 2:27 pm
And here’s the next one: Open BC. A very good looking German equivalent. http://www.openbc.com
July 28th, 2004 at 7:14 pm
For one of the biggest lists of Social Networking Sites try here:
http://socialsoftware.weblogsinc.com/entry/9817137581524458
August 3rd, 2004 at 7:19 pm
Microsoft reportedly testing its own Social Net: http://www.marketingvox.com/archives/2004/10/18/microsoft_testing_own_social_network/
October 18th, 2004 at 4:07 pm
Check Out Think bot too: http://zillman.blogspot.com/2004/12/thinkbot_10.html
December 10th, 2004 at 10:56 am
You were way too kind to Jigsaw. Why does a company even need to consider embedding a trust mechanism into its social networking online environment when they promote the buying and selling of Contacts like chattel. Violates basic real world societal norms. The practice offends one’s senses.
March 4th, 2005 at 10:10 am
Check out Vox: http://www.askvox.com
March 22nd, 2006 at 12:31 am