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Where is social networking headed?

Posted by pointlessbanter • 5/12/08 • Subscribe to this Discussion [RSS] • Report This Topic
Tags: social media, social networking

I posted a blog on my current employer's blog today about it.

kevin.awarenessnetworks.com/default.asp?item=2202515&mode=

You can read about it there if you want.

Basically I think that data management and aggregation are the two main keys in the future of social networking as more and more sites begin to integrate social features. What do you think?

User Comments

5/12/08

Anok

I think you need to stop using big tech-geeky words so I can understand what you're talking about.

But seriously, I think you're right. As these networks become more user friendly, and help speed up the portability of data, more and more people gravitate towards using them.

On the other hand, I see a great big huge privacy nightmare too....but that's the paranoid Anarchist in me coming out

[reply]
1. 5/12/08
  
  pointlessbanter
  
  Oh without a doubt there is. I mean that is the most valuable asset to these networks.
2. 5/12/08
  
  Anok
  
  What is? The privacy issue?
  
  Eek!
3. 5/12/08
  
  pointlessbanter
  
  Your data and how you use these networks. These provide valuable demographics to advertisers.
4. 5/12/08
  
  ekim941
  
  That's what we need, More spam
5. 5/12/08
  
  pointlessbanter
  
  Oh you won't get more spam. Just a giant database off all your likes and dislikes.
5/12/08

TonyB

nice, you mention mybloglog and not blogcatalog

The future will be connectivity/data portability between all social networks that you belong to. We are likely to access only one "destination", the ubiquitous social network, in order to view data from across each social network that we belong to. Looks like Facebook and MySpace are vying to be that place, though it's unlikely that either one will have the solution.

[reply]
1. 5/12/08
  
  pointlessbanter
  
  lol... I will put you guys in with a link...
  
  Right now I see it as an arms race between those three main players (google, facebook, and myspace) as being a central hub for users. All three are pretty far away from being able to do things right.
2. 5/12/08
  
  Anok
  
  You got that right....
3. 5/12/08
  
  NINE
  
  The problem is that not all of the information is portable at the moment. I saw the other day someone mentioned they wanted to get all of their messages in one place but I can't think of any site that lets you pull private messages via the API's
  
  It will be interesting to see how far the web will go to let you pull information from other sites in the future.
4. 5/12/08
  
  pointlessbanter
  
  I mentioned it in the comments about what should be the next thing with BC... If we could dream everything up.
  
  It will be interesting. No site allows you to pull that data for a reason but I think there will be some sort of call for it. It is going to get to a point where people will one want one single source to manage all of their contacts.
5/12/08

NINE

well WANTING to have it in one place would be awesome but the question is would the companies actually share that information? The problem is that unlike some of the other data that information is not all public.

There are probably a lot of security issues with that considering that in most cases an API simply needs a username or email address to pull the information

[reply]
1. 5/12/08
  
  pointlessbanter
  
  There are so many issues with it:
  
  1) monetization
  2) traffic
  3) technology based
  4) security based
  
  I think what needs to happen is the social networks need to change the way messaging his handled. With facebook getting into allowing to access your e-mail through them it will be interesting to see if they set up standard e-mail controls down the road so you can read and respond to your facebook mail through outlook or other programs.
2. 5/13/08
  
  TonyB
  
  It's only a matter of time before social network emails/messages can be centralized. Walled garden approaches do not garner long term favor on the net.
5/12/08

markstoneman

Might give this some more thought later. Just wanted to let you know that the Diane Rehm Show covered this topic today. You can download the episode as a podcast from iTunes or on NPR's podcast page.

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5/12/08

jsinkeywest

I was sitting here thinking about it all and then checked out the name
myface.com and sure enough they're on it.Speaking of which how about a good full featured chat room.So you can post a link and have a wave of people check it out in real time.I can hook up something like that in a hour?
yeah IRC and chat rooms are played out but some "people":) like to just lurk in a chat room and make random off the wall comments from time to time.
OH I got a kick out of potspace.com now thats creativity

[reply]
5/12/08

ccRicers

I think social networking has an untapped niche: online shops. Think about it, you can browse products while in a chat window with your online buddies, talking about stuff to buy and giving recommendations.

I've only seen one example of this, but its presentation fell flat.

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5/12/08

IanThal

My feel is that the entire web will become the social network-- and eventually that social networking will be a function of the operating systems our computers run on.

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5/12/08

legbamel

What I don't understand is why this is supposed to be such a great thing. I like my compartmentalized little existence. When I'm here, yeah, I want to chat about a million different things. When I'm stumbling, I love to see what others have thumbed up but I don't feel the need to talk about it. I already know you like the site.

When I'm writing an article and doing research, I don't need the information on where I'm looking and what I'm reading to be aggregated somewhere else. When I'm blogging, I don't need every site I read to be listed. If I liked the thing I'd link to it in my post. If I am reading reviews on a band before selecting it as my monthly recommendation, why would I want people to know before I unveil the winner?

While I know that there is a very limited amount of privacy on-line as it is, why are people so excited about reducing it? What the heck data is not portable enough that I still want to share with half of the planet? Apparently I'm just a Luddite with this topic, but I don't understand why so man people are so interested in what I see as a great way for commercial sites to send me more ads and e-mails about things I might like to buy. Unless they're going to pay me to buy them, more targeted ads aren't doing either of us any good. Knowing that I pay them by clicking on the ads is no incentive for me to do so.

[reply]
5/13/08

voodooKobra

Down.

[reply]
1. 5/13/08
  
  ccRicers
  
  You just don't know how yet?
5/13/08

gerryPlanetEarth

Google is the current king of the internet...

Microsofts software monoply is on its last legs...

Blogcatalog's strengths are its high quality community member bloggers and the continuous technical upgrading of user features by the owners...

It's always difficult to predict or shape the future...

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5/13/08

OzScot

In the near future everything is going to have to be highly personalised - individualised and instant. Virtual community, real time, - like a merging of second life and the written word...

Ben

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5/13/08

PetLvr

Hmm.. I commented on the blog, but was totally off-topic (what else is new, eh?)

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