This past Tuesday, Peter Whoriskey wrote a thought-provoking article in the Washington Post about Google's new social networking service, Friend Connect. Here at NDN and NPI, we're very interested in new tools like these, so we wanted to open up the blog to hear what others think of Friend Connect, keeping in mind the issues Whoriskey presents.
Some of us at NDN have already weighed in with our opinioin in the comments section, but we want to hear what you think. So, if you'd like to add your voice, you can post a comment. If you don't already have an existing account, you can register by clicking here.
If you have any trouble doing this, please don't hesitate to contact me at tvalentine@ndn.org. I'll be happy to help, especially if it means that we'll hear from you!
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Microsoft...
Facebook and Myspace aren't the only ones Google is bumping up against.
See here.
Facebook/MySpace
I don't think it's a bad idea, but they might be a little too late on this boat as Facebook and MySpace are so ingrained in the culture. I also think this is something that would catch on largely amongst people who are not in the workforce and therefore have the time to devote to social networking all throughout the day, regardless of the site they're on.
New meaning of connectivity
Even though they are commonplace to everyone I know, I see the argument that Facebook and MySpace are walled sites. So it's hard to see how this will be different from the other things Google has done: provide a very popular service or idea to anyone who wants it, anywhere, at any time. And since it is Google, the other businesses that build social networks into websites and organizations may have seen their moment in the spotlight.
Also, this will really show the strengths (and weaknesses) of social networking on the whole and add a much deeper meaning to internet connectivity, and therefore to the argument of the global communications network. It's something else to think of the internet as a means of connecting people directly to each other on a personal level, not just to information.
Different demographics?
One thing that is interesting is that Google's later onset might serve as an advantage. As a college student, social network systems have had a stigma as a college resource to talk to friends, post embarrassing pictures, and leave uncensored comments. That is to say, what facebook and myspace means to my generation might hinder its potential in the future. Also, older generations (my parents) in general aren't utilizing these tools with such ease. While recent graduates and new businesspeople are taking advantage of these tools, older business leaders seem hesitant, if not reluctant to join a network previously dominated by kids. At least from my perspective, it seems that these tools current target a 20 - 35 demographic, which is good; however Google might be able to capitalize on something better.
Google Inc. has long established itself as a standard modern business tool. Highschoolers have Gmail accounts - and so do grandparents. Google holds strong legitimacy in the youth demographic, and might be more appealing for the older demographic (35+) as it gives these people a chance to join a social network in its beginnings, rather than joining a group previously dominated by kids. While facebook and myspace will most likely remain lopsidedly reliant on the younger demographics, Google might see a big boost in activity from this new social network idea as there is potential for older technocrats to join in. Also, the Google system will make it much easier for these people to engage as they can interact from the Web rather than through a specific site like myspace.com or facebook.com. Friend Connect will allow website owners and online business to network without navigating away from their home sites. This feasibility mixed with the wider target demographic might give Friend Connect an edge.
Google's capacity for innovation seems limitless - however the sustainability of this endeavor will be interesting. In particular, I'll be interested to see how much resemblance occurs between the likes of facebook and Friend Connect. I predict Google will look to more seriously consider a buyout of facebook, but before then look for market competition to drive these to closer together.
Works nicely
I just played around with it and I thought it shows a lot of potential.
It can actually tie in with your contact lists from Facebook, Orkut, LinkedIn and Hi5. So it shouldn't be thought of as fully independent of these other networks. Although, just saw a report today that Facebook might be pulling out.
Also, anyone with any kind of Google account will basically already have a Friend Connect account. So for instance I was able to log into an example page that uses Friend Connect with my gmail account username and password and post a comment.
In general, I think the idea of being able to take your social network with you to many different sites could be very powerful. Personally, I don't like being stuck in Facebook or MySpace or any other social network site.
I recommend checking out some of the example sites to get a feel for how it works.
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