Comments on: The Economist misses the point on social networks – they are platforms not comms tools http://www.theequitykicker.com/2008/04/04/the-economist-misses-the-point-on-social-networks-they-are-platforms-not-comms-tools/ Nic Brisbourne's view from London on venture capital and exploiting change in technology and media Sat, 11 Feb 2012 20:08:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Andrew Deal http://www.theequitykicker.com/2008/04/04/the-economist-misses-the-point-on-social-networks-they-are-platforms-not-comms-tools/#comment-1764 Andrew Deal Tue, 15 Apr 2008 18:50:38 +0000 http://www.theequitykicker.com/2008/04/04/the-economist-misses-the-point-on-social-networks-they-are-platforms-not-comms-tools/#comment-1764 I would like to get some specific feedback on our approach in tackling this issue, as we are about to launch our social media tools within CelleCast. For us, our socnet is our media consumption. We can be considered a Talk radio version of LastFM, but we enable consumption of talk programming for mobile first. To put it another way, we combine community with consumption, whereas most of the emerging (and now struggling) social network sites around today are basically an end unto themselves. So I basically agree that niche socnets (like ours) are the viable trend because users have other useful reasons for being there besides networking alone. I would like to get some specific feedback on our approach in tackling this issue, as we are about to launch our social media tools within CelleCast. For us, our socnet is our media consumption. We can be considered a Talk radio version of LastFM, but we enable consumption of talk programming for mobile first.

To put it another way, we combine community with consumption, whereas most of the emerging (and now struggling) social network sites around today are basically an end unto themselves.

So I basically agree that niche socnets (like ours) are the viable trend because users have other useful reasons for being there besides networking alone.

]]> By: Andrew Deal http://www.theequitykicker.com/2008/04/04/the-economist-misses-the-point-on-social-networks-they-are-platforms-not-comms-tools/#comment-11235 Andrew Deal Tue, 15 Apr 2008 18:50:00 +0000 http://www.theequitykicker.com/2008/04/04/the-economist-misses-the-point-on-social-networks-they-are-platforms-not-comms-tools/#comment-11235 I would like to get some specific feedback on our approach in tackling this issue, as we are about to launch our social media tools within CelleCast. For us, our socnet is our media consumption. We can be considered a Talk radio version of LastFM, but we enable consumption of talk programming for mobile first. To put it another way, we combine community with consumption, whereas most of the emerging (and now struggling) social network sites around today are basically an end unto themselves. So I basically agree that niche socnets (like ours) are the viable trend because users have other useful reasons for being there besides networking alone. I would like to get some specific feedback on our approach in tackling this issue, as we are about to launch our social media tools within CelleCast. For us, our socnet is our media consumption. We can be considered a Talk radio version of LastFM, but we enable consumption of talk programming for mobile first.

To put it another way, we combine community with consumption, whereas most of the emerging (and now struggling) social network sites around today are basically an end unto themselves.

So I basically agree that niche socnets (like ours) are the viable trend because users have other useful reasons for being there besides networking alone.

]]> By: Scott Rafer http://www.theequitykicker.com/2008/04/04/the-economist-misses-the-point-on-social-networks-they-are-platforms-not-comms-tools/#comment-1763 Scott Rafer Tue, 15 Apr 2008 17:14:36 +0000 http://www.theequitykicker.com/2008/04/04/the-economist-misses-the-point-on-social-networks-they-are-platforms-not-comms-tools/#comment-1763 I can't imagine it happening that way. Too bad -- it would make Lookery's life much easier. they will maintain their leadership as yahoo and AOL did. billions of dollars in profits will fall out of those engines, but the core functionality won't radically expand from the features that got them to the first 100M uniques. I can’t imagine it happening that way. Too bad — it would make Lookery’s life much easier. they will maintain their leadership as yahoo and AOL did. billions of dollars in profits will fall out of those engines, but the core functionality won’t radically expand from the features that got them to the first 100M uniques.

]]> By: Scott Rafer http://www.theequitykicker.com/2008/04/04/the-economist-misses-the-point-on-social-networks-they-are-platforms-not-comms-tools/#comment-11231 Scott Rafer Tue, 15 Apr 2008 17:14:00 +0000 http://www.theequitykicker.com/2008/04/04/the-economist-misses-the-point-on-social-networks-they-are-platforms-not-comms-tools/#comment-11231 I can't imagine it happening that way. Too bad -- it would make Lookery's life much easier. they will maintain their leadership as yahoo and AOL did. billions of dollars in profits will fall out of those engines, but the core functionality won't radically expand from the features that got them to the first 100M uniques. I can’t imagine it happening that way. Too bad — it would make Lookery’s life much easier. they will maintain their leadership as yahoo and AOL did. billions of dollars in profits will fall out of those engines, but the core functionality won’t radically expand from the features that got them to the first 100M uniques.

]]> By: nic http://www.theequitykicker.com/2008/04/04/the-economist-misses-the-point-on-social-networks-they-are-platforms-not-comms-tools/#comment-1762 nic Tue, 15 Apr 2008 17:04:37 +0000 http://www.theequitykicker.com/2008/04/04/the-economist-misses-the-point-on-social-networks-they-are-platforms-not-comms-tools/#comment-1762 Thanks for the comment Scott. I agree that we are heading back into a distributed world, but I would think that if Facebook and Myspace play their cards right they could maintain their leadership positions. In this view of the world they are portals for social apps, some of which they will probably own and operate themselves, but most of which will be from third parties. Thanks for the comment Scott. I agree that we are heading back into a distributed world, but I would think that if Facebook and Myspace play their cards right they could maintain their leadership positions. In this view of the world they are portals for social apps, some of which they will probably own and operate themselves, but most of which will be from third parties.

]]> By: nic http://www.theequitykicker.com/2008/04/04/the-economist-misses-the-point-on-social-networks-they-are-platforms-not-comms-tools/#comment-11232 nic Tue, 15 Apr 2008 17:04:00 +0000 http://www.theequitykicker.com/2008/04/04/the-economist-misses-the-point-on-social-networks-they-are-platforms-not-comms-tools/#comment-11232 Thanks for the comment Scott. I agree that we are heading back into a distributed world, but I would think that if Facebook and Myspace play their cards right they could maintain their leadership positions. In this view of the world they are portals for social apps, some of which they will probably own and operate themselves, but most of which will be from third parties. Thanks for the comment Scott. I agree that we are heading back into a distributed world, but I would think that if Facebook and Myspace play their cards right they could maintain their leadership positions. In this view of the world they are portals for social apps, some of which they will probably own and operate themselves, but most of which will be from third parties.

]]> By: Scott Rafer http://www.theequitykicker.com/2008/04/04/the-economist-misses-the-point-on-social-networks-they-are-platforms-not-comms-tools/#comment-1751 Scott Rafer Sun, 13 Apr 2008 22:40:50 +0000 http://www.theequitykicker.com/2008/04/04/the-economist-misses-the-point-on-social-networks-they-are-platforms-not-comms-tools/#comment-1751 Sorry Nick, I think that the phase of walled-garden social nets is all about communication and that monetization will suffer. There are certainly exceptions like WAYN, but that's communications about a valuable, transaction-heavy topic, rather than non-communications centric. By the time social apps are heavily into valuable areas, the walled gardens will have fallen, and we'll be back in a distributed world. Sorry Nick, I think that the phase of walled-garden social nets is all about communication and that monetization will suffer. There are certainly exceptions like WAYN, but that’s communications about a valuable, transaction-heavy topic, rather than non-communications centric. By the time social apps are heavily into valuable areas, the walled gardens will have fallen, and we’ll be back in a distributed world.

]]> By: Scott Rafer http://www.theequitykicker.com/2008/04/04/the-economist-misses-the-point-on-social-networks-they-are-platforms-not-comms-tools/#comment-11234 Scott Rafer Sun, 13 Apr 2008 22:40:00 +0000 http://www.theequitykicker.com/2008/04/04/the-economist-misses-the-point-on-social-networks-they-are-platforms-not-comms-tools/#comment-11234 Sorry Nick, I think that the phase of walled-garden social nets is all about communication and that monetization will suffer. There are certainly exceptions like WAYN, but that's communications about a valuable, transaction-heavy topic, rather than non-communications centric. By the time social apps are heavily into valuable areas, the walled gardens will have fallen, and we'll be back in a distributed world. Sorry Nick, I think that the phase of walled-garden social nets is all about communication and that monetization will suffer. There are certainly exceptions like WAYN, but that’s communications about a valuable, transaction-heavy topic, rather than non-communications centric. By the time social apps are heavily into valuable areas, the walled gardens will have fallen, and we’ll be back in a distributed world.

]]> By: alan p http://www.theequitykicker.com/2008/04/04/the-economist-misses-the-point-on-social-networks-they-are-platforms-not-comms-tools/#comment-1737 alan p Thu, 10 Apr 2008 09:38:51 +0000 http://www.theequitykicker.com/2008/04/04/the-economist-misses-the-point-on-social-networks-they-are-platforms-not-comms-tools/#comment-1737 Nic, I thought the Economist piece was pretty much right, but longer term - in the interim I think there will be a number of twists and turns, and a "Mall" phase may well be one of them. Big Picture analogy to me though is that Facebook et al = AOL, CompServe etc - closed worlds. The Open "Social Internet" is not quite all there yet, but you can see the components slipping into place - Open ID, Data Portability, Blogs, UM, maybe VRM etc etc. I'm still waiting for Marc Andreessen II to build the Social Mosaic and Sir Tim II to institute the GGG. Nic, I thought the Economist piece was pretty much right, but longer term – in the interim I think there will be a number of twists and turns, and a “Mall” phase may well be one of them.

Big Picture analogy to me though is that Facebook et al = AOL, CompServe etc – closed worlds. The Open “Social Internet” is not quite all there yet, but you can see the components slipping into place – Open ID, Data Portability, Blogs, UM, maybe VRM etc etc. I’m still waiting for Marc Andreessen II to build the Social Mosaic and Sir Tim II to institute the GGG.

]]> By: alan p http://www.theequitykicker.com/2008/04/04/the-economist-misses-the-point-on-social-networks-they-are-platforms-not-comms-tools/#comment-11233 alan p Thu, 10 Apr 2008 09:38:00 +0000 http://www.theequitykicker.com/2008/04/04/the-economist-misses-the-point-on-social-networks-they-are-platforms-not-comms-tools/#comment-11233 Nic, I thought the Economist piece was pretty much right, but longer term - in the interim I think there will be a number of twists and turns, and a "Mall" phase may well be one of them. Big Picture analogy to me though is that Facebook et al = AOL, CompServe etc - closed worlds. The Open "Social Internet" is not quite all there yet, but you can see the components slipping into place - Open ID, Data Portability, Blogs, UM, maybe VRM etc etc. I'm still waiting for Marc Andreessen II to build the Social Mosaic and Sir Tim II to institute the GGG. Nic, I thought the Economist piece was pretty much right, but longer term – in the interim I think there will be a number of twists and turns, and a “Mall” phase may well be one of them.

Big Picture analogy to me though is that Facebook et al = AOL, CompServe etc – closed worlds. The Open “Social Internet” is not quite all there yet, but you can see the components slipping into place – Open ID, Data Portability, Blogs, UM, maybe VRM etc etc. I’m still waiting for Marc Andreessen II to build the Social Mosaic and Sir Tim II to institute the GGG.

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