Why on-line email and IM systems ain’t social graphs
Fred Wilson just posted something insinuating that Hotmail, AIM and otehr on-line IM and email systems can be ‘converted into social graphs. Or ARE social graphs.
We tried that at AOL. Its called AIMpages.
Sure the execution was wanting and it was never marketed - but it points at exactly what Fred Wilson missed: “people are not cattle that can be shuttled between disparate systems to benefit large companies.”
That’s a VC POV.
Social Network vendors are LUCKY enough to have those users. They better be pretty NICE to those people or else they’re gonna leave. Look what happened to Friendster? Their names may stay in the registration database, but they’re nto coming back.
So stop thinking of these social network #’s and comscore/hitwise rankings as anything more that residue and evidence of something else that is going on.
Referring to ‘social graphs‘ brings with it - other responsibilities, insights and awareness that ALL YOU VCs out there better start grokking. Providing people with on-line servcies (like a social network, photo sharing site or blogging tool) only works as long as they’re happy, engaged and the vendor is transparent,
As soon as all sorts of rules, policies and monetization tricks are laid on top of this ‘place’ - it changes. That was called ‘the fakesters’ on Friendster.
Look at what’s happening to YouTube - as we speak.
So Fred - I love yah - but you’re wrong. It’s NOT a game of numbers. Its about providing compelling experiences.
You know - like de.licio.us. Which never did figure out a business model. Right?
But you don’t care - cause you sold it to Yahoo - anyway.
Marc
I ended my post with something like “google, microsoft, yahoo, and AOL had better get busy”
they aren’t social nets. but they can be. the “friends” i have on facebook don’t include 90% of my best friends
but my best friends are all in my email address book
and with a tool like xobni, i now know who are my top email relationships
my wife, my partner, my kids, my buddies, my co-workers, etc
that is my social graph
facebook isn’t and never will be
so if any of these email or IM vendors got religion about building a real social net on top of the address books or buddy lists they have, it would powerful
at least it would be powerful for me
fred
Marc
I ended my post with something like “google, microsoft, yahoo, and AOL had better get busy”
they aren’t social nets. but they can be. the “friends” i have on facebook don’t include 90% of my best friends
but my best friends are all in my email address book
and with a tool like xobni, i now know who are my top email relationships
my wife, my partner, my kids, my buddies, my co-workers, etc
that is my social graph
facebook isn’t and never will be
so if any of these email or IM vendors got religion about building a real social net on top of the address books or buddy lists they have, it would powerful
at least it would be powerful for me
fred
Marc
I ended my post with something like “google, microsoft, yahoo, and AOL had better get busy”
they aren’t social nets. but they can be. the “friends” i have on facebook don’t include 90% of my best friends
but my best friends are all in my email address book
and with a tool like xobni, i now know who are my top email relationships
my wife, my partner, my kids, my buddies, my co-workers, etc
that is my social graph
facebook isn’t and never will be
so if any of these email or IM vendors got religion about building a real social net on top of the address books or buddy lists they have, it would powerful
at least it would be powerful for me
fred
When we were talking about FOAF, I remember suggesting an application that exported your IM Contacts as a FOAF file. Same for your Outlook address file. Both of those ideas suggest to me that there is Social Graph information hidden in both IM and Email.
Which then raises the question of Plaxo. They are aggregating Social Graph information from Email. They’re then adding Social Network type function to this graph. And by getting involved in OpenSocial early, they’re then moving towards providing Facebook type function on top of all this. So now explain to me how this couldn’t or shouldn’t be done by GMail. Especially as many of us are already using GMail as a poor man’s Rolodex, purely because every new shiny Social Network has a Gmail Import function.
At which point I look at Orkut which is where all the OpenSocial action is centered. Why the hell doesn’t Orkut have a “Find my GMail friends” function?
When we were talking about FOAF, I remember suggesting an application that exported your IM Contacts as a FOAF file. Same for your Outlook address file. Both of those ideas suggest to me that there is Social Graph information hidden in both IM and Email.
Which then raises the question of Plaxo. They are aggregating Social Graph information from Email. They’re then adding Social Network type function to this graph. And by getting involved in OpenSocial early, they’re then moving towards providing Facebook type function on top of all this. So now explain to me how this couldn’t or shouldn’t be done by GMail. Especially as many of us are already using GMail as a poor man’s Rolodex, purely because every new shiny Social Network has a Gmail Import function.
At which point I look at Orkut which is where all the OpenSocial action is centered. Why the hell doesn’t Orkut have a “Find my GMail friends” function?
When we were talking about FOAF, I remember suggesting an application that exported your IM Contacts as a FOAF file. Same for your Outlook address file. Both of those ideas suggest to me that there is Social Graph information hidden in both IM and Email.
Which then raises the question of Plaxo. They are aggregating Social Graph information from Email. They’re then adding Social Network type function to this graph. And by getting involved in OpenSocial early, they’re then moving towards providing Facebook type function on top of all this. So now explain to me how this couldn’t or shouldn’t be done by GMail. Especially as many of us are already using GMail as a poor man’s Rolodex, purely because every new shiny Social Network has a Gmail Import function.
At which point I look at Orkut which is where all the OpenSocial action is centered. Why the hell doesn’t Orkut have a “Find my GMail friends” function?
Hi…Man i love reading your blog, interesting posts ! it was a great Friday .
Hi…Man i love reading your blog, interesting posts ! it was a great Friday .
Hi…Man i love reading your blog, interesting posts ! it was a great Friday .