My Social Network Experience

Social Networking… who would have ever thought it’d be as big as it is today. Everyone and their brother is in the game. And while I have an account on just about everyone of them, there are only a few that I log into on a regular basis.

Of course, I don’t count sites like Twitter, Plurk, or Pownce as a “Social Network”. Other people do, but I still consider these blogging services… or if you’d prefer micro-blog. Over the last few weeks, I’ve been thinking about a few services, and here are my thoughts…

Continue reading

Playing With Plurk

Ok, so yesterday I wrote a message about Plurk. I must admit, after playing with it for a couple of days and communicating with my Neowin friends, I’ve become somewhat of an addict. For me, it has been so much better than my short run at Twitter (which I still update via ping.fm).

For those of you that have never used a service like Plurk or Twitter. They are often referred to as mico-blogs, to be honest, I hate that term. Think of it is a semi-live chat/form. You post something, and other people can reply. You can give a status update (i.e. d3bruts1d is off to take a nap), share videos and pictures, or have a conversation. – Unlike forums that are generally geared toward specific topics (Neowin, TR, OCC, etc.), these kinds of service are usually far more open. Allowing you to discuss your favorite foods, beer, movies, tv shows, talk tech, the weather, sports, or whatever floats you boat. And it’s fun, ask just about anyone that is plurking right now.

So, if you aren’t plurking yet. Go ahead and give it a try. Feel free to add ‘d3bruts1d’ to your friends list if you want someone to talk with. :)

Will Google or MySpace Buy Bebo?

Rumor is that either Google or MySpace could be looking to buy social network Bebo. Word is the deal could be anywhere between $1 and $1.5 billion.

If MySpace were to buy Bebo, it could still be a win for Google as both MySpace and Bebo use Google’s OpenSocial platform. Bebo however also supports the competing Facebook platform. Chances are either way the Facebook support would get the axe.

Of course, if Google were to end up buying Bebo it could help strengthen Google’s Orkut and maybe help it to catch on more in the US. Of course, anywhere Google can stick it’s ads will be beneficial to the company.