Robert Scoble offers some very interesting on Microsoft and social networks (via Personal Insights). Scoble's sees Microsoft as being to tech and ad revenue driven to understand what actually makes social networks work. In their purest form both tech and ad revenue are both rather asocial - or more simply, intrusive. People want to be with people and things they like. Everything else is a potential disturbance and being intrusive in a social network has obvious dangers. The interesting thing is that today's NYT-newsletter underscored the timeliness of Scoble's argument:
TECHNOLOGY
Microsoft Updates Its iPod Competitor
By JEFF LEEDS
Microsoft has revamped its slow-selling Zune digital music players and
created a MySpace-style social-networking site in its drive to compete
with Apple.
Microsoft to Increase Ad Business
By VICTORIA SHANNON
Steve Ballmer, the company’s chief executive, said Tuesday that
advertising would become 25 percent of Microsoft’s business within a
few years.
The first article is about Zune and how the new version has, allegedly, better social networking functions. The second is about Microsoft's goals for on line advertising. It seems Microsoft is indeed very much still struggling where to go. Also, ignoring Microsoft, the post is more than worth reading just for its insights into social networks.
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