Plethora of Social Networking Websites

Probably the biggest Web 2.0 buzzword of 2008 thus far and maybe even 2007 has been “Social Networking”.  Most of you are probably already part of communities like Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Orkut, etc.  However what amazes me about my recent findings is how many other forms and variations of social networks exist.

Wikipedia has a list of many of these Social Networks and it’s interesting what concepts people have been trying to build social networks around (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_social_networking_websites).  There’s niche specific social networks like BlackPlanet for AfricanAmericans, there’s device specific (mobile applications) social networks and many other forms.

The question is, with soo many social networks out there is there any room for others in the market?  I believe there is, however entrepreneurs need to think outside the box, specifically the laptop and desktop machine to see where the opportunities lie.

As some of you may know, Google is working on entering the mobile market.  They’ve developed a mobile OS called Android (http://code.google.com/android/) and back in 2007 we heard the now confirmed rumors that they are developing a mobile phone all their own.  To encourage development on the new Android platform Google has also started the “Android Developer Challenge” (http://code.google.com/android/adc.html) and will dish out cash prices and rewards to those who develop engaging applications, and one area of focus their interested in is social networking.

Yahoo is also getting in on the mix and announced this year their “oneConnect” mobile service that promises to be a one-stop-shop for messaging and social applications so you don’t have to worry about fetching your updates from each one of them separately.

So with all this social networking activity coming from the big dogs how can you fit in? From what I see there’s many great new tools out there for developers such as OpenSocial, SocialGraph, various APIs, Widget and others to create new appealing niche specific applications from.

Or maybe as mentioned above it’s time to think beyond the laptop and the desktop computer.  Maybe the opportunity lies in the GPS system in your car, or maybe in the new electronic displays in malls.  Wherever it may be don’t be afraid to challenge the existing norms of society and build a more social globe.

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Google’s New Social Graph API

Google really is trying to capture every piece of information and activity available to them. The good this is at least they are making this available for us to use.

The newest API is the Social Graph API. To dumb it down, every link on the net that you have can be simplified to a “me” link or a “friend” link, or another classification. For explanation purpose lets stick to these two type of links.

The API will allow you to map the path between your “me” and “friend” links to help you find connections you have on other networks in the new network you’ve decided to join.

So for example, if I join Facebook and I have no friends but have a link to my MySpace page. The API can be used to traverse through my MySpace friends and find which of them also have Facebook accounts so I can have friends on Facebook too!

There are lots of great opportunities to be explored with these and the other APIs available to you. You don’t need to know how to code. You need to have an idea, a plan and form the best people you can find to help execute that.

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