Just saw a fast raising UK social network: badoo.com

Very simple in design, good and fancy look (like a web 2.0 does), very simple in function(in compare of all those social networks), very easy for user-user interactive(real time notify, web chat). It makes it grow extremely fast.

Design is so important for a successful web site.

some reports:

http://mashable.com/2007/12/24/badoo-aiming-to-take-on-the-uk-in-2008/

Google said it’s one of fastest raising search term global wise, even above “facebook”:

http://www.google.com/intl/en/press/zeitgeist2007/

The traffic growth also looks awesome:

http://www.alexa.com/data/details/traffic_details/badoo.com/search

Popularity: 100% [?]

Share This

Google’s Open Social is a new buzz these days, I can’t wait to see what on earth it look like. During my waiting period I blogged a few of words of my concerns (sorry in Chinese only), I feel "Open Social" is either a hype or a "too good to be true" stuff, because several those "friends" of Google are just head to head competitors.

Finally it was there, I am a little bit disappointed with what I see, the "Open Social" is actually a buzz word combination, I would rather call it’s a  web widget/gadget SDK/API.

How to get start?  Here is what google said:

How do I start?

1. Request access to the Orkut sandbox
2. Check out the OpenSocial API
3. Read about the Anatomy of an Orkut Application

I am disappointed again, first, now only orkut sandbox available as a "container"; second,you even need a request to get that orkut sandbox account, I made a request and so far no response.

Open social is not a open API for social network sites, nor it is a protocol or standard that help social network expose their social meta data, it even don’t try to provide unified identity for users who have many accounts in different networks.

Open social is a "SDK" for social network sites to weapon up and become another "facebook platform", that all.

From the documents and discussion groups, it seemed you have to apply from Google to become a "container" site, what an "open" is if you actually need a boss to approve for that "open"?

Fortunately, there is one, maybe the only one available right now, it’s Plaxo Pulse, you can add a rockyou emote gadget to your plaxo pulse profile page:

If you are a Pulse user, the URL for adding an OpenSocial API is:

http://pulse.plaxo.com/pulse/gadgets/

The specific URL for the RockYou app is:

http://dev2.rockyou.com/google_apps/emote/emote_xml.php

I wrote a simple test open social application, actually it’s just a copy/paste version from Google’s document for an initial test, when I try to add my application to Plaxo, guess what?

– It need approval! Even for a gadget to add into my own profile need their approval! What kind of "open" it is?!

Maybe too many people were setting too much expectation on this "Open Social", however it looks more like a google’s PR events for the latest "facebook microsoft" deal, unfortunately.

Popularity: 30% [?]

Share This

I believe the social network will be a sharp tool for the president 2008. Today when I open up linked in, I found Barack Obama was there. He seemed to be my 3rd degree "friend".

Popularity: 31% [?]

Share This