Burger King has introduced a new Facebook application that is getting lots of attention – “Whopper Sacrifice.” The concept is essentially this: delete 10 of your Facebook friends and get a free Whopper. Each time you remove someone, that action is broadcast to your news feed – apparently, not a big deal to users so far, as more than 50,000 friends have already been sacrificed.
While Burger King’s effort is mostly about quick hit marketing and getting some press (result: success!), they might actually be onto something. As our networks on social networking sites grow and grow with people we barely know, the value of them deteriorates – to the point that removing 10 “friends” for a free sandwich actually seems like a reasonable proposition.
Facebook is evolving its product to deal with this issue – the ability to group your friends and then filter the News Feed to see updates from only certain people helps a lot. But it’s not nearly robust enough – for instance, you still can’t filter status updates by group. Meanwhile, Twitter offers no such filtering, instead yielding the demand for more custom microblogging to a variety of startups.
I like following a lot of people on social sites – it gives me a good idea of what people are talking about and creates an opportunity to engage in more conversations. But frankly, when you’re following hundreds if not thousands, a lot of those people become more or less interchangeable, especially when there are no good options to filter the noise.
I’d trade 10 Facebook friends for a Whopper. What about you?
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What it does
“Business travellers have fast-paced and unpredictable schedules.” This is propounded on the IAmInTown website. It is hard to disagree with that statement. These individuals are immersed in such a treadmill that it might be hard for them to get in touch with family and acquaintances even when they are in the same town.
This social network was created in order to address that situation. The idea is to make it simple for busy people to locate and connect with friends and colleagues in the most effective and streamlined way possible.
As a result, the website makes it possible for anybody to send invites for get-togethers of every kind, as well as posting their trip schedules and seeing who else is in town, and where he or she is staying.
Furthermore, a mobile version of the site can be readily accessed, and that makes more sense than ever if we bear in mind the public this network is aimed at.
As a conclusion, if the demands of your occupation leave you seemingly stranded in one hotel after the other, and you wish to maximize your spare time and meet with those that matter to you, this site is a safe bet.
In their own words
“Business travelers have fast-paced and unpredictable schedules. Flying, driving, and meeting with clients makes it hard to connect with friends, family and colleagues who may be close by. IAmInTown.com is about to change that. IAmInTown.com is a social-networking site for people on the go. This refined, efficient website will make it easy for busy people to locate and connect with friends and colleagues and arrange a place to meet.”
Why it might be a killer
Business travellers everywhere are bound to relish the chance to connect with those they care about efficiently.
Some questions
What information must be furnished in order to sign up?
Link: http://www.iamintown.com
Our Review: http://www.killerstartups.com/Social-Networking/iamintown-com-a-social-site-for-people-on-the-go
What it does
Trusty’s is a new social site aiming to let people find reliable and trustworthy service providers all over the country. The main objective seems to be creating a system whereby shifty providers who are out there just to make few bucks and run away are individualized and can be easily written off by prospective customers.
In that sense, this community site could be compared with a system that facilitates small town recommendations, only on a larger scale. Its eventual aim is to become a worldwide resource, and follow to the hilt the dictum that “information is power” by enabling users not only to look up and hire professionals, but also to rate and comment them online so that everybody is fully posted on who is really who.
You can join Trusty’s not only for free but also very easily by following the corresponding link. Consider doing so if you want to put your knowledge and experience to the benefit of others, and making a contribution towards assuring no one will receive a raw deal ever again.
In their own words
“Trusty’s is a FREE services network: a localized directory where service providers and small business owners create profiles, cultivate their reputations, and encourage references (reviews and ratings) from clients. Everyone who joins can provide feedback and share knowledge about who provides good service (and who doesn't). Members can search, browse and sort for service providers based on a reputation, location, price, quality of service, and specialties. They can communicate, share advice, seek referrals or build relationships across the community.”
Why it might be a killer
Such a service can result in a more realized and reliable experience for all concerned parties.
Some questions
How is the search process implemented? How much can you refine it?
Link: http://www.trustys.com
Our Review: http://www.killerstartups.com/Social-Networking/trustys-com-a-network-of-service-providers
Ever tried out Facebook Lexicon? It’s a nifty tool that looks for occurrences of certain terms on Facebook users’ walls and creates a graph that shows how often is the term mentioned over time.
The Lexicon has been around for quite a while now, but while playing with it today I noticed an interesting occurence, which you can see in the image below. Terms like “happy birthday,” obviously, are mentioned pretty much all the time, while “Obama” has had a huge spike during the presidential elections and the subsequent victory of Barack Obama.
However, the term “sex” has an unexplainable spike on Friday, May 30th of 2008. Perhaps it’s just a glitch, or maybe I’m missing something obvious, but I can’t for the life of me remember why would people mention this word more on that particular day than any other day.
Any ideas that can solve the mistery?
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MySpace, Yahoo, and Intel have unveiled a joint plan at CES to offer consumers a way to use their favorite social network directly on the TV. Imagine a tiny application that shows up on TVs and other devices equipped with Intel’s special chipset that enables consumers to access MySpace and interact with their buddies while watching television.
Well, I’m imagining it, and I don’t see the point. It’s ok, I guess; but why would I want to do this over the television set? When you watch TV, you want to watch TV, and little else (except perhaps eating popcorn). When you want to interact, you use your computer - which is probably not that far away from your TV set.
Plus, I don’t see how this beats mobile social networking. We’ve got all these beautiful devices with large screens like the iPhone and G1, with fantastic social networking applications developed for them. With a TV, you’re stuck in one corner of the house. With a mobile, you can go anywhere and carry the social network with you.
This is a try to squeeze some life out of a notoriously non-interactive medium like the television, and - like all similar initiatives before it - it will end up nowhere. In the meantime the rest of us will enjoy social networks on our computers, handhelds, netbooks or mobiles.
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What it does
People Ripple is a social network that lets people connect online with the aim of coordinating efforts in the real world, and undertake missions for the betterment of life. The ultimate aim is to make a personal, social and global difference through the activities that they enjoy.
Once you register at the site (a free process), you can see a list of current groups and their goals and objectives. When you come across one you think you can make a good contribution to, all you have to do is join it. From that point onwards, you will be able to see what the current challenges are by clicking on the button that goes by the same name.
These challenges change from week to week, and some of the featured ones when I last checked included helping homeless people, cleaning up beaches and related activities.
At the end of the day, a resource like this one can help everybody expand his awareness as regards crucial issues, and show that the Internet can act as the greatest healer around when people put it to such a laudable use. Visit the site right now and see how you can contribute to your community.
In their own words
“PeopleRipple.com is a social portal that connects people with shared real-life interests and provides them with tools and opportunities to make a Personal, Social, and Global difference through the activities they enjoy.”
Why it might be a killer
It allows anybody to help others and enrich his or her own life in the process.
Some questions
How many groups are already featured?
Link: http://www.peopleripple.com
Our Review: http://www.killerstartups.com/Social-Networking/peopleripple-com-helping-others-through-the-web
Back in August 2008, Mark Zuckerberg posted on the official Facebook blog that Facebook had reached 100 million users. Now, only 4 months later, this number has grown 50%: Facebook now has 150 million users.
And, these are active users we’re talking about. How they determine this number at Facebook is unknown to me, but it probably means that users who’ve just created an account which sits idle for a long period of time aren’t included. This is huge; Facebook is growing incredibly fast, and at this pace it will will reach 300 million users by the end of 2009.
Also worth noting: Facebook was once a US-only service, but now it has users from over 170 countries. I can personally attest to Facebook’s growth in Croatia, where recent numbers suggest a growth of 100% over the last six months of 2008, with over 400,000 users. If this example is any indication, Facebook has no problems expanding internationally, in fact, it might even be growing faster than in the US.
Besides the obvious benefits of such growth, which include catching up with MySpace and increasing advertising profits, Facebook will also have to deal with scaling problems; some of their features (Chat and Live Feed, for example) simply aren’t working very well, and users are beginning to notice.
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In their own words
“Pack your social networks in one box.”
Why it might be a killer
Any tool that makes for a more elastic social experience has a bright path ahead.
What it does
A new application that is available to Mac users everywhere, EventBox enables you to gather together your social networks in the same place, or (to directly quote the site) “pack your social networks in one box”.
Social networks that are supported so far include giants like Twitter, Facebook and Flickr. These are integrated through a rich interface that makes for dispensing with opening a plethora of different applications at the same time.
Some of the features that are going to be added soon include a HUD menu for reading messages in an unobtrusive way, and RSS syncing. Of course, support for other services such as del.icio.us and Last.fm is underway, and that would be a very welcome addition indeed.
This solution is available at a discounted price during the existing beta period, so if you are a Mac user and feel that it might be your key for unlocking a more realized social experience, then do not hesitate to pay it a visit at the provided URL and take advantage of this offer.
Some questions
How much does it cost?
Link: http://www.thecosmicmachine.com
Our Review: http://www.killerstartups.com/Social-Networking/thecosmicmachine-com-your-social-networks-in-one-box
What it does
CEOWorld is a network that describes itself as a leadership resource aimed at chief executive officers and entrepreneurs in general. It aims to give these individuals a meeting point on the web, and a space where collaborations can be discussed and fostered.
The main categories that can be accessed through the site include “Startups” and “Classifieds”, as well as prototypical sections such as “Polls” and “Videos” that adhere to the thematic elements at play.
Of course, the most recent members that have joined in the action are highlighted, and you can see if you spot any familiar faces whenever you point your browser to the site. It goes without saying that a link for inviting your very own friends to join CEOWorld is included.
One of the main advantages of social sites in general is the way they broaden the scope of each member by the sheer fact that people from (very) different regions convene together and interact in several ways. In today’s globalized world, entrepreneurs need to be as equipped as they can in order to penetrate foreign markets. This social resource might just as well do the trick, or at least stand as a good starting point.
In their own words
“This is where top executives and entrepreneurs hang out for online business & professional networking and collaboration.”
Why it might be a killer
CEOs and entrepreneurs in general are certain to relish having such a meeting point on the Internet, where they can exchange insight and general advice.
Some questions
Must you furnish any credentials in order to join in?
Link: http://www.ceoworld.biz
Our Review: http://www.killerstartups.com/Social-Networking/ceoworld-biz-where-ceos-entrepreneurs-network
Why it might be a killer
Those who want to find new books to delve upon in a dynamic fashion are certain to appreciate such a service becoming available.
Some questions
How is the intersection system actually implemented?
In their own words
“Reading Trails is the internet's most innovative social network of passionate readers. Join now to create trails, meet interesting new people and share your thoughts and tastes.”
What it does
Do you feel like reading a new book, yet are uncertain what title you should pick up next? If that is ever the case, consider wending your way to this website for a recommendation and discovery system of its own.
The idea behind Reading Trails is to find books which intersect with each other at certain points, and in specific aspects such as themes and topics. These points of intersection are then used as the basis for new trails that will hopefully lead to interesting literary finds.
This system is wholly user-fueled, actually, and upon joining in you can also engage in direct conversation with other community users and share your tastes and thoughts in a straightforward way.
All in all, it can be said that the site closely adheres to its “you’ll never have to wonder what to read next again” philosophy by providing a quite versatile platform that will accommodate users all over the world. Make a point of checking it out if you are in the mood for some literary adventures.
Link: http://www.readingtrails.com
Our Review: http://www.killerstartups.com/Social-Networking/readingtrails-com-a-different-way-to-read