Chapter 3: Make Loose Connections: The New Shape of “Families” and Social Networks
General Summary- The music industry relies on MySpace.com for much of its new music talent. Often bands will preview songs on MySpace before they are sold in B and M stores. Online communities are starting to take control of the buying world. Sites such as epinions.com and buy.com allow viewers to see raw, unedited opinions on a variety of products. More and more of these are popping up and consumers are becoming smarter buyers. These sites can be a blessing for small projects that would not have been successful without the support of certain niche groups on the web. However, it can be the downfall of projects that are deemed “bad” in the minds of bloggers.
More people are turning to online communities to make connections. The friendly neighborhood scenes of the past are no longer as relevant and are being replaced with online niche communities and social networks. People are looking for ways to interact and connect that they would not ordinarily find.
Case Studies-
www.DateMyPet.com is an example of niche networking that provides a unique relationship for members. The site is not all about dating, but rather connecting pet lovers to other pet lovers.
www.facebook.com is similar to MySpace, but is geared more towards the college student. The site has recently created a high school network and now allows anyone to join. However, the majority of the members are college aged.
www.43things.com connects people who have similar life goals with one another. Members can choose from a set of popular goals or can create their own. Other members can “cheer” on members who are trying to reach a certain goal.
www.flickr.com allows members to post and share photos with friends and online communities. People can leave comments on photos and can “tag” friends in photos.
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