Cory Collier

I was scrolling through Twitter & Google Reader today, and something occurred to me: There are way too many social networks ‘out there’. It’s funny too, ’cause all of them want you and all your friends. It’s an obvious pitch (what business doesn’t want as many consumers as possible). The thing that’s interesting though, is to what length many social networks will go to get your friends.

I forget who’s blog I was reading, but someone made a really good point about handing out passwords in a social network signup process. Join LinkedIn or Facebook, and you’ll be prompted with a message asking for your Gmail, Yahoo, MSN, etc.. email and password. The idea, is to get all of your existing friends immediately on this new social network. The point? That’s probably akin to handing out your social security number over the internet.

How preposterous is it to think it’s a good idea to hand out your email and password to a 3rd party? Your email, and it’s associated password are likely the most important passwords you have on the internet. So for someone to ask you to hand that out, is like a salesman asking for your house keys. Do you really trust someone you don’t know to be judicious with your most personal of internet information?

Add to that, Facebook Apps. A preface to all my friends, I like you, and I treasure your friendship. However, I never ever ever add Facebook Apps. Why? I don’t give out my personal info to 3rd party apps, just because my friend got roped into it. Just because all of your friends jump off the Brooklyn Bridge …

Facebook applications are a subset of social networks. Those applications, just like Bebo and Orkut, are looking for a larger and larger base of users, to justify some sort of buyout by a VC firm, or Ad revenue from someone else looking to tap into their publishing reach.

It may sound so obvious that it’s stupid. That’s fair, but really think about that the next time you want to send a ‘How Much Do You Think I’m worth’ invitation to me. The same way a stripper acts like she likes you, is the same way these apps pretend to provide something you might care about.

Remember, the underlying motivation is to reach as many people as possible. That’s very different than trying to help as many people as possible.

And that brings me to the point:

What are all these networks about? Really. After a while; I’ve connected with enough old friends, I’ve shared enough fun facts, and I’ve wasted enough of my life. What now? Where’s the value? If some network is going to ask for some of the most important information you have, then shouldn’t it be really worth it?

That’s the point. The way most social networks are written now, to reach the broadest base possible, there simply isn’t any real value provided. Granted, some folks will probably use them incessantly. For the rest of us, there’s a world out there waiting for us. 

So, the challenge:

To all you Social Network Entrepreneurs out there, how about a social network that actually provides something worthwhile? The next big thing is social networks isn’t just being in a network that has a refined set of the same features as everyone else. The next big thing must have more than that, like a social network that raises the average users credit score or something. 

I suppose it’ll happen about the same time we get WYTIWYG editing

** UPDATE ** I’d be completely remiss if I didn’t thank Chris Scott, a local Orlando developer for showing me the following video. Dude, you are the man. Thanks again.