Author Archives: zephoria

the economics of networks.

Friendster is still free. Of course, Friendster is still in beta. All indicators suggest that Jonathan will turn on pay when Friendster stops being free; these indicators also suggest that he will use a Match.com model and charge people to message those that they’re interested in.

This makes me sad.

As i discussed before, people are dating via Friendster. Of course, once there is pay, those not interested in dating will not have many of the tools necessary to maintain their network in a meaningful way, nor will they see the value in paying to do so. Those who are dating will only pay for one type of dating activity: reaching out to people beyond their immediate network (i.e. 4 degrees and effectively random).

People are still responding to my survey. It’s pretty clear that they view that providing Friendster with data about them and their friends is their contribution. They feel as though they own their data and that they have no reason to pay for abuses of that data.

I have a funny feeling that when Friendster turns pay, its usage will change dramatically and not in a way that will make the network more valuable.

Tribe.net hits the blogs

Tribe.net is currently in early beta, yet it has already appeared on a wide variety of blogs. [Tribe.net is YASNS focus on 1) Recommendations and listings (housemates, for sale, etc.) and 2) Letting people connect with their groups of friends.]

Marc Canter [29 July 2003] – reflections by Marc on Tribe and the lessons that are being learned; references to other’s experiences

Jason Lefkowit [28 July 2003] – Jason is frustrated with the YASNS phenomenon, particularly because of its requirement to harangue one’s friends. His friend points out that it would be far more useful if those with power and influence were a part of the system.

Michael Radwin [4 August 2003] – puts the YASNS phenomenon in historical context and hints at why he’s hesistent to use these systems. [Sidenote: Michael was one of my TAs at Brown! How cool to run into someone this way.]

Pedro Alocer [8 August 2003] – without the sex, what’s the point?

Where’s the Smoke? [5 August 2003] – the author asks what the difference is between Tribe.net and Friendster and his readers comment back that it is both the focus on Tribes and the blending of Friendster meets Craigslist

William Blaze [28 July] – William notes that Tribe’s look and feel doesn’t work for him, but also likes that Tribe seems open to changes

Liz Lawley [6 August 2003] – Fake characters appear early on Tribe.net. Liz is asked if she’s a friend of Jesus.

Popdex – a list of links to blogs that are talking about Tribe.net

FRinBL 8

William Blaze [27 July 203] – personal ponderings on social networks

Hipsters Are Annoying [7 August 2003] – fictional stories about Friendster

Gawker [11 August 2003] – Jayson Blair’s Friendster page

Meg [4 August 2003] – her friend’s explanation for why he quit Friendster.

Gawker [28 July 2003] – comments on a NYT article about Williamsburg chic that says “He listens to Electroclash music, has 40-plus pals on Friendster and creates art with discarded household paint under the moniker Scooter.”

Lorem Ipsum [28 July 2003] – joining because of high synchronicity, Lorem reflects on the articulated network aspects of Friendster.

ebaying folks

After two users decided to eBay their Friendster connections, i wrote them to understand their motivations. One responded with a response that still makes me smile (yes, i have a sore spot for folks who can meta into theory).

The reason the idea of selling access to your friends network was so appealing to me is that it concretizes the commodification inherent to Friendster. The two most addictive attributes of the site are the collecting of Friendsters and the ongoing process of packaging your profile. The only real shortcoming is that the ‘self’ you’re packaging on Friendster is a strictly delimited individual – but when I’m selling my network on ebay, the value is determined by my extended self, definedby its relationships and surfaces rather than content – in other words, the true me, in its full, fragmented, postmodern glory, all the more true the instant a dollar value is placed on it!

One also responded to Gawker:

if you bid and win then i will be able to hip you to the extreme levels of coolness of which you have only dreamed. i am in the center of LA HIP whirlwind nonsense. ask around, find out who i am, come to LA and meet me. believe that i know what words come from which week or month and exactly when they ended. try checking out some of the stuff that you are trying to be hipper than. acting like your over something that just started last week is a long standing tradition in LA. in fact we might say its passe’, very last year. interest is the new apathy. feel free to use anything i say to you, i’m sure its much easier to use others material than to have to say this is stupid over and over again all day long.” No, no, no, my friend (or my friendster, as it were.) New York has the ultimate advantage in acting like we’re over something that just started last week. We control the media industry. You don’t know it’s cool until we tell you it’s cool. But I do like “interest is the new apathy.