The Anti-Social-Network Social Network

After reading Jenn's post on social networking in advertising, and after seeing the advertisement which equated hotel lobbies to social networking it made me think about this article I read in the New York Times last week about a variation on social networking sites.

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/03/the-anti-social-network-social-network/

The article explains that there is a new social networking site named By/Association which has striped down the facebook social networking format to create a site specifically for the expansion of "social horizons." The idea is similar to a hotel lobby as well were professionals and "creative types" can reach out to people outside of their industry to people that they might never have the chance to meet. I like the idea because its a professional environment which promotes social out reach beyond the "people you know" button.

It's also interesting that the site does not include pictures or profiles which have become standards in the facebook format or dating sites. I think its food for thought to maybe think outside of the "facebook" box.

Mock Up Design

The mock-up designs we received in class last week were a marked improvement on the map we've been working with currently. There is still a long way to go, however, to make it as user friendly as possible.

As someone who has accounts on multiple social networking sites, the user interface is the number one factor in whether or not people use it. I feel like usability is the new ergonomics -- instead of adapting our physical tools and objects to fit our hands and bodies, we have to adapt our online web technology to make it as easy to use as possible.

As cliche as it sounds, Facebook has done it right: a nice, simple, illustrative graphic on the left, and the "Sign Up!" feature is nice and prominent. The site isn't too cluttered, and only the pertinent information is featured.


The Twitter homepage is great too because it shows what people are talking about. Imagine that -- a communication site that shows recent communication and encourages people to "Join the Conversation" as a sign-up.

I think getting the homepage right is the most important, because it has to be welcoming and get people in the door before this site becomes useful.