Posts filed under ‘mobile social networking’
Batman wants to be added to your phonebook
Why build a social network from scratch – Forbes reports on the emerging trend of address book services trying to turn your phonebook or email contacts into a social network. However, a user’s data on most of today’s social networks are by nature “public” (defined here as information shared with friends and/or others), while one’s phonebook data is inherently “private.” It’s one thing importing selected contacts from your phonebook to build a social network, and yet another building a social network on top of the phonebook. An exceedingly delicate balance is required to prevent a user’s personal information from being compromised.
Comcast agreed to acquire online address book service Plaxo on May 14, for an undisclosed sum. On May 16, U.K.-based carrier Vodafone spent $49 million on its first mobile Internet purchase: Zyb, a private Danish company, which, like Plaxo, helps users manage their contacts with social networking features.
Both Comcast and Vodafone plan to use their acquisitions to help people share information with contacts listed in their cellphone’s address book.
