---
title: "Weekly Wrap-up: Social Networking Special"
date: 2006-10-08
author: "Richard MacManus"
categories:
  - name: "ReadWriteWeb"
    url: "/category/readwriteweb.md"
tags:
  - name: "2006"
    url: "/tag/2006.md"
---

# Weekly Wrap-up: Social Networking Special

For those busy souls who don’t have time to read blogs on a regular basis, here are the highlights from Read/WriteWeb this week. It turned out to be a Social Networking special, with a lot of our posts devoted to the future of social networks.

## Google SNS integration

![](https://web.archive.org/web/20100225134713im_/http://static.flickr.com/97/244132770_81130ff696_m.jpg)*The founders of Dodgeball and Orkut [met recently](https://web.archive.org/web/20100225134713/http://www.flickr.com/photos/dpstyles/244132770/) in a Google cafe 😉*

Earlier this week [I analyzed](https://web.archive.org/web/20100225134713/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/orkut_dodgeball_merge.php) the potential for Google properties Orkut (a social networking system) and Dodgeball (a mobile sns) to merge. I noted the following trends to back up my argument: SNS + Mobile; meta-SNS + Mobile; Co-mingling of data between SNS; similar demographics between Orkut and Dodgeball.

Most commenters though had a differing view. [Hashim](https://web.archive.org/web/20100225134713/http://www.hiphop-blogs.com/)‘s comment summed up the general feeling:

> “Don’t get excited about anything Googe does in the social area. Orkut is clumsy, and Dodgeball has been stagnant. A merge of the two probably won’t be much to talk about.”

However given Google’s [current focus](https://web.archive.org/web/20100225134713/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/google_office_eric_schmidt.php) on integrating their products, who knows… 😉

## Social Networking Silver Bullets

This week we really delved into the future of Social Networking. Ebrahim Ezzy wrote an in-depth post entitled [Social Networking: Time For A Silver Bullet](https://web.archive.org/web/20100225134713/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/social_networking_silver_bullet.php). Ebrahim argued that the current state of thousands of ‘walled garden’ social networks can’t continue – we need meta social networks to connect up niche SNS. According to the poll we ran at the end of the post, 69% of you agree.

Alex Iskold followed up with [Multiply: A Different Approach To Social Networking](https://web.archive.org/web/20100225134713/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/mutiply_analysis.php). Alex explained that in [Multiply](https://web.archive.org/web/20100225134713/http://www.multiply.com/), the focus is on how individuals consume information in the social network.

On a similar theme, I did a post about how del.icio.us is [turning into a social network](https://web.archive.org/web/20100225134713/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/delicious_social_network.php) – based on an interview I did with founder Joshua Schachter. Joshua [took exception](https://web.archive.org/web/20100225134713/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/delicious_social_network.php#comment-5649) to the title I used, noting that “saving links has always been and will continue to be the focus and primary value of the system.” Nevertheless, social networking functionality *is* going to be added to del.icio.us in future – which to my mind will make it an SNS, akin perhaps to Imeem.

## Interviews!

There were plenty of in-depth interviews on R/WW this week: [blueorganizer](https://web.archive.org/web/20100225134713/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/blueorganizer_interview.php), [eSnips](https://web.archive.org/web/20100225134713/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/esnips_chat_wit.php), [HeyLetsGo](https://web.archive.org/web/20100225134713/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/heyletsgo_interview.php), and [Neil Rimer from Index Ventures](https://web.archive.org/web/20100225134713/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/neil_rimer_interview.php).

## The state of web development

Our post on a new report entitled [The State Of Web Development](https://web.archive.org/web/20100225134713/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/the_state_of_web_development.php) resulted in some interesting comments. I’d highlighted the report’s prediction that Ajax usage by web developers will surpass Flash in 2007, however several commenters noted that Ajax/Flash hybrid use is more likely. As Tom (comment 11) said: “Using the best of both these technologies is most likely the way web development is headed in the next couple of years.”

OK, roll on the new week!

*Originally published on ReadWriteWeb ([archived copy](https://web.archive.org/web/20020204040018/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/weekly_wrap-up_2-6oct06.php))*