Another day, another new social network

eBay’s decision to add a social networking feature presents an intriguing fusion of Web 1.0 functionality (we go online to buy stuff) and Web 2.0 interaction (we go online to sell ourselves). Facebook, MySpace and LinkedIn encourage users to accumulate as many “friends” and contacts as possible. But as this thoughtful Christian Science Monitor piece points out, such virtual friendships are mainly just commodities that enhance our status. On eBay’s social net, there’ll be no such pretense. He Who Has The Most Things Wins, and impresses all the other geeks who lust after vintage Frank Herbert paperbacks, Sinatra records and clamshell Macs. It’ll be more real than the social nets, because you can fake a Facebook profile, but positive feedback on eBay must be earned. In fact, it’s the purest union of content and commerce, the true beginning of Web 3.0. Maybe I’ll auction off my social-network-for-Davids domain. And some of those Old Blue Eyes 78s. (I can’t get them to play on my Zune.)

—Posted by David Gianatasio

October 10, 2007 | Permalink