Microsoft Launches Social Network 153
prostoalex writes "Inspired by the fast growth of social networks such as Facebook and MySpace, Microsoft is launching a test version of its own social network. Wallop brands itself as 'the exclusive social experience,' and is technically a separate company, a startup that's based on technologies developed by Microsoft Research. As far as revenues, Wallop 'plans to sell graphics and other features people can use to decorate their personal profile pages,' says MSNBC."
A slice of M$, a la mode (Score:4, Insightful)
Wallop brands itself as 'the exclusive social experience', and is technically a separate company, a startup that's based on technologies developed by Microsoft Research. As far as revenues, Wallop 'plans to sell graphics and other features people can use to decorate their personal profile pages'
Exclusive? I suppose the old invite a friend to join thing is the barrier to keeping seedier people (like most slashdotters and OSS & Linux evangelists) out.
'Sell graphics and other features ...' Hey, I've got an idea. Why not just build your own website and run a blog on it. Sounds cheaper and more exclusive.
'technologies developed by Microsoft Research' Does this mean there will be an endless parade of vulnerabilities and patches? That's what I associate with their technologies, based upon a very well established track record. I see it features Flash on the home page. What happened to Microsoft's alternative to that?
Late to yet another dance, Microsoft attempts once again to show they brought the best date. Not a bad looker, but just don't ask about the white streaks in her hair and the bolt in her neck...
in soviet russia invite wallops YOU!
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This is retarded. How many people are really going to pay for things that they can do for free on other sites that are well established.
You dummy! Can't you see it's exclusive! That's one of the world's best moustraps. Say something is exclusive and people will fall all over themselves (some more casually than others) to get at it.
Of course, this strategy only works a few times in brighter people. But I'm sure there's enough people in the world who would fall for the 'exclusive' bit to keep Wallop i
Re:A slice of M$, a la mode (Score:5, Funny)
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Sell graphics and other features ...' Hey, I've got an idea. Why not just build your own website and run a blog on it. Sounds cheaper and more exclusive.
Yeah, I can see this becoming a hotbed of hotlinking in an awful hurry...
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Secondly, there's already a cottage industry of layouts, graphics, etc., for sale on MySpace. Microsoft wants to tap into it firsthand, is all.
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they don't want millions of spambots creating accounts. (And if spambots DO create accounts, you have handy chains that you can use to ban them en masse.)
Still, you can guess there are people sitting in rooms, willing to defeat this scheme so they can include their pharma ads, pump & dumps and other schlock.
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I'm also considering creating a chatroom accessible from a beb
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RestOfTheWorld: "Hey that's cool as long as it's free I will use it and like it"
Microsoft: "Me too!"
Front page is pointless (Score:5, Interesting)
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LOL!!
Thanks for the laugh.
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Besides a refreshingly new social experience, you would gain a vista of networking services that would allow your mind to focus on global interaction in close, yet broad, human networks. The safe and free environment would embrace your personality with rich media content as well as allow you to easily express this to yo
Re:A slice of M$, a la mode (Score:4, Interesting)
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Exclusive? I suppose the old invite a friend to join thing is the barrier to keeping seedier people (like most slashdotters and OSS & Linux evangelists) out.
It's probably just an attempt at reverse psychology. Tell people they can't get in because it's exclusive, and people will want in. It worked for Gmail, but I don't think it'll work here.
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Late To The Dance Meme (Score:1)
http://www.realmeme.com/roller/page/realmeme/?ent
http://us.cyworld.com/ (Score:2)
Selling graphics... (Score:2)
Microsoft should have this monopoly nailed down shut.
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Nothing for you to see here. Please move along.
Don't you see? It's exclusive and you are on the outside.
You want to be on the inside, don't you? Lotsa fun in there. Bet it's better than whatever's going on behind the green door. Wow! Too bad you don't have an invite! Gosh, what you're missing out on.
Something interesting to see... (Score:2)
Ouch! (Score:5, Funny)
"Hey Joe! I just walloped you!"
"Ow! Screw you!"
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I don't get why anyone would care what music I like listening to or how pretty I can make my background.
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I can't exactly picture joining a service entitled "Wallop", no matter how many friends I have on there...it sounds pretty painful!
Someone probably mumbled 'Wallet', which with the sale of extras could still wallop you painfully.
aigh! my credit card bill! i've been walloped!
I remember when many were willing, back in the day, to pay up to $12 an hour to be on Compuserve & GEnie, nattering away using their crude message boards. Perhapds some think that market still exists.
Personnaly I expect it
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Microsoft uses IRC? (Score:2, Interesting)
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Two, there's actually an IRC command called "WALLOPS" that sends a message to all people who have the +w usermode set, but I doubt that's where they got the name from.
$ocial network (Score:5, Funny)
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Hmmm .... as far as I can tell, Microsoft has made a business model out of selling (initially lousy) implementations other people's ideas for profit.
Sadly, they might continue with this one. Especially when they start including it in the default bookmarks of a shipping IE or something. It's good to have a near monopoly when you
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I hate that.
Oh the black thing... its just a joke. An exclusive club, would always look down on you for something you can not help... such as being of a certain race, born into the middle class, or genetically different such as a chronic illness, appearance etc.
ALMOST funny. I agree. Dam phone calls.
Who do you want to meet today? (Score:4, Funny)
Microsoft does not own this... (Score:5, Informative)
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History of Wallop (Score:2, Interesting)
--
But why did Microsoft pay
$$$ earlier this year for
my domain [domaintools.com] ?
NEW! KidneyPunch.com (Score:1)
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An appropriate name (Score:5, Insightful)
1. to beat soundly; thrash.
2. Informal. to strike with a vigorous blow; belt; sock: After two strikes, he walloped the ball out of the park.
3. Informal. to defeat thoroughly, as in a game.
Considering the success, or lack thereof, of other attempts by Microsoft to enter already established markets, their name will be exactly what will happen to them.
Granted, I'm sure the reason for the name was to imply that the service will beat Facebook and MySpace but really, the marketing folks should have used history as a guide before settling on the name.
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I'm not so sure. They might just scrape up the less-than-tech-savvy market, the people who own computers, use the Web in a cursory fashion, would like some of these features, and recognize Microsoft's branding. I doubt they'll make inroads in the already established market unless they come up with something unique, which is not one of their st
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4. Command used to send a message to all available operators. (As in Write ALL OPeratorS).
Ok, so they don't know how to spell and dropped the s...
MS Driven Technology... but NOT ASPX (Score:1, Funny)
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In a Microsoft social networking site... (Score:5, Funny)
"It looks like you are need some friends. Would you like some help with that?"
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Possible Slogan? (Score:2)
What a stupid name. Then again, these days "Absurdly stupid" == "'Edgy'. Exhibits a penchant for the uncanny or unusual. A Likely source of pleasant surprises."
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launches? (Score:1)
Uh Oh (Score:2)
I just found a copy of the EULA they're going to use on this Wallop thing:
Is it just me, or does this sound a little ... ominous?
*Sigh* (Score:1)
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When being early makes them more money (Score:3, Insightful)
MS has been using lateness as a business model for a long time and it has worked for them. Let someone else soften up the marketplace. Let the competitior burn themselves out. Come late and you can throw the big pile of cash around to get what you want. If the model is working, why change it?
This was to be expected (Score:1)
I always believed... (Score:2, Funny)
Wallop Forums... (Score:1)
I want one for blogging about my gaming console (Score:1)
Microsoft starts a religion (Score:2)
Dear M$: you missed the bandwagon! (Score:4, Interesting)
The fact of the matter is...
A) The name 'myspace' has a lot to do with it's popularity. 'Wallop' is a word that 68% of those myspace users have never heard of, so the chances of it catching-on, or them being able to spell it even, is very slim.
B) The whole myspace phenom is long over. The majority of people who use myspace STILL, are not likely to switch to yet another social networking site. They've been to Friendster, tribez, etc. MySpace works for them.
C) The majority of people who have moved-on from myspace MAY be interested in some less-shady alternative, but I suspect that they are 'over it' with the whole social networking fetish.
Why don't they use that R&D dept. to actually innovate something for once. I mean... seriously, what a waste!
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MicroSoft has a great R&D department (Score:2)
Very little of that brain-power is commercialized. The problem I hear is a rivalry between the eggheads and people who write shipping code.
Just Playing Catch-up (Score:1)
MSN-Emo Clippy (Score:1, Funny)
For an invitation (Score:1)
Anyways, Microsoft's just going to get Walloped. Anybody who's an anybody is on MySpace/Facebook/Orkut.
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wow , with all the bashing has anybody used it? (Score:1)
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exclusive? hardly social. (Score:2)
The whole point of social networking, be it on the internet or otherwise, is to be inclusive, not exclusive. If you're being exclusive, you're not networking. Either they missed the boat, or it was an incredibly poor choice of words.
That doesn't matter, though, becuase in either event, I can excoriate Microsoft and garner more karma.
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MS does have an equity stake, I guess. *shrug*
My thoughts exactly (Score:2)
Marketing Campaign ala Yahoo (Score:2)
Have you been Walloped(TM)!?!?!
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set -w
What the hell is... (Score:1)
msn spaces, OS (Score:2)
Those of you who say it will fail don't know that Wallop will be integrated into the OS.
Just like Passport and Hotmail were.
Forums.... phpBB? (Score:2, Interesting)
So they spend all of this time making some flash based pretty site, but then just throw up a default copy of phpBB as their BBS for their designers ("modders")?
Nice to see that they're all about creativity
Yet another site to avoid (Score:2)
Windows Live Space anyone ? (Score:1)
What do they need two for ? Im not sure how this is a new step for them other than having it under a company who name doesnot contain M$ or windows or hotmail !
Not another one!!! (Score:1)
Bashing MS? Get off the high -horse..... (Score:1, Insightful)
Obviously trying to not show-off it's MS (Score:1)
roffle (Score:2, Funny)
Wallop, new huh? (Score:1)
three degrees (Score:2)
Looks like it closed down in 2005.
Not Microsoft (Score:2)
Wallop, a spinout company from Microsoft, redefines the popular social networking space by
So no, the article, summary, and headline are quite mi
I saw the title and had a vision (Score:2)
*shudders*
Haha (Score:2)
Overall, at least it doesn't look like crap (hello MySpace!!!).
The world needs another myspace (Score:2)
I wonder if this will die as quickly as Walmart's effort [walmart.com] seems to have. Probably not: the people going to this will be as dumb but have more money available.
Grasping at straws (Score:2)
"OOOOH other companies are making money on game consoles we should do that too!"
"OOOOH other companies are making money on online music we should do that too!"
"OOOOH other companies are making money on mp3 players we should do that too!"
"OOOOH other companies are making money on social websites we should do that too!"
"OOOOH other companies are making money on security software we should do that too!"
"OOOOH other companies are making money on search engines we should do
Misspelling (Score:2)
M$, the Johnny-Come-Lately to every single party... but tries to cheat its way out by bundling through its monopoly.
Troll? (Score:1)
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