Tag Archives: Web 2.0

On October 9, I plan on attending FaceBookCampToronto2, an “unconference” that is part of FaceBook Developer Garage, and it brings together developers and marketers to discuss the creation and promotion of FaceBook apps. The first FaceBookCamp that occurred on August 8 was geared more to the development crowd, but the agenda for the October 9 FaceBookCamp seems geared more to the marketers among us.

I am still making my mind up whether I want to live-blog the event, or if I want to cover it in a series over the week following. But I will be be covering the events of FaceBookCamp Toronto on October 9 in any case for those who are unable to attend.

For those interested and who will be in the Toronto area on October 9, you can confirm your attendance to FaceBookCampToronto2 here: BarCamp wiki

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The social phenomena of specialization is not a new – every human pursuit has a tendency to specialization it seems. It makes sense, really. Specialization allows for greater productivity, which is mutually beneficial for all those involved. It seems that social bookmarking and social networking sites are not to be left out in this tendency towards specialization.

Social bookmarking and social networking allow the user to interact with other users, and for the user to also contribute to the site. Over the past several years, generalized websites for these purposes have achieved great success. Now, specialized sites are popping up to “increase the productivity” of users. For example, the recent unveiling of Sphinn, the social bookmarking site for internet marketers, has been very well-received by the online community. And today, I learn that there is now a social networking site for people who like hip-hop. StreetCred is being endorsed by some big names in music, and even in beta has garnered some attention. There are many examples I could site, but these are some better examples of social networking / bookmarking that truly endeavor to fill a niche market.

Benefits of the specialization of Web 2.0

• Users will not have to sift through as much information they do not want
• Those submitting the information will reach the people who are looking for it much quicker
• Tighter social community based on shared interests and abilities
• The principle of comparative advantage would dictate that in fact users of the various social sites would indeed benefit from information being “produced” in “different places” by those who were especially in a position to produce it
• From a marketing perspective – the more places to market the better

Drawbacks of the Specialization of Web 2.0

• Encourages a myopic view by reducing the diversity of information the user sees

Some suggestions for good social bookmarking and social networking sites:

• Social bookmarking site with news about social bookmarking
• Social networking site for cowboys :)
• Social networking where you can list dance parties
• Social bookmarking site for spammers – maybe if we give them their own site, they won’t bother with the others… ?

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