26
October
2007
|
07:20 AM
America/Los_Angeles

Facebook: One Social Graph To Rule Them All?

Currently, Facebook seems to be emerging as the top dog social network, also called a "social graph." Reid Hoffman, founder of LinkedIn, said at the Graphing Social Patterns conference,"It is likely that there will be many social graphs, family, religeon, business. I'm not a big believer in just one social graph. It is very unlikely."


However, Mr Hoffman's scenario doesn't preclude one host of many social graphs, which Facebook is currently well positioned to provide.


Mr Hoffman said the challenges of social apps is to find something that is sustainable and can stay ahead of "me too" type applications.


He added that the economics of the Facebook platform are not yet clear but could become clearer as the platform evolves. He points out that there will be massive competition:


-Someone will try to give away anything you charge for.


-At least 3 people will copy anything that works.


-Competition will come from companies and individuals.


-Newness is extremely important and a challenge for developers.