Social Networks:
Hype vs Reality
Piero Rivizzigno
p.rivizzigno@glossom.com

Social Networks Defined
• Web-based services that
allow individual to:
– Define public or semi-public
profile
– Articulate a list other users
with whom the share the
connection
– View and traverse their list
of connections and those
made by others within the
system
source: danah boyd

Some Reality Check
source: mary meeker, alexa.com

Bubble vs Boom
Bubble vs Boom
The 2000 bubble was driven by IPOs
Today the cost for running an Internet company is less than
1/10 compared with 2000
Online Advertising, e-Commerce and Brodband usage are
steadily increasingover the last 6 years

SNs: Hyped but Not so New
source: danah boyd

Wired and
the Hype Mashu-up Generator
http://coolmel.zaadz.com/blog/2006/9/the_present_future_and_beyond_zaadz

Personal Self-Interest
Precedes Network or Social Value

Money in the “click economy” is
made by access to Communities

Some Conversations are Going
On
Platform vs Applications
White Label Social Networking vs Custom Solution
Open Graph vs Walled Garden SNs
Ego-Centric vs Social Object SNs

Platform vs Application
Most of times platforms win in the proprietary world
Innovators and Entrepenuers in the long run strikeback

Open Graph vs Walled Garden
Who owns the data of the Social Graph ?
How do I port my social graph data across different SNs?
One Social Graph or Multiple Social Graph?

Ego-Centric vs Social Object
Photo
Video
…
Self-expression
Communication

White Label vs Custom Solution
Complex effort
Expensive
Full blown capabilities
Simple to Start
Very cheap
Constraints on customization

The Hype Risk is Always There

CREDITS
PHOTOS IDEAS
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pkdouyk/288790
chris anderson
384/in/set-72157594281373515/
danah boyd
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rob_goodspeed/
158808736/
stowe boyd
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kubina/4944606
2/in/photostream/
jiry engestrom
http://www.flickr.com/photos/truthlying/30486
286/
reid hoffman
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pingnews/30063
8740/
joshua porter
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8945297@N03/5
51902264/
david recordon
http://www.flickr.com/photos/fine-
cars/50789396/
cristine wodtke
http://www.flickr.com/photos/iamthelaw/19264
8955/