Facebook went from 500 million to 600 million users in the blink of an eye. And the parodies show no sign of growing slack. If anything, they are getting better by the day.
Just check this one by a youtuber named Lynnea Malley. Nobody could fail to recognize more than a few home truths in the lyrics.
Apple unveiled Ping almost two weeks ago. Punters and experts alike were calling it a MySpace killer on the weeks prior to its release. More than a handful of people thought it would take the crown of the social network for music hands down.
Well, it turns out MySpace was much tougher than it seemed. Its huge userbase is not jumping ship that easily. And the over-commercialism of Ping dented its own credibility.
Tech blog Mashable recently polled its readers. They had to choose whether they preferred Ping or MySpace. The results?
42.3% (785 votes) MySpace
27.4% (509 votes) Ping Continue reading
As I am sure you know, Apple has just given the iTunes store a social layer by releasing Ping, a network that is solely meant for music-related interactions. According to Steve Jobs, Ping has been created to solve the problem of discovering exactly what to listen to on iTunes.
Note that Ping is not really an independent website; it is actually part of iTunes 10. It is not a site that you sign up for, and it is not a mobile application either.
Ping lets you see what your friends have downloaded, what music they like, and which gigs they are attending. And if you follow other musicians (some celebrities are already there), you get to learn about new releases straight from them. You are also informed about any shows they are going to play.
Privacy (a big issue ever since Facebook tried to impose some big changes on users sometime last year) shouldn’t be a cause of concern – you can keep everything as public or private as you want. It is possible to create a closed circle with your ten best friends and exchange music among yourselves if that is what you want.
However, the shortcomings of Ping have already been pointed out. And in a unanimous way at that.
For starters, you will lament the absolute lack of intelligence Ping has got when it comes to recommending music to you. It just looks at the artists of the hour and recommends them to you, with little rhyme or reason. Since Ping is not an independent site but it is actually part of iTunes, you would think it would use iTunes’ “Genius” feature. Well, it doesn’t. And that was a big letdown to many. Continue reading
Like it or loathe it, social networking has changed the very paradigm in which we become acquainted with others and interact with them. Facebook is the undisputed flagship of the whole social phenomenon – it has over 500 million users and a movie (directed by no other than Steven Soddeberg) that is premiering in a mater of two months.
Time, then, for a little revision of how it all got started and evolved.This is a collection of songs, spoofs and parodies of the world of social networking. Facebook, MySpace, Twitter… everything is mentioned at some point or the other.
I hope you like this selection, and I also hope that you check back tomorrow for part 2 of this feature.
1– My Mom’s On Facebook
This is my personal favorite. This video was actually featured in MusicKO way back in March. It is a hilarious hair metal song by comedy group Back Of The Class that deals with the nightmare of having your mom befriending you on Facebook.
2– Welcome To YouTube
A wry and clever piano number by Bo Burnham:
3– A Social Network For Two: A Modern Love Song
Time for a sweet interlude, now:
Name: SeeJoeRock
URL: http://www.seejoerock.com
Forget about “America’s Got Talent”, the Internet is where the chances of being discovered lie for any young performer (Greyson Chance) or for those who did never get the exposure in their day (Steve Moore). There is something incredibly idyllic about it all- it is the knowledge that if you are good, you are making it. The Internet obliterates the loathsome meet-and-greet tradition that places all the emphasis on who you know, and not on what you can do. And new performers know it by now.
I think that is the reason why there are lots of social sites for indie musicians available. Well, this is a new one – and it is quite comprehensive if you ask me. Bands can create their own profile pages, upload their songs, stream their videos and create a calendar that highlights upcoming gigs. They interact both with fellow musicians and with members of the public while doing it all. And they also do get a chance to interact with industry professionals. That is a possibility that is not offered in that many networks for indie musicians as far as I can tell. Continue reading
Name: The Sixty One
URL: http://www.thesixtyone.com
A social site, the aim of The Sixty One is simple: to let you discover new music through your friends, and upon recommending new music yourself you can gain experience points and move up towards becoming a more prestigious (and hence influential) member of the site.
And if you are an artist yourself, you can submit your own work and have it rated by the rest of the community. The system is certainly useful in the sense that if you have the right contacts you can become noticed in virtually no time at all. Continue reading
Name: Ooizit
URL: http://www.ooizit.com
You might wonder why are new social networks for musicians still being released when we have resources like MySpace available, and you have a point. But you must understand that to people located in specific parts of the world, the idea of networking locally is attractive by definition. That is, if they know the ones who are found within a given network share at least a certain geographical proximity, it is all the more enticing. The WWW has brought a whole elasticity when it comes to collaborating with others, yet if we were given the choice of collaborating over the Internet and doing it face to face then we all know which way we’d go. Continue reading
Name: Musefy
URL: http://www.musefy.com
This is a new network that is solely devoted to musicians. In fact, the site is so new that it is still in alpha. If you have a band that is missing one or two components, here you can place an ad and see profiles that are a good match. On the other hand, if you are on your own and would like to join a band then here you will be able to see if you can make strides towards fulfilling your musical vision.
Also, features for building up bonds with fans are underway. These will include the ability to engage them through sites like Facebook and so on. That is only logical – the obvious step after having the lineup in place is having somebody to play to, and somebody that is receptive and loyal at that. Continue reading
Name: We Love Festivals
URL: http://www.welovefestivals.com
There are many social networks that are aimed at music lovers, and many are a bit similar for my liking. This particular one, on the other hand, did really catch my glance. Not because the basic premise is revolutionary or anything like that, but only because I found it incredibly useful.
You see, this particular networking site is aimed at festival goers. Here, they can meet up with other people keen on attending such events, chat until they run out of breath, and share media recorded at the festivals they have attended. Continue reading