Yahoo!’s Mash Network
By Brooks Jordan | September 18, 2007
Several posts ago, I said I thought Yahoo! should build their own social networking platform rather than acquire it:
But, really, it’s too late to acquire what currently looks like (and is called) social networking (. . . that’s why the analysts are talking about it). Yahoo! needs to start building the next form of software that connects people, and I hope they already are.
So, I’m glad to see they released Mash a couple of days ago. If you click on this link, don’t expect much; it’s an invitation-only beta (which I’m trying to get into). Early reports say that it doesn’t do anything that Facebook or Google’s Makamaka (which creates a “social fabric” for its existing products) doesn’t. But in order to do something unique they have to come up to speed, and I have a good feeling about it because, as I said, I think social nets are in their blood and since their backs are against the wall, they’re going to try and get it right.
The comments to Michael’s post about it on TechCrunch are mostly cynical. On a micro level people don’t want the same old thing and Yahoo!’s classic design and another app with a name like “Mash.” But on a macro level, I think Yahoo! had to do this, and I’m pulling for them. Mash won’t be the next think in social networking as we know it today, but it could lead to that next thing.
One thing they’re doing that might be part of that next thing is allowing friends to help you design your profile, if you allow it. That is, they’re giving your friends the ability to help define you. Sounds like real life to me.
Update: Cool, I got an invitation and I’ve giving it a whirl.