MyWallop is Microsoft’s attempt at a social networking site. The social networking space is very competitive, with numerous sites competing for members. Microsoft will have a hard time successfully entering it. I was able to get an invite to MyWallop and have been playing around with it.
The entire site is built on Flash, so it looks and function very nicely. Flash is extremely smooth when used correctly, and the transitions on MyWallop flow naturally. But that’s all it has. The interface is non-intuitive. While it looks pretty, it has hard to understand the connections between people, and how to add people as friends. When compared to the other social networking sites out there, My Wallop certainly looks impressive, but it is too difficult to effectively manage.
Beyond the difficulties of the system, right now it is unclear how MyWallop will generate revenues. Most social networking sites sell advertisements; currently MyWallop has none. While this may change, the entire site is in flash, text ads will look awkward along such a design. Furthermore, since most of the pages have the same basic layout, the only logically position ads right now would the lower right corner of the site, not a very effective location for text ads.
In conclusion, MyWallop needs a lot of work before it can be released to the public. It has the potential of being big, if it is correctly launched. However, with an extremely competitive environment, it will be hard.
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