Slashdot Mirror
Microsoft Launches Social Network
prostoalex writes "Inspired by the fast growth of social networks such as Facebook and MySpace, Microsoft is launching a test version of its own social network. Wallop brands itself as 'the exclusive social experience,' and is technically a separate company, a startup that's based on technologies developed by Microsoft Research. As far as revenues, Wallop 'plans to sell graphics and other features people can use to decorate their personal profile pages,' says MSNBC."
Wallop brands itself as 'the exclusive social experience', and is technically a separate company, a startup that's based on technologies developed by Microsoft Research. As far as revenues, Wallop 'plans to sell graphics and other features people can use to decorate their personal profile pages'
Exclusive? I suppose the old invite a friend to join thing is the barrier to keeping seedier people (like most slashdotters and OSS & Linux evangelists) out.
'Sell graphics and other features ...' Hey, I've got an idea. Why not just build your own website and run a blog on it. Sounds cheaper and more exclusive.
'technologies developed by Microsoft Research' Does this mean there will be an endless parade of vulnerabilities and patches? That's what I associate with their technologies, based upon a very well established track record. I see it features Flash on the home page. What happened to Microsoft's alternative to that?
Late to yet another dance, Microsoft attempts once again to show they brought the best date. Not a bad looker, but just don't ask about the white streaks in her hair and the bolt in her neck...
in soviet russia invite wallops YOU!
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
Nothing for you to see here. Please move along.
Microsoft should have this monopoly nailed down shut.
I can't exactly picture joining a service entitled "Wallop", no matter how many friends I have on there...it sounds pretty painful!
"Hey Joe! I just walloped you!"
"Ow! Screw you!"
I'm guessing they got the name from the messages passed out by mIRC... Let's just hope they have more directed traffic on their site.
What a useless idea. Lets take someone else's good idea, and make people pay all sorts of fees to make it look worth a damn! Sounds like an excellent idea to me, where do I sign up?
Like someone suggests here, they really should just buy metoo.com, put everything under the one domain and be done with it.
...might be wall-hack.
This is a private venture that used to be owned by Microsoft. Microsoft doesn't fund, did not develop, and has nothing to do with this site anymore.
"The need to build the internet comes from something inside us, something programmed... something we can't resist."
KidneyPunch.com is a social network of non-linear extrapolation that combines functionality, information and collective knowledge in new and meaningful ways, all facilitated by technology.
Consider the following:
1. to beat soundly; thrash.
2. Informal. to strike with a vigorous blow; belt; sock: After two strikes, he walloped the ball out of the park.
3. Informal. to defeat thoroughly, as in a game.
Considering the success, or lack thereof, of other attempts by Microsoft to enter already established markets, their name will be exactly what will happen to them.
Granted, I'm sure the reason for the name was to imply that the service will beat Facebook and MySpace but really, the marketing folks should have used history as a guide before settling on the name.
We will bankrupt ourselves in the vain search for absolute security. -- Dwight D. Eisenhower
That's the end of Slashdot, folks!
Let's all move to MSN-whatever and that's it!
If anyone has browsed the site a bit (or can still, if it's not already /.'ed for now) -- I especially liked how the developer network page wants you to use Flash programming for sellable mods (as opposed to .NET applications) and the site itself is written using PHP (as opposed to .ASP / .ASPX)... Just my observations...
And if you want to develop a meaningful relationship with someone special, please visit our sister-site, KickedInTheBeanBag.com
There is no mod option "-1: Disagree" for a reason. "Overrated" is not an acceptable substitute. Post something instead.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
Clippy pops up and says...
"It looks like you are need some friends. Would you like some help with that?"
...and Christian singles can find that special someone who shares their values by visiting www.SlatheredInMayonaise.biz
Wallop - The fast way to a real spanking.
What a stupid name. Then again, these days "Absurdly stupid" == "'Edgy'. Exhibits a penchant for the uncanny or unusual. A Likely source of pleasant surprises."
There has to be a reason that PHP won out over Microsofts "not invented here" culture. Are they doing GeoIP lookups or something?
It's been around for quite some time..
I just found a copy of the EULA they're going to use on this Wallop thing:
Is it just me, or does this sound a little ... ominous?
I hear there's rumors on the Slashdots
When, WHEN will Microsoft stop being late to the party?
There is nothing interesting going on at my blog
This was to be expected. Microsoft has the history of eating up every successful company that comes its way. It either buys it out, or simply annihilates by creating a rival.
I remember it perfectly: an e-mail that I recieved several years ago about Gates giving out large sum of money to anybody who joins that chainletter... It's becoming true! Yes!
powered by phpBB.
That way I could wollop my wii with all my friends. If I had any that is.
Seeing the near religious ferver Firefox fans and Linux fans show, Microsoft has decided to start a new religion. Experts predict it will have hard time converting people because most of its targets already are worshipping money.
sed -e 's/Chuck Norris/Rajnikant/g' joke > fact
Well, I'm sorry to tell you MS, but MySpace KILLED-IT. You can try to follow in it's foot-steps, but good luck with that.
The fact of the matter is...
A) The name 'myspace' has a lot to do with it's popularity. 'Wallop' is a word that 68% of those myspace users have never heard of, so the chances of it catching-on, or them being able to spell it even, is very slim.
B) The whole myspace phenom is long over. The majority of people who use myspace STILL, are not likely to switch to yet another social networking site. They've been to Friendster, tribez, etc. MySpace works for them.
C) The majority of people who have moved-on from myspace MAY be interested in some less-shady alternative, but I suspect that they are 'over it' with the whole social networking fetish.
Why don't they use that R&D dept. to actually innovate something for once. I mean... seriously, what a waste!
the only permanence in existence, is the impermanence of existence.
I guess you can put a price on friendship afterall....sweeeeet!
This is MS's latest attempt to play catch-up. When will they come out with something new and be a leader.
Ok, I'm not trolling here. Don't mod me up (but maybe do so to the replies). What is the point of these sites such as Facebook and MySpace for the users? I've looked at myspace and it appears to only be profile pages. Slashdot, and other sites, have profile pages but they aren't the main content of the site. MySpace doesn't seem to have any main content, only profile pages. So I'm wondering what's the point of making an account there. I contrast this with sites like Last.fm and Delicious where they also are made up of profile pages but the profile pages have a specific content focus (music and bookmarks).
Someone clue me in because I'm not getting it. Is it just a case of "everyone else is doing it so I'll do it to" ?
For an invitation to wallop you have to write to them saying why you should get invited. I've had such a hard time writing a Statement of Purpose to my university. Arrrgh ...
Anyways, Microsoft's just going to get Walloped. Anybody who's an anybody is on MySpace/Facebook/Orkut.
Help a man when he is in trouble and he will remember you when he is in trouble again.
With all the bashing has anybody actually used the service? I did I didnt find it that bad. I actually found it better then myspace. But what do I know since I am not jumping on the lets bash microsoft for no reason bandwagon.
The whole point of social networking, be it on the internet or otherwise, is to be inclusive, not exclusive. If you're being exclusive, you're not networking. Either they missed the boat, or it was an incredibly poor choice of words.
That doesn't matter, though, becuase in either event, I can excoriate Microsoft and garner more karma.
Have you been Walloped(TM)!?!?!
GetOuttaMySpace - The Anti-Social Network
OK so I click on the link and what do I see... no useful content whatsoever, just some marketspeak about an 'exclusive social experience'. Why would I bother spending five minutes to sign up? Wikipedia shows how to do it right: the front page is interesting reading, regularly updated, full of featured articles and 'did you know' to draw people into the site.
-- Ed Avis ed@membled.com
MS has been using lateness as a business model for a long time and it has worked for them. Let someone else soften up the marketplace. Let the competitior burn themselves out. Come late and you can throw the big pile of cash around to get what you want. If the model is working, why change it?
Engineering is the art of compromise.
I many interact with MS R&D in the graphics section. They gave 25% of the papers at this years SIGGRAPH where the paper acceptance rate is one in ten. They have luminaries like Blinn and Bell.
Very little of that brain-power is commercialized. The problem I hear is a rivalry between the eggheads and people who write shipping code.
Wallop, eccch.
Or sound like an idiot because this is a privately held company and isn't owned by Microsoft?
...Windows Live Spaces then??
Isn't there already an MSN Spaces? I thought that was MSFT's copy of MySpace. But then I didn't look into it very much (at all).
Those of you who say it will fail don't know that Wallop will be integrated into the OS.
Just like Passport and Hotmail were.
Way to actually click on the link...
http://designer.wallop.com/forums/
So they spend all of this time making some flash based pretty site, but then just throw up a default copy of phpBB as their BBS for their designers ("modders")?
Nice to see that they're all about creativity
What we call "nickel and diming people to death" IS a business model - thats how the phrase got started in the first place. Think anything you purchase that has add-ons. It's just now expanded to the technical arena - nothing new.
Well, true, there's also that possibility...
MS does have an equity stake, I guess. *shrug*
great another one of these idiot-magnet "social networking sites" that are all the crazy among the unwashed newbitry for me to receive spam to and links from my non-technical friends. Yet another stupid site filled with 13-year-old camwhores and 14-year-old-pimps for me to avoid.
If you cannot keep politics out of your moderation remove yourself from the Mod Lottery.. NOW!
I like how -It doesn't fit onscreen unless maximized. -It whisks you off to "wallopcorp.com". That'll go over great. -You're supposed to email them and tell them why you should be invited, but they forgot to tell you any of their criteria for who gets invited. I think I'll say "you should invite me because I weight 130 pounds"
My turnips listen for the soft cry of your love
--
But why did Microsoft pay
$$$ earlier this year for
my domain ?
Doesn't M$ already have a "myspace" type site called "Windows Live Space" http://spaces.live.com/ ?
What do they need two for ? Im not sure how this is a new step for them other than having it under a company who name doesnot contain M$ or windows or hotmail !
$DO || ! $DO ; try(); > try: command not found
The first hit in the Google define result for "exclusive" is not divided or shared with others. Not shared with others huh? That is humorous from many angles...
How much time do people actually have to have profiles in these networks! Think the market is saturated!!! MS would much rather have bought one of the more established ones!
Social networking meme is peaking, the rate of change has topped out. Microsoft misses the boat again!
r y=blog_rss_meme_update
http://www.realmeme.com/roller/page/realmeme/?ent
Ok yeah MS has a lot of difficulty staying on track with software development, and what have you. But with out MS, would there be a computer in most peoples homes? Would a large number of us have jobs being the tech-geeks we are? And how many of you have never run a MS OS on their computer or their parents? I bet not a lot can say that. I say, show MS a little respect, with out them the PC wouldn't be anywhere near where its at today.
Insert funny smart-ass comment here.
Hence all the php and flash. They're trying to give people things they already know and are familiar with.
Reality is nothing but a collective hunch.
This is going to be the "Zune" of the social network world. Once again MSFT, a few years too lame.. oops i mean late.
Help me get a new laptop - http://nocreditcard.yourgiftsfree.com/?id=3012
The original Korean Cyworld is a huge success... and they charge for every little thing. I think it's a similar idea and it's proven that it can work in certain markets.
Wow. This site must have already been slashdotted. Even the DNS servers won't route me there.
Been on Wallop 2 years next month. I don't understand how this is news all of a sudden.
09-f9-11-02-9* (G^GCA_++{>. RV>>>>+++ NO CARRIER
Anyone remember that "three degrees" thing that Microsoft came out with several years ago? It used IPv6 and Teredo to work. I guess it was more like P2P for small groups, than really social networking, but it was targeted at young (late teens, early 20ish) kids.
Looks like it closed down in 2005.
http://www.wallopcorp.com/about.html
... Wallop started as a Microsoft research project more than four years ago. .... Karl found the research project at Microsoft and recruited Sean Kelly, the inventor of Wallop, as a founder ... It is a privately-held venture backed by Norwest Venture Partners (NVP), Bay Partners, Consor Capital and an equity stake from Microsoft.
Wallop, a spinout company from Microsoft, redefines the popular social networking space by
So no, the article, summary, and headline are quite misleading.
Besides, Microsoft's social networking site is called Spaces.
-David
of "PC" from the mac commercials trying to pick up chicks on myspace.
*shudders*
Kiteboarding Gear Mention slashdot and get 10% off!
like we really need another "social networking" website.. again here comes microsoft always last to play chase the donkey.
who's gonna sign up? Probably people over at myspace, facebook etc with 1 or 2 "friends" in their network will flock over to wallops early so they can be 'friends' with each other and build up an impressive list. then another company will set up another social networking site and the misfits from wallops will flock there and so on.
example of use: as seen in George Orwells 1984. I bet that will cause problems for americans with the 'teens'
http://mywallop.com/
It opened around the beginning of 2005, but it was invite only and beta (both of which Google's Orkut and Gmail still are.
but whats with the 'exclusive social experience' stuff? could they be more abstract than that!!
i feel that yes, social networking has lost its novelty lately, with hundreds of sites sprouting up, but there are still some good ones..like this one which allows u to form only 12-member groups.
the world is spherical
Anyone else feel like they're looking at Apple.com? The web page has an amazingly... OS X-ish feel to it. Kinda weird.
Overall, at least it doesn't look like crap (hello MySpace!!!).
Like a hooker needs another dose of clap.
I wonder if this will die as quickly as Walmart's effort seems to have. Probably not: the people going to this will be as dumb but have more money available.
Nostalgia's not what it used to be.
October 04 is when I got started on it, so nearly two years now.
09-f9-11-02-9* (G^GCA_++{>. RV>>>>+++ NO CARRIER
Reminds me of that South Korean site, Cyworld. Here's an article a little more interesting than the Wikipedia one. You can also try CNET.
On a sidenote, I find this trend of funny short names (Zune, Google, Wallop) as amuzing as the Koreans putting the word "cyber" in as many brands as they can.
Is it just me, or do I remember launching a social-network site called `Six Degrees' about 5 years ago?
God made the natural numbers; all else is the work of man - Kronecker
Does anyone else see the trend?
"OOOOH other companies are making money on game consoles we should do that too!"
"OOOOH other companies are making money on online music we should do that too!"
"OOOOH other companies are making money on mp3 players we should do that too!"
"OOOOH other companies are making money on social websites we should do that too!"
"OOOOH other companies are making money on security software we should do that too!"
"OOOOH other companies are making money on search engines we should do that too!"
"OOOOH other companies..." well you get the picture
I realize that MS "innovation" has largely been a joke from day one given they steal or copy most of their "innovations" but its just getting sad watching them. Couple that with them losing so many of their higher ups these days...not looking good for Redmond. I still don't understand how they managed to get anywhere...marketing seems to be the common excuse because its certainly not a good product...but I give you the following examples of MS marketing's pathetic failures. Windows CE, Windows ME, Windows NT, Windows XP...Win CEMENT XP PCs into paperweights one desktop at a time.... Or just Windows CE, Win CE, wince (as in wincing because its that aweful). Or the final one that REALLY explains Bill Gates and his must dominate the world mentality...Micro Soft...sounds like someone who needs a penis pump and viagra....unless that was the plan all along...create a shoddy OS, dominate the world, create spambots...get discrete emails for penis pumps and viagra!!! success!! no wonder he is stepping down...his job is done!
The only change I can believe in is what I find in my couch cushions.
Wallop? Probably better to term if Flop, because that's exactly what's going to happen.
M$, the Johnny-Come-Lately to every single party... but tries to cheat its way out by bundling through its monopoly.
eTrade SUCKS
... how many "me too" products is Microsoft going to produce before they finally go out of business?
I own Genuine Microsoft software. That has to count for something these days, right?