So we all know that Yahoo wanted to buy Facebook, but didn't want to cough enough money to do so (they were willing to go up to $1.6 billion a year ago - today Facebook would fetch somewhere in the $5-10 billion range) - instead they've gone out and tried to create a new social site of their own, Mash.One interesting thing right off the bat about Mash is that it seems like Yahoo's tried this before - and failed - with Yahoo 360 (which has nothing to do with Xbox 360). Yahoo 360 is actually still around, and still in beta, but it may never come out now with Mash on the scene. It seems like Mash is the more Web 2.0 version of Yahoo 360. Yahoo 360 was all about the elongated rectangular static modules, Mash is more about the movable, swappable, modules. It definitely is taking elements from Facebook, MySpace, Wikipedia, and Yahoo's own Flickr, to create a highly-customizable page.
I haven't used it long enough to know if I will keep using it long term - and obviously the most important factor in that is if anyone else actually uses it - social networks are no good without the 'social' part. Certainly I don't see it replacing my social network of choice, Facebook, but the fact that I'm not writing it off immediate as I did with Yahoo 360 is a positive sign for Yahoo. I definitely like the elements they've borrowed from Wikipedia (friends - or anyone if you set it so - can edit anyone else's profiles, and the revision history is kept) and Flickr (the simply click-to-change text ability) and think the other social networks would be wise to try out ideas like this.
Other new ideas - like the strange Tamagotchi-like drawn face on the sidebar that you have to feed and pet (or starve and kill) is very strange and kind of creeps me out.
Something about Mash reminds me too much of MySpace though; I think it's the open-endedness. As I've said in the past, one of the reasons that I initially started liking Facebook over MySpace was that it was a contained environment, no one could throw up loud, annoying background pictures (or loud, annoying background music for that matter), data on profiles seemed more relevant because everyone was filling out the same fields rather than putting whatever the hell they wanted on there.
Mash is all about putting whatever the hell you want on there (your profile). Want to embed a video in this box? Done. What to show a stream of your photos? Done. So if you don't like the constrictiveness of Facebook (and really how constrictive is it now with Platform?), and don't like how ugly MySpace is, Mash might be for you.
If you're already on Mash, feel free to add me as a friend via my profile.
If you're not on Mash yet and would like an invite, let me know in the comments, I believe there is an unlimited email invite program.
Other early opinions on Mash: TechCrunch | Webware | SFgate | Online Marketing Blog | Mash Blog
15 comments:
invite please
my email is on my about-me page on my blog if you need it :)
you got it eng. it's sent.
invite please, my mail is "a.ortiz" on Gmail
Thanks a lot!
You got it antonio.
thanks!
invite would be great radders007@yahoo.co.uk
Thanks!
You got it radders. Enjoy.
Wow very interesting.
-tom
Ron Paul Media
I'm not impressed with how they don't respect the custom invite you fill out.
233 people now think I'm spamming them.
please
abi1167@yahoo.com
thanks
@engtech - yeah the invite system kind of sucks. I've invited a dozen or so people and at least 10 of those times I've failed the captcha, I cannot read it.
@anon - invite is out. enjoy!
Please invite me!!!
lorena.sanchezz@yahoo.com
Love Ya
Went to create you a profile Lorena, and you already had one so I just friended you instead.
please invite me to yahoo mash my add is ginger_sisk2000@yahoo.com
@ginger - just sent it out. enjoy.
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