Some buzz is building around Flock, a web browser built with blogging and social networking in mind.
Does the Internet need another Web browser? A few of Firefox’s former engineers think so. They have formed Flock and aim to build a browser that incorporates modern touches to help create blogs and share favored sites.
A BusinessWeek report discussed the virtues of a new browser entering the market. Sharing has become the new focus for many web users. It’s the desire to share that has driven the popularity of sites like photo-sharing service Flickr. Browsing is too passive now.
The report names a couple of notable people who have seen the early Flock browser at work, quoting Microsoft blogger as calling it “awesome.” Flock can launch a “blogging wizard” by right-clicking on a page; that makes content and links from the page available to be easily dropped into a blog entry.
Flock wants to incorporate at launch the kinds of tools that users want. Browsers like Firefox, and IE to an extent, can be enhanced by adding extensions. By having extra functions built-in and available just by enabling them, Flock thinks it can get more users to use those tools.
Monetizing their work will be the real trick. Flock has received some VC money, and going forward plans to make the browser available for free with advertising support. Affiliate deals and possibly a Mozilla/Opera-like infusion of Google cash via default search could be in their future too.
David Utter is a staff writer for Murdok covering technology and business. Email him here.
