While, I like what I see so far and I think 360 is very compelling as a personal blogging tool, it has some serious shortcomings that most veterans will not like. Also, I am wondering if I gave Yahoo! the idea for this project way back last June when I speculated how Google might merge Blogger and Orkut into a “trusted network” of bloggers. Hmmm…
Thoughts and Critiques Concerning Yahoo 360
Editor’s Note: In today’s issue, Steve reviews Yahoo 360; the portal’s new web community service. Do any of you use these types of Friendster/Orkut-style sites? Do you have any good stories concerning community sites? Share your comments on WebProWorld.
Anyway, what I like about 360 is how how I can easily use it to share photos, moblog, connect with friends and family and find new friends. I also like how I can share my music, my reviews and more. It’s a perfect tool for consumer expression. It’s also relatively easy to use. However, some of the navigation is confusing.
As compelling as Yahoo! 360 is for newbies, it has virtually zero application as a professional/business blogging tool. It’s far too simple. You can’t easily turn features on or off and it lacks trackbacks and customization. I guess we can’t expect it do everything that the big platforms do.
In short, Yahoo!’s first blogging effort builds on MSN Spaces thanks to its nice social networking features. However, to me it really feels more like Geocities on steroids rather than a true blogging platform I can recommend. The recent Friendster/TypePad tie-up seems more on the right track because that was a marriage of two best-of-breed platforms.
Yahoo! 360 Pluses:
– Yahoo makes it easy to find fellow birds of a feather and it ties blogging and social networking
– 360 is tightly integrated with other Yahoo services
Minuses:
– The integration of social networking and blogging is confusing. Some people may only want one, not the other, and this might lead them to gravitate to one-trick pony’s like TypePad and/or LinkedIn
-Yahoo! 360 lacks trackbacks and customization features
On a side note, Jeremy Zawodny also has invites for Yahoo 360 available. To possibly receive one from him drop him a note, or visit his 360 page.
Steve Rubel is a PR strategist with nearly 16 years of public relations, marketing, journalism and communications experience. He currently serves as a Senior Vice President with Edelman, the largest independent global PR firm.
He authors the Micro Persuasion weblog, which tracks how blogs and participatory journalism are changing the public relations practice.
