Trumblog

Last week saw the announcement of feature migrations from one social network to another.  First there is the the new retweet feature on Facebook called via.  With it you can repost a link posted by one of your friends to your own network.  Just like retweeting, this allows you to extend a link’s reach and give attribution to the person who originally shared it.  Second Yelp announced that they were adding check-ins to the review social network just like Foursquare.  Initially it seems that retweeting on Facebook is no big deal and that Yelp’s check-ins would doom Foursquare, but I think that it’s actually the other way around.

Of course Facebook’s via really isn’t retweet.  Yes, it does exactly the same thing, it’s just that Facebook’s private community as opposed to Twitter’s broadcast of information and the fact that you can only share links (links to anything webpages, video, graphics, etc) but not status updates is a subtle, but important difference.  Share distributes cool stuff, but doesn’t build popularity from expression vial 140 characters.

Share is incredibly handy and a move toward responses to status updates and other shared items that the community is hungry for.  The share option is just below links in the news feed right next comment and like (two concepts originally developed on Friend Feed).  Notice that Facebook did via right compared to the Twitter retweet fracas last year?  Sharing allows a comment on the shared item and credits the originator, but does NOT put a strange face in your News Feed.  Facebook may steal ideas, but at least they also learn from the mistakes of others too.

Of course there are other additions that we would like to see for reacting to status updates.  When an update has to do with bad news someone’s bound to comment that we need a “dislike” option.  For links or videos it would be great to be able to post another link, video or graphic as a response in the comments.  Share moves information found by Mavens to the rest of the world via Connectors who span many social circles.  Share makes spreading great content easy, building the connector’s social capital and crediting the maven to found it.  The ideas is here to stay.

The Yelp check-ins are a different story; they are exactly the same functionality as Foursquare.  But will it catch on in a social network of reviews?  Clearly location is the next big thing in social networks.  Twitter hass already built location into their API and I imagine that Facebook (who as I wrote about above steals liberally from other social networks) will roll something out soon too.  When I heard about Foursquare, my first thought was that I wished that Yelp had this feature since I was already a member of this social network and wouldn’t have to join a new one, but that’s sort of the problem too.  A social network built around reviews is different from one built around locations. The trust required for connection is much different. I’ll “friend” interesting and witty reviewers much easier than I will people to I tell where I am all the time.  Sure Yelp friends have a good idea where you live and hang out based on your reviews, but they don’t know exactly when you are out and about.  Foursquare friends do.  And I’m not about to shuffle my Yelp network based on one new feature.   That is why my daughter and wife warn me about the geo-location of Twitter, but would have less concern about it on Facebook.

Of course the Yelp check-ins could be less specific, more “I’ve been there X times” versus “I’m there now.”  And perhaps that would work.  I also wonder how could Foursquare support and reinforce the tips and to-do’s for venues?  There aren’t enough to make Foursquare a tool for selecting a restaurant or bar.  Time will tell if Yelp’s new feature insulates it from Foursquare and if Fourquare will last as Twitter and Facebook get in the act.  In the mean time I’ll still with them all mostly as I have before, but gradually trying out the new features and add tips for all the Foursquare venues where I have mayorships.

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