Yahoo!

So Yahoo! has this new social networking device. Unlike MySpace and Facebook, this doesn't have a fancy name. I've been trying to figure it out and see what it actually does, and so far it hasn't been easy. I think part of this may have to do with the fact that it's new and people haven't "found" it yet.

Here are the problems with this new avenue in social marketing:
- How do you actually find anyone on it? For what I have figured out, you can make connections (that's the equivalent of befriending)with people who are in your contact list. You can search for other people in the search tool. Of course you can only search for other people who have joined this new profile addition of Yahoo! From an on-line marketing perspective, this isn't very helpful.

-How do you make it your own? Last night when I saw this message in my inbox about updating my profile and connecting with friends there was a link that told you how to add color and originality to your profile. Today, I can't find it anywhere. This is a major flaw. People don't expect to be able to personalize their Facebook accounts, but this site claims you can and then makes it difficult to find again.

-How many times do I have to put in my password? Everytime you change anything on your profile you are taken to the homescreen and asked to put in your password. This system isn't change friendly. Last night I put my password in over ten times just trying to figure things out.

I don't think that this profile connection system is going to last. It's not user friendly and there's nothing too exciting about it. There is a blog on it, so if you just wanted to use it as a blog then I could see your contacts being interested in possibly reading it. But, I don't think creating a profile on Yahoo! for the purpose of marketing would be of any benefit...at least not yet. Who knows, things may change on here and it could catch on.