The evolution of social continues to march forward, unabated. Facebook is evolving (even though I suggested that Facebook was in decline a while back), but upstart niche networks could start pulling traffic away soon. How is Facebook handling some of the new social media paradigms?
The Growth of Asymmetrical Following
Google+ was hot for about 10 minutes last year. Now it’s largely faded away. If it wasn’t baked into Gmail I don’t think we’d ever see anything from G+. However, the one feature that Google+ really got right was the concept of Circles, which is Google’s implementation of asymmetrical following.
Asymmetrical following, made popular by Twitter, is a key feature in Facebook’s evolution too. Last year Facebook introduced subscriptions, which has allowed mainstream users access to celebrities and high-profile users. Subscriptions allows a user to see all of the public posts by an individual and have added a new twist to the stream.
Pinterest and the Rise of Sharing
Pinterest has quickly become the hottest startup in the social media world. The concept is quite simple… just share the things that interest you. I’ve heard from a few sources that Pinterest itself has a user-base of about 98% women, which means that male counterparts will be coming soon. GentleMint is the first male-oriented pinboard to hit the market and is currently in invite mode.
It appears that sharing is the next wave of social media. First, we had personal status updates. Now we’re moving toward users sharing their hobbies and creations a little more. Less personal, more useful.
Facebook and Sharing
It will be interesting to see how Facebook responds to the sharing phenomenon. Will they allow networks like Pinterest and GentleMint to continue to grow without reacting, or will they try to replicate some of the most popular features as they did with Google+?
What’s your take? What does the future look like 1 year from now in regards to Facebook and Pinterest? More importantly, what’s the next evolution of social?
