The Journey of Social Networks

I wonder everyday what the next big thing will be. Is it going to be a social network? How about a search engine? How about a place wear you can stream videos....another type of youtube? It is really hard to say what will be the next big thing, but if I had a guess, it would be another type of social networking site. Google released Google Buzz recently, and so far, the reception has been less than stellar. Some say that it's just a copy of Facebook, but just under the Google name. Social Networking is the one thing everyone is attacking. Everyone is looking for that one piece that will turn into a "gotta have," something that will impact people's lives.

Let's not forget though how we got to where we are now. For me, it began with AIM. There was nothing more exciting than signing on to instant message your best friends. AOL set the bar, and started off a long line of things to take over the lives of people. From AIM, it went to Xanga. Xanga was HUGE. Everyone had one, and most likely, everyone still has one because chances are you did not delete your profile. Regardless, Xanga was the beginning of the social network aspect. From Xanga, we go to MySpace. Personally, I hated MySpace, but Tom hit it big. As MySpace hung around, yahoo and possibly google planted their networks with an Instant Messaging feature. From MySpace, we travel to the world of Facebook, which has absolutely taken over the lives of not just young people, but older people as well. From Facebook, comes Twitter, which is hitting it big at the moment. And now, from Twitter, we go to this endless abyss of networks who are trying to find that big feature that will light everyone's eyes up.

That is really the challenge, for me personally, if I am going to invest in the stock market, I am looking for a social network that is undervalued, and hoping it hits big. I just wonder what is going to be next. I mean, Google started as a class project. Maybe some teacher challenges his students to make the next big thing. It will be interesting to find out what will happen.

My Birthday is arriving soon, and I can't wait.

Here's a quote to finish it off:

"It's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years!" - Abraham Lincoln