IntroductionVirtual communities & online social networking sites are providing a new.
powerful, and extremely popular medium for human connection.
In the near term, infrastructure providers, social network providers, & wireless players stand to profit largely.ScopeCovers pressing technological issues facing social networking services.Identifies major areas of innovation.Focuses on the critical challenges of scalability and availability, and presents solutions.HighlightsEvery customer-facing business should prepare for a sudden, unexpected surge in customer contacts, but for most these increases constitute spikes which endure for a short period of time and then drop down to predictable levels.
Social networking services must not only anticipate spikes, but court them, converting idle interest into loyal usership.Social networking services of all stripes should be preparing their mobile strategies.The ability to port content and contacts between non-competing social networking services is benefiting all parties.Reasons to PurchaseUnderstand the potential of hosting for social networking services.Isolate opportunities for growth in promising new areas.