Is distance an issue when it comes to online games?

Certainly, in games such as World of Warcraft and Halo, you don't need to be geographically close to your teammates or opponents in order to have fun. Players of these online video games span the nation and even the world. All they need is a common language and a headset to understand each other.

However, in the world of social networks, it's a bit different. While the goal of social websites like Facebook is to connect people to others, the user's personal goal is closer to furthering relationships with their friends. Distance becomes an issue in this case because people prefer to attend events with those who live in close proximity. Going to the movies with a friend that lives halfway across the country isn't exactly a piece of cake. The digital and real lives that people lead are still connected, and social networks need to realize the necessity of subnetworks based on location.

The new iPhone software allows applications to use the phone's location to help locate people with the same interests, activities, etc. around the user. However, two of the biggest networks--Facebook and MySpace--failed to take advantage of this feature. It will most likely cost them dearly, as soaring gas prices and summer heat deter people from venturing too far away from their turf.

Back from hiatus and social networking is expanding faster than ever!

Lately, Facebook, MySpace, Youtube, Digg, and other sites have been adding features faster than I can keep track of. It seems that the power of these so-called Web 2.0 sites has also increased. Their outreach has become broader and with this comes the inevitable rush to advertise. Businesses are trying their best to take advantage of the vast number of people who use these sites, so it comes as no surprise that Google would want to create their own version to sink their claws into even more of the internet market.

And that's exactly what they have been doing. This is a scary idea if Google can get enough people to use a newly renovated iGoogle instead of other social networks. Their monopoly on the internet would essentially be complete. Thankfully, as of now, they are not looking to overtake the Facebook/MySpace audience. However, they do want to provide users with a comprehensive portal in which they can see and access other sites via activity streams. Redirecting major traffic to Google? Decide for yourself if it's a threat.

Issues with downloading

Lately, there have been a few people questioning about the downloading/purchasing process. The Web: Hidden Games is available for free here. No purchase is necessary at all. However, you will need a lulu.com account in order to be able to download the book. This registration is also free, and it only takes a few minutes. 

Featured!

Recently, my book has been featured on Read/WriteWeb by Richard MacManus: Social Websites As Games - How to Win at Digg, YouTube, Facebook This is of course very exciting as I've been getting continuous feedback from readers.

For the moment, I'd like to remain anonymous, although if you look hard enough, you'll probably find me (a careless mistake on my part in the book). I appreciate all your comments very much though!

One blogger mentioned that I did not incorporate broader conclusions that web designers could learn from, but I like to let others draw their own conclusions. Each person has a different interpretation and spelling everything out would only limit innovation.

I will hopefully have enough time soon to post new findings on this blog daily. Until then, have fun gaming, and please feel free to share any ideas here!

Facebook: Web OS or Game

Nick O'Neill asked a good quesion on his www.allfacebook.com: Is Facebook For Games?

All social systems can be viewed from different perspectives: Web OS, Social, Game, Entertainment, Platform etc. Viewing them as games is actually a good perspective.

Test

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