I haven’t mentioned Scott Adams in a while. Scott, the creator of business-themed cartoon Dilbert, is one smart guy, and last week said something that matters. It matters in business and business change, it matters in social networking, and it matters . . . well, maybe everywhere.
Less Is More.
Mr. Adams’ gives several examples. Booking Travel Online. Buying Movie Tickets. The iPad and pretty much everything else that Apple does. But in Apple’s case the example was that less is more works, whereas booking travel and buying movie tickets have become bogged down. More has become Less.
The business change examples are so numerous I won’t spend much time. Just think about how much easier it is to shop when you have packages to choose from, or pre-built meals at a restaurant instead of a la carte ordering. No comment on value or what’s “better”, or for whom; it’s just easier, and that makes everyone feel better.
In social networking, less is more is looking like the way things will go. Yesterday Apple announced a social network of their own. PING will be a way for iTunes users to share how they feel about the music they listen to with others. I don’t care, but my 21-year-old son thought it was a great idea.
Social networking needs more thinking like this; it needs a real Facelift. Social networks need to actually have something social about them, beyond the mere “come to the marketplace and see if you recognize anyone” approach being practiced by Facebook. Again, I personally think Ping is silly, but it’s going to be immensely popular—not so much because it comes from Apple, but because it makes sense.
Look for the news about the Facelift of Social Networking right here . . . very soon!