In the last few years, Verizon Wireless and AT&T have sought to court young consumers interested in keeping in touch with friends. Now they are turning their attention to everyone else.
Both companies announced on Tuesday new applications that will make it easier for customers to better view and monitor their social networks through a single source on their mobile phone. Verizon Wireless is calling its service “SocialLife,” and it costs $1.49 per month. AT&T has dubbed its service “My Communities,” and it costs $2.99 a month.
Analysts predict that social networking communities like Facebook and MySpace that are popular on the Web will become even more so on mobile phones as people look to connect with friends on the go. But the question is: Why would consumers want to pay to access social networking sites through their carrier?
“The problem with launching all this stuff is that it smacks a little of the walled garden,” said Craig Moffett, an analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein, of AT&T and Verizon’s efforts. “Once you have a Web-enabled phone, and more people are getting those, you don’t need to have your wireless carrier manage this.”
Indeed, neither service will offer access to Facebook, one of the Big Two social networking sites.
Rob Hyatt, executive director of premium content for AT&T’s wireless division, said a service like “My Communities” would be helpful for novice users who are not as familiar navigating the mobile world as they are online. The new services also give much needed exposure to sites that might otherwise be overlooked, he added. “There are a lot of ways to get to a community, some easy, some not,” he said. “This is organized for you and in one place.”
In addition to MySpace, both Verizon and AT&T will offer a roster that includes: AsiaAve, BlackPlanet and MiGente, online communities which appeal to different ethnicities; Faithbase, an online community for Christians; and GLEE, a site for gays and lesbians. Cell phone users will be able to easily upload photos from their phones and post comments on multiple sites.
FriendFeed, which is an aggregator of social networking sites, is beginning to tiptoe into the mobile world. But that is different than the services offered from AT&T and Verizon. Users of FriendFeed create customized feeds to share with friends. AT&T and Verizon do not offer that service and they do not offer access to the same social networks as FriendFeed.
The AT&T and Verizon services were developed by Intercasting Corp., a social networking and mobile media company which works with carriers to offer sites to consumers.
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