Microsoft’s Social Network So.cl Opens to Everyone.

So.cl page with rich content.

       Microsoft silently launched their social network So.cl, which is said to help students to connect each other. The new Social Network was in development stage for almost a year. So.cl, pronounced “Social” lets users share and comment on interesting search results and connect with "like-minded" people. The site was developed by Microsoft’s FUSE Labs intended to help students on learning purposes and to enhance social experiences. 

       “We expect students to continue using products such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other existing social networks, as well as Bing, Google and other search tools. We hope to encourage students to reimagine how our everyday communication and learning tools can be improved, by researching, learning and sharing in their everyday lives.” Says Microsoft on So.cl’s “About” section. 

       Microsoft says that the social network is not arrival to Facebook or Twitter. They are aiming add a new layer to the current social networking concepts. So.cl even accepts login via Facebook account or Windows Live Account. Microsoft has made a wise decision by not launching the site as a rival for any of the other social networks. It seem that they might have learned it from Google+. It is interesting fact that the beginning of Facebook was similar as students were targeted at first. 

       So.cl is similar to other social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. The site allows users to share pages, follow “like minded” people, make discussions etc. All searches in So.cl are public by default and users can make their content “private” or delete it. The overall look of the site is good. The layout is similar to Google+, with elements from Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest. 

"Vidoe Parties" in So.cl

       Users can share their activities on So.cl with other users, as in Facebook. Users can follow each other or follow interests as “pages” in Facebook. The “Everyone” feed option is users can see what others are searching or sharing. Users have an option to cross post their So.cl activities on Facebook. The “Video Party” feature which is similar to video sorting in YouTube is a major highlight of So.cl. The feature allows users to create slideshow of videos. 

       The features of So.cl are minimal compared to other mainstream social networks. It is an experimental research project which help combine search with the social network for the purpose of expressing and sharing ideas, organized by interests. Thus So.cl is not meant to replace existing social network at present.