Redmond, Washington — In a move to further make its presence more lively, software maker Microsoft, which also owns a small stake in popular social media outfit Facebook, has just dipped its own toe in the online social space with the release of its new social networking site “So.cl” (pronounced ‘social’) service that experiments with the concept of social search and specifically targets students.
Basically, it is an experimental research project conceived by Microsoft FUSE Labs, centered on exploring the possibilities of social search for the purpose of learning.
The So.cl site, which is primarily intended for college students to share interesting discoveries online related to their curriculum with each other and is closely integrated with Microsoft’s search engine, Bing, looks like a curious blend of Facebook and Google+.
The site blends the experience of web browsing, social search and networking all into single package, to help people find and share interesting web pages in the way students do when they work together.
Apart from creating rich posts while enjoying social connectivity, So.cl also offers rich media sharing of videos via “video parties,” where users can search and quickly arrange a list of movies to view with friends. Users can view any existing party collection created by any other So.cl user, create their own and easily interact with other So.cl users… very Google+ like.
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In effect, Microsoft is attempting to build on the fact that many students are looking for the same sorts of things online, and it gives them a way to assemble together and share their findings with other members interested in the corresponding academic area. We will see if its young users stick to such a lofty goal.
However, this capability is expected to help popular searches “go viral” as the site gains steam, helping Microsoft’s social media entry differentiate itself from contending sites like Facebook and Google+.
In fact, Microsoft’s association with Facebook was most likely a way to dip into the online sharing and networking fields as the company prepared to realize its social media aspirations. According to a post on the Microsoft Research website, So.cl is formulated to help students study social media trends, and enables them to “extend their educational experience and rethink how they learn and communicate.” Microsoft will soon open So.cl to another 1,000 students, also by invitation only.
For now, the site is restricted to a handful of universities such as the University of Washington, Syracuse University, New York University and a few other schools. The company says that anyone who may be interested to get more involved in the project should email them on Socl@microsoft.com.
The site depicts a combination of features from Facebook and Google+. Besides, So.cl is expected to provide an avenue for Microsoft to push against rival Google on two fronts. Basically, students use online search engines to research many topics. Thus, if So.cl picks the heat, it could drive more people in the educational field to make Bing their search engine of choice, helping it gain a better foothold against Google’s search dominance.
Moreover, Microsoft explained that this site is not meant to replace any existing social media networks such as Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn. We expect students to continue using these existing services, as well as Bing, Google and other search tools.
In fact, users must log in via their Facebook account in order to access this new social network. We hope to motivate students to re-imagine how our everyday communication and learning tools can be improved, by researching, learning and sharing in their everyday lives
This is not the first attempt on the part of the Redmond, Wash.-based company to combine search and social media. Last spring, it partnered with Facebook to refine Bing search results via the social networking giant’s “Like” feature.
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